As we’ve learned in this sign language series, sign is far from the same everywhere. In fact, it’s just as diverse as the rest of the world’s languages! However, just as Esperanto was created to be an international spoken language, universal sign language could exist. But how successful has this initiative been, and should it even be a project [...]
To understand just how important interjections are and why you subconsciously use them as much as you do, it’s helpful to know what role they serve. You likely place them into conversations (at a rate of one every 12 seconds or so!) without much thought, even though they are some of the most impactful utterances. But what do they [...]
There’s a funny thing about pop culture: the more fleeting it seems, the more lasting its impact often is. And perhaps nowhere is that more evident than in the words that owe their origins to Billboard-topping, chartbusting numbers. We might forget it, but several of the words we use today started on a lyrics sheet in a studio that [...]
The fact that no one really sits down to read anymore (or, at least, that’s the way it might seem) is a symptom of many concurrent cultural and societal influences. However, this lack of reading acumen is more than just a change in preference; it’s having real impacts on entire generations, including those who grew up enjoying the earthy [...]
For Deaf individuals, this question is integral to understanding the unique and complex systems at work in the language part of the brain. Sign language is neurological in the same way that spoken languages are. However, the brain processes sign language differently from spoken languages, which can impact the cognitive faculties of a Deaf individual (often for the better!). [...]
Sign language is uniquely relational. Unlike phone calls, which can be completed over distance with no visual element, sign has not enjoyed the same ease of communication during the Industrial Revolution and beyond. The good news is that this is changing, and it’s doing so faster than ever. As technological advancements continue to outpace themselves every year, sign language [...]
Whether you love it or dread it, small talk is woven into the fabric of everyday life. From elevator chats to pre-meeting pleasantries, it plays a quiet but crucial role in helping us navigate the social world. But why does small talk matter, and why do so many people find it excruciatingly hard? As it turns out, small talk [...]
Women face the brunt of these judgments about language, and they occur primarily due to two linguistic patterns: uptalk and vocal fry. Although both strategies are used by men and women, cultural conditioning has increasingly framed them as signs that women are less serious, less knowledgeable, and more prone to error—simply because of the natural ways they speak. Are You [...]
International marketing has existed for over a thousand years, but it’s only been for the last 100 or so that humans have studied it as a distinct field. Understanding the nuances of how different cultures respond to a business’s appeal to consumers is beneficial for all individuals who are looking for the most effective strategies in marketing, as well [...]
The Basics of Fingerspelling Fingerspelling describes using individual alphabetical letters to spell out a word rather than utilizing a single sign that’s equivalent to a word. If a person named Adam were to introduce himself using fingerspelling, he would create the signs for A-D-A-M in sequence because there is no single sign that means “Adam” (or at least not [...]
