Curated Video
The Chinese Culture in America
Dr. Forrester talks about the Chinese-American culture and how it has influenced our culture in the United States.
Curated Video
Anyone Can Write Music
All musicians can and should write music, here's an exercise to help you get started
Great Big Story
Scrabble as a sport, Nigeria's rising stars
Meet Wellington Jighere, the World Scrabble Champion from Nigeria, and discover how Scrabble is transforming lives.
Curated Video
New Orleans and the Mississippi River
Dr. Forrester informs the student about the effects of the Mississippi River on the city of New Orleans.
Curated Video
Anyone Can Write Music
All musicians can and should write music, here's an exercise to help you get started
Science ABC
Did texting Kill Grammar?
Language change is a natural process, as it changes with the changing needs of the people who speak it. First and foremost, language change is not necessarily a bad thing; if language never changed, we wouldn’t have words to indicate...
Curated Video
What is the English Bill of Rights?
The English Bill of Rights curbed the power and influence of the English monarchy and gave more power to their subjects. It’s the basis for the rights and freedoms we enjoy today.
Curated Video
What is the Magna Carta?
It was written over 1,000 years ago, and commissioned by an English King – so what makes the Magna Carta one of the most important documents in US history?
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
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!
Curated Video
Pronouns: Little Words That Say a Lot
Pronouns may be little, but they say a lot, and they're always changing!
Curated Video
The Screwed-Up History of English Spelling
The English spelling system is a MESS... arguably more than any other language. How did it get this way?
Curated Video
How Do Clichés Evolve into Memes?
Adaptable clichés called "snowclones" are EVERYWHERE on the internet. We use them for memes, inside jokes, to show our membership of the group. But they weren't invented online. In fact, they're way older than you think!
Curated Video
Is Swearing Good for Your Brain?
Does swearing get a bad rap? There's evidence that the shouting obscenities has an evolutionary purpose... and may be good for your psyche!
Curated Video
60 Euphemisms for Death!
No topic is as universally avoided--yet universally unavoidable--as DEATH. So, it's got a lot of euphemisms in virtually every language.
Curated Video
What People Get Wrong About African-American English
It's one of the most studied — and most controversial — varieties of English. But many people still hold deep misconceptions about African-American English (AAE).
Curated Video
What's the Longest Word?
Before we decide from a long list of contenders, we'll have to figure out what the word "word" really means...
Curated Video
Is Bilingualism a Superpower?
There was a time when psychologists thought growing up bilingual was harmful to brain development, but recent studies into bilingual children have turned that idea on its head!