Latest Stories
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Canadian leader coins new word: ‘peoplekind’
Should English be made gender-neutral? When Canada’s prime minister said “peoplekind” instead of “mankind”, many laughed. But efforts to banish gender bias from the language are common…
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Introducing Generation Z… or Delta… or Snap
What should teenagers call themselves? When The New York Times asked under-22s to give their generation a name, they got thousands of suggestions....
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Trump’s speech: ‘Gloomy’. ‘Amazing’. ‘Vile’.
Do we need a more presidential Donald Trump? In his State of the Union speech, the president spoke calmly and carefully. People noted the contrast with his usual rhetorical style…
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‘British rock’s cult hero’ dead at 60
Would you rather be a cult hero or a star? Mark E. Smith definitely knew which he wanted to be. The brilliant, violent singer of The Fall hated the mainstream — and people loved him for it.
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Britannia verdict: rubbish history, great TV
Should historical TV shows be accurate? The author of Britannia, which millions will start watching this weekend, says the facts do not matter and he hopes it will enrage...
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How Frankenstein could save the modern world
What can Frankenstein teach modern scientists? For 200 years, the tale has gripped readers. As humans gain greater powers to control life, many...
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2017 in review: the words that defined a year
What can “words of the year” tell us about the last 12 months? From fake news to fidget spinners to the robot apocalypse, 2017’s defining words vary from the playful to the deadly serious.
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What a rap musical can teach us about America
Is Hamilton good history? The musical is now open in London, where it is receiving rave reviews. It uses hip hop to tell the founding story of America. Here are five things we can learn…
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Furious backlash slams gender-neutral French
Should all languages be made gender neutral? The French prime minister has cracked down on new non-gendered grammar. But some say revolutionising the language will lead to greater equality.
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Thanksgiving tribe’s lost language is revived
Should we revive dead languages? As Thanksgiving approaches, the descendants of the Native Americans who originated it are remembering how to speak like their ancestors…
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Handwriting makes a comeback in US schools
Should handwriting be taught in schools? More American schools are putting cursive back on the curriculum. But for some, computers have made handwriting lessons a waste of time.
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Fury as Twitter doubles length of tweets
Is brevity really the soul of wit? This week Twitter gave all its users 280 characters to play with, instead of 140. But many believe the site has lost its “unique selling point”.
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The woman making The Odyssey feel new again
Is translation an art or a science? This week, Emily Wilson publishes a new version of Homer’s Odyssey, the first by a woman. But translation is “complicated”, as her...
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‘Fake News’ crowned Word of the Year 2017
What can the prize teach us? Every 12 months, rival dictionaries attempt to capture the zeitgeist by naming their top words of the year. The result is a bizarre snapshot of recent history.
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Why dolphins are even cleverer than we thought
Are we as unique as we like to think? According to a major new study, dolphins and whales have a comparable intelligence to us. This flies against centuries-old beliefs about human nature.