words

Friday September 6, 2024

Courtesy of Patrick Wood

Can dogs understand the meaning of words? Scientists are trying to figure it out

September 6, 2024 • Last year, a dog named Bunny went viral on TikTok for pressing buttons with words on them to "communicate" with her owner. But can dogs even understand those words on a soundboard in the first place? A new study in the journal PLOS One seeks answers. Host Regina G. Barber and producer Rachel Carlson break down that story and more of the week's news with the help of All Things Considered's Ari Shapiro.

Can dogs understand the meaning of words? Scientists are trying to figure it out

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Thursday October 14, 2021

Oxford English Dictionary rides the K-wave with a big Korean update

Fans await the K-pop boy band BTS visit to the Today show at Rockefeller Plaza in New York City last year. Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images hide caption

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Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images

Oxford English Dictionary rides the K-wave with a big Korean update

October 14, 2021 • The influence of Korean culture has reached the pages of the Oxford English Dictionary: 26 new words related to Korean culture were added and 11 words were revised.

Friday August 17, 2018

Ready For A Linguistic Controversy? Say 'Mmhmm'

Engraving shows the arrival of a Dutch slave ship with a group of African slaves for sale, Jamestown, Va., 1619. Hulton Archive/Getty Images hide caption

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Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Ready For A Linguistic Controversy? Say 'Mmhmm'

August 17, 2018 • Mmhmm is a small word that's often used unconsciously. But it can actually tell us a lot about language, bias and the trans-Atlantic slave trade.

Wednesday February 8, 2017

Marian Carrasquero/NPR

From Seussian To Snollygoster, Merriam-Webster Adds Over 1,000 New Words

February 8, 2017 • Among the words and phrases added to Merriam-Webster's dictionary are "side-eye," "face-palm" and "Seussian" — as well as the decidedly Seussian "snollygoster," which has been enjoying a revival.

Friday December 30, 2016

One Man's Quest To Reinvent The Wheel — The Flavor Wheel, That Is

Flavor wheels stem from lexicons, the carefully, often scientifically selected words used to describe a product, be it food, wine, carpet cleaner or dog food. Scott Suchman/The Washington Post/Getty Images hide caption

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Scott Suchman/The Washington Post/Getty Images

The Salt

One Man's Quest To Reinvent The Wheel — The Flavor Wheel, That Is

December 30, 2016 • Sensory scientist Edgar Chambers says flavor is multidimensional, and the current lexicon diagrams aren't doing it justice. So he wants to turn the wheel into a tree — with plenty of room to grow.

Thursday August 25, 2016

All Mixed Up: What Do We Call People Of Multiple Backgrounds?

In a country where the share of multiracial children has multiplied tenfold in the past 50 years, it's a good time to take stock of our shared vocabulary when it comes to describing Americans like me. Jeannie Phan for NPR hide caption

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Jeannie Phan for NPR

Code Switch

All Mixed Up: What Do We Call People Of Multiple Backgrounds?

August 25, 2016 • The share of multiracial children in America has multiplied tenfold in the past 50 years. It's a good time to take stock of our shared vocabulary when it comes to describing Americans like me.

Friday February 5, 2016

Gone Mot: The French Uproar Over Removing Some Circumflex Accents

Children attend a lesson in a classroom of a primary school, in Cherbourg-Octeville, northwestern France. CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP/Getty Images