A new report from Canada’s census agency shows that one in four people speak a language other than English or French as their native tongue.
Tag: Language and Languages
All Hooting Aside: Did a Vocal Evolution Give Rise to Language?
The loss of certain muscles in the human larynx may have helped give our species a voice, a new study suggests.
He Says, She Says: Hebrew Meets Gender Politics
A linguistic revolution is underway in the quest for more gender-inclusive language for Hebrew, whose modern form adopted grammatical norms from 3,000 years ago. Not everybody is on board.
‘Parentese’ Is Truly a Lingua Franca, Global Study Finds
In an ambitious cross-cultural study, researchers found that adults around the world speak and sing to babies in similar ways.
In Argentina, a Battle Over Gender-Inclusive Language in Classrooms
The city of Buenos Aires blocked the use of gender-inclusive language in schools, reigniting off a debate that is reverberating across the world.
Ryanair Drops South African Passport Test After Protests
The Irish budget airline had imposed a test in Afrikaans, a language with a racist legacy and that many South Africans don’t speak, to weed out fake documents.
How Many Languages Could a Child Speak?
In theory, a young person could master a broad array of tongues. But there are some inherent limits.
Recording India’s Linguistic Riches as Leaders Push Hindi as Nation’s Tongue
Ganesh Devy has spent decades documenting India’s hundreds of distinct languages. Up next: a 12,000-year history of India he hopes will help counter the government’s Hindu-first campaign.
Ryanair Asks Travelers to Prove South African Nationality, in Afrikaans
The choice of a language that had been imposed by the apartheid government and is not even spoken by many South Africans today has set off complaints.
Now It’s Türkiye, Not Turkey, at the United Nations
The Turkish government wants the rest of the world to use the country’s own name for itself, and lose the association with a certain bird.