Communication Lectures and Online Courses

The Life of Language: When Does a Word Die?

March 1, 2017

By Anne Curzan, Ph.D. University of Michigan When does a word die? The most obvious answer to this question is “whenever people stop using it.” But the […]

Beginner Japanese language learner writing Hello word in Japanese kanji characters

The Japanese Language: Context Is Everything

February 14, 2017

Japanese language is highly contextual. It’s hard to know how to say something in Japanese unless you know the details of the social context. And that reflects a long-standing Japanese concern with order, with hierarchy, and with consensus. […]

What is Linguistics?

February 9, 2017

A great many things about language that seem apparent, in fact, are quite otherwise upon examination, and this is what makes linguistics a fascinating field. […]

Image of a cat that represents the word cool

Why The Word ‘Cool’ Has Stayed Hot For So Long

January 27, 2017

The word “cool” is used as a synonym for almost anything good. Music can be cool and restaurants can be cool. Every so often even a minivan seems cool. But why has its popularity lasted over hundreds of years? […]

Image of man speaking to crowd while working on his vocal characteristics

How Vocal Characteristics Influence Our Choice of Leaders

January 17, 2017

Why do candidates’ vocal characteristics influence voters’ attitudes toward them?
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Language Death: Why Languages Die and How to Save Them

January 16, 2017

The issue of language death is not an abstract one. There are movements around the world to revive a number of languages that are in […]

Two Businesswomen Meeting In Reception Of Modern Office

The Social Context that Shapes our Talk

December 23, 2016

How you understand the messages sent to you is shaped in large part by your culture and subcultures—the contexts in which you learned “normal” ways of seeing and hearing the world around you. Grasp the key dimensions along which cultures can be compared […]

Communication