“The puzzles spread from the United States across the globe, but the American crossword today doesn’t always reflect the linguistic changes that immigration brings.”
language
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Year Mahbuba Found Her Voice
“The young refugee from Afghanistan arrived on the doorstep of a Chicago school. She was deaf and had no previous exposure to formal sign language. What happened next was transformative.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
Who’s Afraid of Spatchcocked Chicken?
“Squeamishness around meat is embedded into the English language — and by extension, Western attitudes towards the realities of meat.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
Can We Talk to Whales?
“Researchers believe that artificial intelligence may allow us to speak to other species.”
Posted inTop 5
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
This week we are sharing stories from Jessica Wilkerson, Meg Bernhard, Nicholas Hune-Brown, Jiayang Fan, and Alexander Wells.
Posted inEditor's Pick
Beamer, Dressman, Bodybag
“The Berlinglish they speak is informal English, slightly simplified, full of swears, nightlife slang and loan words — mostly adopted from German.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
How to Speak Honeybee
“By buzzing and quivering, leaning and turning, bees communicate remarkably accurate information.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
What Lies Behind the Words: On Translating While Trans
“For me, the real litmus test of fluency has always been: Can I use this language to convince a native speaker that I exist?”