The Marginalian
The Marginalian

Reads tagged with “language”

Susan Sontag on the Crucial Difference Between Being in the Middle and Being at the Center
Susan Sontag on the Crucial Difference Between Being in the Middle and Being at the Center

Why true neutrality is not an abstinence from taking sides of but an act of compassion.

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The History of the English Language, Animated
The History of the English Language, Animated

“The Sun never sets on the English language.”

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Ironic Serif: A Brief History of Typographic Snark and the Failed Crusade for an Irony Mark
Ironic Serif: A Brief History of Typographic Snark and the Failed Crusade for an Irony Mark

From 17th-century France to digital emoticons, by way of kooky characters and spectacular failures.

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The Shape of Spectacular Speech: An Infographic Analysis of What Made MLK’s “I Have a Dream” So Powerful
The Shape of Spectacular Speech: An Infographic Analysis of What Made MLK’s “I Have a Dream” So Powerful

The poetics of presenting, or why beautiful metaphors are better than beautiful slides.

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How We Got “Please” and “Thank You”
How We Got “Please” and “Thank You”

Why the line between politeness and bossiness is a linguistic mirage.

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How the Invention of the Alphabet Usurped Female Power in Society and Sparked the Rise of Patriarchy in Human Culture
How the Invention of the Alphabet Usurped Female Power in Society and Sparked the Rise of Patriarchy in Human Culture

A brief history of gender dynamics from page to screen.

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How Richard Dawkins Coined the Word Meme: The Legendary Atheist’s Surprising Religious Inspiration
How Richard Dawkins Coined the Word Meme: The Legendary Atheist’s Surprising Religious Inspiration

“Just as genes propagate themselves in the gene pool by leaping from body to body via sperms or eggs, so memes propagate themselves in the meme pool by leaping from brain to brain.”

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What Elvish, Klingon, and Dothraki Reveal about Real Language & the Essence of Human Communication
What Elvish, Klingon, and Dothraki Reveal about Real Language & the Essence of Human Communication

Why a good language, like a good life, requires both rules and messiness.

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The Magic of Metaphor: What Children’s Minds Reveal about the Evolution of the Imagination
The Magic of Metaphor: What Children’s Minds Reveal about the Evolution of the Imagination

“Metaphorical thinking … is essential to how we communicate, learn, discover, and invent.”

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Scandal, Censorship, Science: How Darwin Shaped Our Understanding of Why Language Exists
Scandal, Censorship, Science: How Darwin Shaped Our Understanding of Why Language Exists

What The Origin of Species and the love of dogs reveal about comprehension and cognition.

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