Explore the fascinating world of language through a series of engaging TED-Ed talks. Delve into the origins of new words, master the art of rhetoric, and unravel the complexities of translation. Discover how interpreters juggle multiple languages, appreciate the beauty of poetic patterns, and debate the importance of grammar. Learn about miscommunication, the naming of clouds, and how computers process human language. Investigate linguistic curiosities like one-word sentences, the evolution of English, and Shakespeare's love for iambic pentameter. Examine the language of lying, the development of various languages, and the true meaning of 'true'. Analyze speech acts, fictional languages, nickname creation, and the peculiarities of plural words. Explore the history behind silent letters, techniques for changing minds, and the challenge of decoding mysterious languages. Enjoy literary nonsense with "Jabberwocky", ponder poetic inquiries about death, and understand speech disfluencies. Finally, learn about the process of adding new words to dictionaries in this comprehensive exploration of language and communication.
Overview
Syllabus
Where do new words come from? - Marcel Danesi.
How to use rhetoric to get what you want - Camille A. Langston.
One of the most difficult words to translate... - Krystian Aparta.
How interpreters juggle two languages at once - Ewandro Magalhaes.
The pleasure of poetic pattern - David Silverstein.
Does grammar matter? - Andreea S. Calude.
How miscommunication happens (and how to avoid it) - Katherine Hampsten.
How did clouds get their names? - Richard Hamblyn.
How computers translate human language - Ioannis Papachimonas.
Buffalo buffalo buffalo: One-word sentences and how they work - Emma Bryce.
Where did English come from? - Claire Bowern.
Why Shakespeare loved iambic pentameter - David T. Freeman and Gregory Taylor.
The language of lying — Noah Zandan.
How languages evolve - Alex Gendler.
The true story of 'true' - Gina Cooke.
Speech acts: Constative and performative - Colleen Glenney Boggs.
Are Elvish, Klingon, Dothraki and Na'vi real languages? - John McWhorter.
Birth of a nickname - John McWhorter.
Shakespearean dating tips - Anthony John Peters.
A brief history of plural word...s - John McWhorter.
Why is there a "b" in doubt? - Gina Cooke.
How did English evolve? - Kate Gardoqui.
How can you change someone's mind? (hint: facts aren't always enough) - Hugo Mercier.
The race to decode a mysterious language - Susan Lupack.
"Jabberwocky": One of literature's best bits of nonsense.
What happens when you die? A poetic inquiry.
Why do we, like, hesitate when we, um, speak? - Lorenzo GarcÃa-Amaya.
How to get a word added to the dictionary - Ilan Stavans.
Taught by
TED-Ed
