TED-Ed
TED-Ed: How can you change someone's mind? (hint: facts aren't always enough) - Hugo Mercier
Why do arguments change people's minds in some cases and backfire in others? Hugo Mercier explains how arguments are more convincing when they rest on a good knowledge of the audience, taking into account what the audience believes, who...
TED Talks
David Peterson: Why language is humanity's greatest invention
Civilization rests upon the existence of language, says language creator David Peterson. In a talk that's equal parts passionate and hilarious, he shows how studying, preserving and inventing new languages helps us understand our...
TED-Ed
TED-ED: Aphasia: The disorder that makes you lose your words - Susan Wortman-Jutt
Language is an essential part of our lives that we often take for granted. But, if the delicate web of language networks in your brain became disrupted by stroke, illness, or trauma, you could find yourself truly at a loss for words....
SciShow
Should You Stop Saying 'Like' and 'Um'?
Y’know lots of people say you shouldn’t use, like...filler words, but uh, should you really like, stop using them?
TED-Ed
TED-ED: Where do new words come from? - Marcel Danesi
There are over 170,000 words currently in use in the English language. Yet every year, about a thousand new words are added to the Oxford English Dictionary. Where do they come from, and how do they make it into our everyday lives?...
SciShow
Why Baby Talk Is Good for Babies
You may have heard that using baby talk is bad for children’s language development, but research seems to show the exact opposite.
TED-Ed
TED-ED: The tragic myth of Orpheus and Eurydice - Brendan Pelsue
The marriage of Orpheus, the greatest of all poets and musicians, to Eurydice, a wood nymph, was heralded as the perfect union. Anyone could tell the couple was deeply in love. So when their wedding ceremony ended in Eurydice's untimely...
TED-Ed
TED-ED: The rise and fall of the Assyrian Empire - Marian H. Feldman
Before the sun never set on the British Empire; before Genghis Khan swept the steppe; before Rome extended its influence to encircle the Mediterranean Sea; there was ancient Assyria. Considered by historians to be the first true empire,...
TED-Ed
Who decides what's in the dictionary? | Ilan Stavans
While the concept of a dictionary dates back to ancient civilizations, the first English dictionary wasn't published until 1604. In the centuries that followed, many more dictionaries were written by individual authors who chose what to...
TED-Ed
TED-ED: How to write descriptively - Nalo Hopkinson
The point of fiction is to cast a spell, a momentary illusion that you are living in the world of the story. But as a writer, how do you suck your readers into your stories in this way? Nalo Hopkinson shares some tips for how to use...
Learn German with Herr Antrim
English Words Gone Wrong in German
English Words Gone Wrong in German Ever wondered how English words can take on a completely different meaning when adopted by another language? In this video, we explore the fascinating case of English words that have been "kidnapped" by...
Curated Video
Different Perspectives on China
Michael Berry, Professor of Cinese Culture at UCLA, talks about the impact his time in China and becoming fully fluent in Chinese had on him and how it provided him with an alternative perspective on differences in culture, values and...
Great Big Story
The rise and fall of Hollywood's Mid-Atlantic accent
Discover the history of the Mid-Atlantic accent, from its Hollywood heyday to its decline in modern times.
Professor Dave Explains
Analytic Philosophy Part 3: Language and Meaning
Continuing with analytic philosophy, after the Vienna Circle had its influence, the tradition continued and grew into several new areas, inspired largely from Wittgenstein and other prominent figures. John L. Austin developed his theory...
Curated Video
How English Took Over the World
English is the most widely spoken language on the planet. But, how did English become the most widely spoken language in the world? And why are there so many different kinds of Englishes?
Curated Video
How Brands Ruin Slang
From the Brands Saying Bae in the 2010s, to the “wassup” ads of the 90s, advertisers are always trying to find ways to sound cool. But when brands on social media use a slang word in their marketing, that basically guarantees it's over....
Curated Video
Why Sign Language Was Banned in America
Sign Languages are just as linguistically valid and vibrant as spoken languages, and beneficial to learn for Deaf and hearing people. So why for decades was it illegal to teach them in American schools?
Curated Video
The Stories Behind Food Names
It shouldn't matter what a food is called as long as it tastes good, right? Well, maybe not.
Curated Video
Can Computers Really Talk? Or Are They Faking It?
New advancements in technology are making it harder than ever to tell the difference between a computer and a human speaker... but what's going on under the hood? Is it really "language," or just a digital illusion?
Curated Video
The Most Extreme Place Names
Where do place names come from? Well, toponymy reveals a lot about the culture and history of a place, including the people who lived there, the nature of the settlements, and the geographic landscape. So that’s your short answer. For...
Curated Video
Is "R" a Vowel?
There's a good argument that the letter R is, at least sometimes, not a consonant at all, but a vowel. Does that mean your 1st grade teacher was lying to you? Not exactly. R is an incredibly weird letter, with so many different sounds...
Curated Video
Literally No One Likes a Grammar Cop
Besides being annoying, what if the grammar police are actually... wrong?
Curated Video
Foreign Words We Need in English
English has more words than most other languages, but there are still so many familiar things and experiences that we don't have a word for... but other languages do! Here are some of our faves!
Curated Video
A Controversial Theory About Gossip
Gossip is an integral part of human social structure... and maybe the reason language evolved in the first place!