9.17
Michele W. Berger
Senior Science News Officer
mwberger@upenn.edu
Linguistics
TikTok talk
TikTok talk
Largely characterized as a Gen Z phenomenon, TikTok is a video-sharing app with more than 100 million active users in the U.S. alone—and it’s changing the way that we speak, says sociolinguist Nicole Holliday.
The intonation Black/biracial men use to speak about race
The intonation Black/biracial men use to speak about race
In a study of college-educated biracial men, ages 18 to 32, sociolinguist Nicole Holliday found that, when asked about race, this group frequently brought up law enforcement unprompted and discussed the subject using vocal tone more generally associated with white speakers.
The influence and importance of language
The influence and importance of language
Labels for what happened Jan. 6 at the U.S. Capitol were very different from those used to describe the Black Lives Matter movement or the 2020 election results. How much weight do individual words actually have? It depends on the context.
Why the pandemic introduces language that is ‘hard to explain’
Why the pandemic introduces language that is ‘hard to explain’
Linguist Andrea Beltrama discusses new words and phrases that have entered the language during the current health crisis, and the “massive” impact the pandemic has had on language.
New database aims to make Alzheimer’s diagnosis easier and earlier
New database aims to make Alzheimer’s diagnosis easier and earlier
A five-minute online session will allow neural health to be tracked across time, so that doctors can make an earlier diagnosis and researchers can evaluate medications and other treatments.
Bridging the communication divide for Deaf and hard-of-hearing communities
Bridging the communication divide for Deaf and hard-of-hearing communities
Clear-fronted face masks, better and more frequent interpreters, and amped up involvement from local organizations have made a big difference during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Why do young children pick up language easier than adults?
Why do young children pick up language easier than adults?
Why do young children pick up language easier than adults? One Penn linguist has some theories.
Is it a cult, or a new religious movement?
Is it a cult, or a new religious movement?
Many religious movements started off as fringe groups, and many modern-day cults have no religious doctrine. Why are cults and new religious movements conflated, and what makes them different?
Connecting with a Deaf community on the other side of the world
Connecting with a Deaf community on the other side of the world
On a trip abroad to Italy that capped off the Penn Global Seminar taught by linguist Jami Fisher, students got a firsthand look at the diversity and variety of global deaf culture.
One hour, one painting: A Barnes visit reveals clues about how the brain processes visual cues
One hour, one painting: A Barnes visit reveals clues about how the brain processes visual cues
The exercise is one part of a two-week mindCORE summer workshop aimed at underrepresented undergrads across the country. This year’s program focused on language science and technology, and minds in the world.
Media Contact
In the News
Slate.com
TikTok language rabbit hole
Nicole Holliday of the School of Arts & Sciences co-hosted a podcast episode about linguistics and TikTok.
FULL STORY →
Science
No shared language? No problem! People across cultures understand clues from ‘vocal charades’
Gareth Roberts of the School of Arts & Sciences weighed in on a linguistic study that found that people can use vocal sounds to mimic parts of the idea they’re trying to convey, such using chewing noises to evoke the word “food.”
FULL STORY →
NBC Philadelphia
Zoom, social distance, ‘blursday’: The coronavirus has changed how we speak
Nicole Holliday of the School of Arts & Sciences spoke about how language has evolved amid the pandemic. “Social changes can bring sort of a boom of new words that are used more commonly or old words that sort of get resurrected,” she said. “As the whole world has changed as a result of the pandemic, that has opened up some opportunities for new words to spread.”
FULL STORY →
NPR
When Republicans attack ‘cancel culture,’ what does it mean?
Nicole Holliday of the School of Arts & Sciences spoke about the origins and evolution of the phrase “cancel culture.” “It is used to refer to a cultural boycott,” she said. “We’ve had the term ‘boycott’ forever and ever. It just means, ‘I’m not going to put my attention or money or support behind this person or organization because they’ve done something that I don’t agree with.’ That is not new; that’s very old.”
FULL STORY →
Huffington Post
Here’s why it’s a big deal to capitalize the word ‘Black’
Nicole Holliday of the School of Arts & Sciences spoke about the importance of acknowledging the cultural ramifications of whiteness. “We call some classes ‘Black History’ but the ones that focus on ‘white history’ are just called ‘history,’” she said. “That kind of erasure is an issue, because it continues to situate whiteness as ‘normal’ and everything else as ‘other.’”
FULL STORY →
The New York Times
Massachusetts court won’t use term ‘grandfathering,’ citing its racist origins
Nicole Holliday of the School of Arts & Sciences spoke about the phasing out of words with direct links to slavery, such as “grandfathering.” “This is the legal system, and there are wrongs to be righted,” she said.
FULL STORY →