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Results tagged “linguistics” from 60 Second Science

Why I can't speak French

If you're trying to learn a second language past the age of 12, it's going to be hell, according to research presented today at the conference for the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Well, maybe you already knew that -- but perhaps you didn't know why.

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"W00t" selected word of the year. W00000000t!

Merriam-Webster has named "w00t" as its word of the year based on an online vote. While "w00t" hasn't made it into the plain ol' dictionary, Merriam-Webster will include the word in its online "Open Dictionary." However, in a backhand to the collective face of the participants, the "top honors it's now been awarded" might improve the word's chances of making it into the regular dictionary next year.

Others are less optimistic: "It's amusing, but it's limited to a small community and unlikely to spread and unlikely to last," said Allan Metcalf, executive secretary of the American Dialect Society. Or, as the kids like to say, "Pwned!"

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Learning to speak via baby talk [podcast]

Today's 60 Second Science podcast is brought to you by the species Cucurbita pepo and the wavelength 595 nanometers:

Mom's baby talk crucial for baby

Full transcript after the jump...

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