Computers use algorithms to do everything from adding up a column of figures to resizing a window. iMrSquid/Getty Images hide caption

Geoff Nunberg
Thanks to the presidential election, "socialism" and "capitalism" were Merriam-Webster's most-looked-up words of the year in 2012. Richard Drew/AP hide caption
Opinion: Migrant Girl's Death Reveals A Need For More Interpreters Along The Border
President Trump addresses the crowd during a rally in Houston in support of Texas Sen. Ted Cruz on Oct. 22,. During the rally, he described himself as a "nationalist," and encouraged his supporters to use the word. Loren Elliott/Getty Images hide caption
Opinion: 'Nationalist' Arises, With Myriad Connotations, As The Word Of 2018
Opinion: U.S. And U.K. Remain United, Not Divided, By Their Common Language
"However people map out the geography of American political tribes, they always exempt themselves and their neighbors," Geoff Nunberg says. Gary Waters/Ikon Images/Getty Images hide caption
As Fissures Between Political Camps Grow, 'Tribalism' Emerges As The Word Of 2017
An art exhibit at the de Young Museum in San Francisco celebrates 50 years since the famed Summer of Love. Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
50 Years After The Summer Of Love, Hippie Counterculture Is Relegated To Kitsch
An 1894 engraving depicts chapter 18 of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. De Agostini Picture Library/Getty Images hide caption
The Enduring Legacy Of Jane Austen's 'Truth Universally Acknowledged'
After Years Of Restraint, A Linguist Says 'Yes!' To The Exclamation Point
Linguist Geoff Nunberg says that people often use spurious quotations to create a version of Abraham Lincoln that suit a political purpose. Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
Lincoln Said What? Bogus Quotations Take On A New Life On Social Media
Linguist Geoff Nunberg argues that the media's decision to bleep or otherwise block out a particular word can result in concealing information the public needs to know. dane_mark/Getty Images hide caption