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Otherwords
How Language Nerds Solve Crimes
Season 4
Episode 1
The fact that we all have our own unique way of speaking is a beautiful thing. It's at the core of personal expression and contributes to the wonderful tapestry of language. But it also means that no form of expression can be 100% anonymous. Linguists use language everyday to solve crimes. As the famous Miranda warning goes: "anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law."
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9:19
How did we get from written words scrunched together without any spaces or symbols to punctuation?
7:03
What are folk etymologies?
7:18
Is TikTok ruining language?
7:21
Are there 'magic' words?
6:21
Children are sponges for language acquisition. Which leads us to ask the question: how much does TV
6:51
We already know that English borrows from everybody, but can it be considered a Creole language?
8:35
How do you teach children to read? This question is at the heart of a decades-long battle.
8:11
The English language is chock full of sailing jargon but why is that?
8:58
How do we communicate without words? With our bodies. Body language!
10:58
What is the best tool for cult leaders to control other people? It’s the power of language.
7:14
Headlines have sprung up all over declaring that the Southern American dialect is on its way out.
9:11
Why do we use such unusual words for the people we love?