PinnedPublished inBrain LabsLanguage gets in the way of writingBecause it is meant to be spokenMar 18, 202411Mar 18, 202411
PinnedPublished inBrain LabsWhy do we think AI knows stuff?It is because of our knowledge of languageFeb 19, 202418Feb 19, 202418
PinnedPublished inWord GardenWhat is strange about 0.1 cats?Say I have 20 friends, and two of them have cats. Then, on average, my friends have 0.1 cats.Jan 26, 202440Jan 26, 202440
PinnedTaking a non-turn in conversationI teach about language in interaction. Especially about what we do, with the little words that facilitate the flow of a conversation (and…Jan 17, 20243Jan 17, 20243
Published inILLUMINATION’S MIRRORWhat’s remarkable about talking to yourself?Most of the time, when I talk, I talk to other people. But sometimes I talk to myself. It might be in my head. But sometimes it might also…Feb 5, 20245Feb 5, 20245
Why I hate statisticsI have two reasons why I hate statistics. One is rational (it’s not as objective as it is made out to be), and the other is irrational…Jan 23, 20245Jan 23, 20245
The meaning of life. Five lessons from the study of meaning in languageWhat is the meaning of life? This is a question that we all eventually ask ourselves, at least at some point in our lives.Jan 14, 20244Jan 14, 20244
Verbal hugs don’t lieWhen we talk to each other, we do more than tell each other about ourselves and the world around us. We let others know how we think and…Jan 4, 202413Jan 4, 202413
What linguistics reveals about the logic of emotions.When we convey our thoughts with language, we typically also express our emotions along with our thoughts. And the way this happens tells…Dec 21, 202310Dec 21, 202310