This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American I was recently invited to give a lecture on ...

The strength of a local music scene isn’t just about quality. Stylistic diversity is equally important. By that measure, Vermont is doing great. In the past year, we’ve seen the spaced-out future funk ...

How to explain the “idiolect” of Donald Trump? An “idiolect,” explains sociolinguist Jennifer Sclafani, is “not the language of idiots, but an idiosyncratic form of language that is unique to an ...

Don’t pretend that you’re above the fray. It’s a good bet that you’ve argued with someone recently over grammar or spelling or regionalisms or some other aspect of language. Perhaps you asserted the ...

Languages are made up of variants called dialects, and these can differ from one another in terms of their pronunciation, grammar, or vocabulary. But why doesn’t everyone who speaks the same dialect ...