Languages
How Arabic is a window on the world
A University of Melbourne expert's chance find in a Damascus bookshop is a reminder that to study Arabic is to be drawn into a wide, vibrant multicultural world
Learning a language at home: You are not alone
Our cravings for real-life travel might be met by virtual voyages within language communities during COVID-19 confinement, says a University of Melbourne expert
I don’t think that word means what you think it means
Words change their meaning over time. But some words can evolve to mean the opposite of their original definition say University of Melbourne researchers.
The language of colour, kinship and climate
A University of Melbourne expert uses computational models to understand how different languages organise the world into different categories.
The power of the pun
Love them or hate them, puns are here to stay. University of Melbourne experts explore what is it about the pun that makes them so persistent.
Why are Australians linguistically lost?
Formal teaching of English grammar was taken off the Australian curriculum in the 60s; but it's back and University of Melbourne experts say it's a great thing.
Bringing back languages from scraps of paper
The Bates Online project, led by the University of Melbourne, has digitised Daisy Bates' unique papers which recorded many endangered Aboriginal languages.
The many voices of the North
University of Melbourne research explores the multilingualism of indigenous languages in remote communities in north Australia bound up in custom and tradition
‘Like’ has totally evolved to become, like, a legit word
The word "like" may be frowned on, but University of Melbourne research finds young women lead the way in how languages and grammar evolve, and it's, like, fine
Words and war: The role of the linguist in conflict resolution
Language can divide, but it is also key to uniting people. Professor Jo Lo Bianco from the University of Melbourne works in conflict zones, including Myanmar.