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Linguistics
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.
Shooting for the moon
Shooting for the moon
In her Language and the Brain course, linguistics professor Kathryn Schuler asked 30 undergrads to think big about big problems—and their solutions didn’t disappoint.
A shared past for East Africa’s hunter-gatherers
A shared past for East Africa’s hunter-gatherers
PIK Professor Sarah Tishkoff, Laura Scheinfeldt, and Sameer Soi use data from 50 populations to study African genetic diversity. Their analysis suggests that geographically far-flung hunter-gatherer groups share a common ancestry.
Celebrating science
Celebrating science
Eight Penn faculty share their favorite general interest books about science.
Social scientists trade academic silos for shared work space
Social scientists trade academic silos for shared work space
Faculty and grad students in the new Social and Behavioral Sciences Initiative have access to two state-of-the-art labs, grants, and a collaborative environment aimed at creating a vibrant research community.
Widening the lens on language study
Widening the lens on language study
Penn Arts and Sciences faculty use language to unravel mysteries of culture, cognition, and communication.
Sharing the science behind what we do, what we say, and how we learn
Sharing the science behind what we do, what we say, and how we learn
Through mindCORE, a two-week undergrad program through Arts and Sciences, faculty from eight departments and five schools explore the mind and the brain via disciplines like behavioral science and language acquisition.
Two Penn professors named Guggenheim Fellows
Two Penn professors named Guggenheim Fellows
The School of Arts and Sciences’ Charles Yang and Charles L. Bosk, also of the Perelman School of Medicine, have been named Guggenheim Fellows.
Wolf Humanities story slam taps into thriving ASL storytelling culture
The Wolf Humanities Center’s latest “Afterlives”-themed event recognizes a shared thread of humanity among us all: We all tell stories.
In the News
The Conversation
Presidential pauses? What those ‘ums’ and ‘uhs’ really tell us about candidates for the White House
Mark Liberman of the School of Arts & Sciences says that Barack Obama used hesitation markers like “uh” and “um” roughly every 19 words during one interview. By comparison, he says, Donald Trump seldom uses those markers.
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AP News
Online, ‘unalive’ means death or suicide. Experts say it might help kids discuss those things
Andrea Beltrama of the School of Arts & Sciences explains language has always evolved, new words have always popped up, and these shifts are known as a “lexical innovation.”
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Philadelphia Inquirer
Philadelphia accent turns water to wooder. Researchers try to explain why
William Labov of the School of Arts & Sciences co-authored a 2013 paper that examined Northern influences on the Philadelphia dialect.
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Al Día
Being bilingual and Latinx in higher education
Nelson Flores of the Graduate School of Education explores the challenges faced by bilingual Latinx students in the United States.
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The Guardian
Are you a busybody, a hunter, or a dancer? A new book about curiosity reveals all
Dani S. Bassett of the School of Arts & Sciences speaks on their new book, “Curious Minds: The Power of Connection,” co-authored with identical twin Perry Zurn, which investigates the foundations of curiosity.
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Voice of America
The ‘rez accent’: Native Americans are making English their own
William Labov of the School of Arts & Sciences notes that while some Native American accents are fading, others are growing stronger.
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