Author Archives: brinton

An evolutionary biologist, Quentin Atkinson, using statistical methodology, has shown that Anatolia must be the homeland of the Indo-Europeans. However, his findings are contested by others, who claim — primarily because of the presence of the horse among the Indo-Europeans … Continue reading →

Shanghai says that it is winning the “war on Chinglish”: http://www.vancouversun.com/travel/Shanghai+winning+Chinglish+signs/7036341/story.html  

The hosts of Lexicon Valley interview Ben Schmidt, a graduate student in History at Princeton University, who has been using Google Books to establish anachronisms in contemporary programs. Listen to the fascinating interview: http://www.slate.com/articles/podcasts/lexicon_valley/2012/06/lexicon_valley_anachronisms_in_mad_men_downton_abbey_and_edith_wharton_.html Or go to Schmidt’s own website … Continue reading →

The Americas were settled by three waves of people from Siberia about 15,000 years ago. The way in which the Americas were populated has been a controversial topic in linguistic research; this research seems to prove a theory proposed by … Continue reading →

A website produced by a research group at the University of Edinburgh allows you to hear words pronounced in a large variety of dialects of English, and to compare these words across the dialects. Listen to the speaker of Canadian … Continue reading →