Interesting Info -> Linguistics

Linguistics Resource Page:

Interesting Studies, Articles, Resources, Books, Links, Videos, Lectures etc.

Dedicated to language geeks, word nerds and cunning linguists.
Last update: March 25th, 2012

Jump to Section: Interesting Articles | Links and Resources | Books on Linguistics

For an overview and introduction, see Wikipedia's Linguistics & Study of Language entries.

Some Popular branches and sub-fields of Linguistics:

Phonology - studying the sound systems of languages. (also see: International Phonetic Alphabet, this intro to phonetics, and the IPA website.

Etymology - word origins and how their form and meaning have changed over time.

Semantics - study of meaning.

Linguistics Online

Websites, articles and other links of interest. New finds added to the top of this list for returning visitors:

Interesting Linguistics-related Articles:

The Case for Forensic Linguistics - BBC News article: "Text message analysis is becoming a powerful tool in solving crime cases." Also see our articles about Statement Analysis for more info on Forensic Linguistics and applications for detecting lies.

Indus Script - Why hasn't it been able to be deciphered? - Very interesting and informative article from the StraightDope about how ancient languages are deciphered. More about the Indus Script on Wikipedia and a great write-up here on ancientscripts.com.

Indus Script -- is it even a script? <-- excellent read on the controversy, along with comments by the researchers.

Can Language Shape How We Think? - "English speakers tend to see time on a horizontal plane: The best years are ahead; he puts his past behind him. Speakers of Mandarin tend to see new events emerging like a spring of water, with the past above and the future below."

Loosing the Language of Happiness - The consequences of ecological destruction, from Psychology Today.

Does Your Language Shape How You Think? - Great NY Times article from April 2010.

Koro - New Unique Language Discovered - "Koro is really an enigma...There's no obvious reason why a language spoken by just a few hundred people and completely culturally assimilated to a larger, more dominant group should persist at all."

More Word / Language / Linguistic Links & Resources

Glottopedia - a freely editable encyclopedia for linguists by linguists.

The Linguist List - Website dedicated to linguistics. "The aim of the list is to provide a forum where academic linguists can discuss linguistic issues and exchange linguistic information." They also have a job section.

Harvard University Department of Linguistics - Check out their resources & links section.

Word2Word.com - Free Language Learning Courses. Huge directory of free online language lessons.

Linguistics Forums at xkcd - Chat with others interested in the study of language.

Linguistic Relativity / Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis - Wikipedia entry.

Wiktionary.org - The ultimate online dictionary. It is also the lexical companion to Wikipedia. Word etymologies, pronunciations, synonyms, antonyms and more.

Writing Systems - Great intro to the written aspect of language on Wikipedia.

Recommended Reading

A few books I've read recently that you might be interested in:

Don't Sleep, There Are Snakes:
Life and Language in the Amazonian Jungle

Just finished this, and highly recommend it for anyone who enjoys interesting non-fiction.

Daniel L. Everett first visited the Pirahã tribe as a linguist and missionary. His job was to translate the Bible into this unique language.

The Pirahã have no numbers or counting system, no creation myths, no words for color, no subordinate clauses ...along with many other unique qualities.

His experiences over the next 30 years changed his life and the field of linguistics. Worth reading...even just for the amusing jungle stories.

Um...
Slips, Stumbles, and Verbal Blunders, and What They Mean

I've almost ordered this book from Amazon at least a dozen times. Last week, I spotted it in the library, and finally picked it up.

From the title, I expected a fair bit of psycho-babble -- but was pleasantly surprised that this was a book about language and not psychology.

Um... is well-written, and a quick read. I recommend this book to anyone interested in linguistics and knowledge hoarders. Check it out.

More Linguistics Books:

Other great book recommendations. Click on a book to read more about it at Amazon.com

More Linguistics Books on Amazon.com

Videos of Interest about Linguistics

Video links will open and play in a new window/tab.

The Idea of Universality in Linguistics and Human Rights featuring Noam Chomsky & Elizabeth S. Spelke at MIT.

"If humans have a common, in-born capacity for language, and for such complex behaviours as morality, might the faculties be somehow linked?"

Grey Matters: Understanding Language

"Why are humans the only species to have language? Is there something special about our brains? Are there genes that have evolved for language?"

The Biology of the Language Faculty:
Its Perfection, Past and Future.

"Chomsky briefly outlines the key components of a biologically based linguistics that began to emerge 50 years ago..."

Learn more: Paralinguistics - Non-verbal forms of communication.... like Body Language.

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