Babel No31 (May 2020)
Articles
The multiple benefits of making predictions in linguistics – Timotheus A. Bodt and Johann-Mattis List provide evidence for the regularity of sound change
What’s in a proper name? – Lieven Vandelanotte on whether proper names really are just any old words
Little communicators – Elspeth Wilson on investigating children’s pragmatic developments
Learning to differentiate between apparent synonyms – Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein on how Hebrew can help us to see the differences between similar words
A forensic stylistic challenge – David Crystal tests your anachronism-spotting skills
Regular features
Language in the news
– How language changes along with the world around us
The word hoard
– Simon Hoobin on how blending is used to make new words
Ask a linguist
– Why does French have such a discrepancy between spelling and pronunciation?
Pull-out poster
– How do we say more than what we mean?
Languages of the world
– Moroccan Arabic and Icelandic
Linguistic horizons
– Nahuatl and standard and non-standard language in France
Language games
– Quando a Roma
Diary of a linguist
– Katie Wales’ latest observations on language in the world around us
Reviews
- Gaston Dorren’s Babel
Eric Friginal, Elizabeth Matthews and Jennifer Roberts’ English in Global Aviation
Tim Marr and Fiona English’s Rethinking TESOL
Jane Setter’s Your Voice Speaks Volumes