More than just words: How language affects the way we actually think Words work as a glue, allowing us to group together different experiences under one label. This is especially true for concepts that we cannot see or touch. But we still don’t really understand how language works in shaping the meaning of these more abstract concepts, or how it…
As people around the world travel more and receive more formal education, languages are predicted to vanish at an alarming rate. Denser road networks, higher levels of education, and even climate change are just a few of the factors that could lead to the loss of more than 20 percent of the world’s 7,000 languages by the end of…
Study reveals how emotional context affects how we use and understand language at the neural level. Language and social identity have been making headlines recently. Last month, Air Canada’s CEO Michael Rousseau faced scrutiny over not knowing French – his language deficit is helping support Bill 96 in Québec (which seeks to change the Canadian Constitution to affirm Québec as a nation and…
![The only constant in life [business] is change](https://avalon-linguistic.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Change-the-only-constant-in-life-370x208.jpg)
Throughout an organisation’s lifetime, it will inevitably undergo at least one form of organisational change. Organisational changes reflect the inescapable and ever-changing reality of the competitive business world. Technologies will continue to advance; outdated systems and processes will continue to be replaced, and the process of organisational change will continue to rear its head, prompting leaders to re-evaluate processes and establish the new…
Language gives us the power to describe, virtually without limit, the countless entities, actions, properties, and relations that compose our experience, real and imagined. But what is the origin of this power? What gave rise to humankind’s ability to use words to convey meanings? Traditionally, scholars interested in this question have focused on trying to explain language as an arbitrary symbolic code.…
With Christmas around the corner, this is to engage in some festive linguistics and investigate the roots of some of our favourite Christmas words. We hope this little glossary is helpful in understanding the background behind the terminology. Advent – from the Latin adventus meaning ‘coming’, is the time when Christians prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ. Advent…
What shape do you think of when you hear the words Bouba and Kiki? Have you ever tried to communicate with someone who doesn’t speak your language? Exchanging frantic gestures and impossible-to-understand words as you both become more and more frustrated? It usually seems like an impossible situation. However, scientists who are interested to learn how sight and sound…
During the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen an explosion of new words and phrases in English (for example, ‘covidiot’) and other languages, e.g. ‘Coronaspeck’ in German (to describe lockdown weight gain) that have helped us make sense of a period defined by social confusion and constant change, as well as global stagnation. The scope of language innovation in relation to…