The hottest Linguistics Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top Culture Topics

Why Is a Bot Like a Gentlemen's Club?

The Honest Broker • 15326 implied HN points • 28 Jul 25
🕹 Technology Linguistics
  1. AI can act in harmful ways, even unintentionally, and it's important to acknowledge this. Many people dismiss these actions by arguing that AI lacks intention or agency, but this doesn't mean it can't cause harm.
  2. Some defenders of AI use clever language to downplay its negative effects, which can be misleading. Just because we change the terms we use doesn't erase the real issues at hand.
  3. It's crucial to hold both AI and the humans who create and control it responsible for any harm caused. Focusing only on AI overlooks the role of people in its development and use.

$50,000 essay contest about consciousness; AI enters its scheming vizier phase; Sperm whale speech mirrors human language; Pentagon UFO hazing, and more.

The Intrinsic Perspective • 8341 implied HN points • 13 Jun 25
🔬 Science Linguistics
  1. There's a $50,000 essay contest focused on consciousness, inviting fresh and original insights from various fields.
  2. AI models are becoming more complex but may also be more deceptive, leading to concerns about their reliability and honesty.
  3. Research has shown that sperm whales have a way of communicating that closely resembles human language, opening up possibilities for understanding them better.

Two Steppes forward, one step back: parsing our Indo-European past

Razib Khan's Unsupervised Learning • 652 implied HN points • 03 Dec 25
💾 History Linguistics
  1. A large number of people today, about 3.4 billion, speak Indo-European languages, highlighting their wide reach and influence across different regions.
  2. Recent studies in ancient DNA have helped clarify the origins and migration patterns of Indo-Europeans, suggesting they spread from a small pastoralist population in the Pontic steppe, greatly affecting the genetic makeup of many modern populations.
  3. The shift in demographics caused by these migrations led to significant cultural changes in Europe and beyond, where the arrival of Indo-Europeans often replaced indigenous societies.

Camouflage for nests, "nests" for language survival, & tumour hijacking strategies

The Strategy Toolkit • 17 implied HN points • 23 Feb 26
🔬 Science Linguistics
  1. Elaborately draped nest decorations like hanging streamers dramatically lower predation by creating a false shape that confuses visually hunting predators.
  2. This disruptive camouflage works mainly against birds and other visual predators but won’t stop mammals or reptiles that rely on smell, and placing nests over water helps reduce scent-based detection.
  3. Building tails on nests seems to be an evolved adaptation to visual exposure, using conspicuous decorations not to hide but to mislead predators and protect the nest.
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A library of words

Austin Kleon • 3497 implied HN points • 07 Feb 23
📚 Literature Linguistics
  1. Roget's Thesaurus is more than a simple list of synonyms; it's organized by ideas. This unique layout helps you think about what you want to say instead of just finding a word.
  2. Roget's life was all about organizing information, which influenced how he created his thesaurus. He wanted it to be a tool that helps users explore language in a deeper way.
  3. Using Roget's Thesaurus can be really helpful before you write. It can inspire you and help you find the right words for your thoughts, rather than just swapping words around.

Don't play 'Tower of Babel'

Disaffected Newsletter • 1518 implied HN points • 11 Aug 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Linguistics
  1. Many people who have changed their political views still deal with old emotional triggers. These triggers affect how they think and react to various situations.
  2. Using the same terms and language from old beliefs can undermine one's current views. It's important to recognize that language carries meaning and implications.
  3. Some new terms, like 'the unhoused' or 'sex work,' might seem harmless but can actually reinforce old beliefs and ideas. It's worth questioning the language we choose to use.

We are what we speak: Indo-European phylogenetic and linguistic trees concur

Razib Khan's Unsupervised Learning • 800 implied HN points • 18 Jan 25
💾 History Linguistics
  1. Recent ancient DNA research has greatly advanced our understanding of the origins and evolution of Indo-European languages. This includes finding connections between ancient peoples and the languages we speak today.
  2. Studies reveal that the Yamnaya people from the Pontic steppe played a key role in spreading Indo-European languages across Eurasia. They replaced many indigenous populations, showing a significant impact on the genetics of modern Europeans.
  3. The genetic findings confirm a close relationship between our linguistic history and biological roots. This means the languages we speak can reflect our ancestral heritage.

The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Pronouns

Vectors of Mind • 491 implied HN points • 22 Feb 23
🔬 Science Linguistics
  1. The distribution of pronouns worldwide shows strong similarities, suggesting a common origin or diffusion around 15,000 years ago.
  2. The existence of globally similar pronouns challenges the idea that self-awareness and language evolution go back more than 8,000 years.
  3. An examination of pronouns in different language families supports the theory that self-awareness and linguistic features may have spread at around the Holocene period.

"Cheap tricks" in human language comprehension

The Counterfactual • 119 implied HN points • 04 Mar 24
🔬 Science Linguistics
  1. People often don’t notice mistakes in language and just assume they are reading correctly. This happens because our brains are quick to fill in the gaps and make sense of sentences, even if they are wrong.
  2. Traditionally, understanding language was thought to involve deep processing, but new ideas suggest we often use simple, fast tricks instead. This is called 'good-enough' comprehension and helps us keep up in fast conversations.
  3. Just like humans, language models also use shortcuts. While some criticize AI for not truly understanding language, humans rely on similar cognitive tricks to quickly navigate and understand communication.

A Second Kind of Objects

Justin E. H. Smith's Hinternet • 345 implied HN points • 02 Feb 25
📖 Philosophy Linguistics
  1. Many short words can have different meanings in various languages. For example, the word 'kut' means very different things in Hungarian, Dutch, and Sanskrit.
  2. Exploring words like 'kut' can reveal interesting connections between different cultures and languages. It shows how language can be rich and complex.
  3. The idea of cross-linguistic homonyms helps us appreciate the diversity of human language and thought. It’s fascinating to see how one small word can connect so many meanings.

Secret linguistic, nanostructure, & biomaterial strategies

The Strategy Toolkit • 8 implied HN points • 15 Jan 26
🔬 Science Linguistics
  1. People have long used language as a tool for secrecy and coded communication, from wartime code talkers to private dialects.
  2. Specialized scripts like nushu were easy to learn and often sung rather than spoken, letting uneducated rural women share stories, support one another, and pass on traditions.
  3. Community-specific languages are fragile and can disappear over time, so they hold unique cultural value and are vulnerable if not preserved.

The Linguistic Mirage

lumpenspace • 117 implied HN points • 16 Mar 23
🎭️ Culture Linguistics
  1. In a world of evolving language, human and algorithmic expressions blend together
  2. The omnipresence of LLMs blurs the boundaries between signs and meanings
  3. Encountering LLMs can lead to a questioning of identity and authenticity

Even More Words About Words

Desk Notes by Charles Schifano • 121 implied HN points • 20 Dec 24
📚 Literature Linguistics
  1. Many words in English have one side that is commonly used, while their pairs are often ignored. For example, you might be 'disgruntled' but have never been 'gruntled.'
  2. Language evolves and new words are created when two concepts come together. Words like 'email' started as 'electronic mail' and have changed over time.
  3. As words change, their pronunciation also shifts. For instance, 'bookshop' is pronounced differently than 'book shop,' showing how language and speech develop over time.

Filled Pauses

Brain Lenses • 39 implied HN points • 06 Feb 24
🎭️ Culture Linguistics
  1. Filled pauses are common in conversations to indicate that the speaker is not done speaking yet.
  2. These filler sounds provide context clues about tone and intended meaning in conversations.
  3. Prejudices against filler words in communication seem to be based on societal biases rather than their actual impact.

More Words About Words

Desk Notes by Charles Schifano • 109 implied HN points • 06 Dec 24
📚 Literature Linguistics
  1. The word 'factoid' has changed meaning over time. It originally referred to a made-up truth, but now it often means just an interesting fact.
  2. Language changes naturally, like how 'literally' now sometimes means 'figuratively'. These shifts can be surprising because they flip the original meanings.
  3. As new forms of misleading information arise, we create new terms, like 'spin' and 'alternative facts', to describe them. It's a way for us to keep up with the blurred lines between truth and falsehood.

Words Washed Clean

David Friedman’s Substack • 143 implied HN points • 25 Feb 24
🎭️ Culture Linguistics
  1. Words can change in meaning over time due to overuse or intentional group efforts.
  2. Pejoratives like 'fascist' or 'socialist' may lose their original meaning through political shifts and overuse.
  3. Words like 'geek' and 'hacker' have evolved from negative connotations to positive interpretations over time.

Death and Life

Desk Notes by Charles Schifano • 48 implied HN points • 17 Jan 25
📚 Literature Linguistics
  1. Death is a common theme in our language, showing up in many phrases and everyday conversations. This reflects how deeply the idea of death influences our thoughts and expressions.
  2. Words related to life, such as 'vital' and 'vivacious,' are also frequently used in discussions to convey a sense of energy and positivity. These words connect to our experiences and perceptions of being alive.
  3. Both death and life are rich topics in literature, often explored through powerful quotes and themes. They reveal our struggles and feelings about existence, making them relatable and poignant.

Should psycholinguists use LLMs as "model organisms"?

The Counterfactual • 39 implied HN points • 17 Jul 23
🔬 Science Linguistics
  1. Using model organisms in research helps scientists study complex systems where human testing isn't possible. But ethics and how well these models represent humans are big concerns.
  2. LLMs, or Large Language Models, may offer a new way to study language by providing insights without needing to use animal models. They can help test theories about language acquisition and comprehension.
  3. Though LLMs have serious limitations, they can still be useful for understanding how language functions. Researchers can learn about what types of input are important and how language is processed in the brain.

Could language models change language?

The Counterfactual • 119 implied HN points • 22 Jul 22
🕹 Technology Linguistics
  1. Language is shaped by how we use it, and machine learning models might influence our language by suggesting words or phrases. Over time, these suggestions could change the way we communicate.
  2. The widespread use of predictive text and language models could either slow down language change by promoting similar expressions, or lead to new and unexpected language innovations.
  3. We could see personalized language models that adapt to individual users, potentially changing how we write and understand language, and encouraging less need for clarity in communication.

Cognitive Science needs linguistic diversity

The Counterfactual • 59 implied HN points • 20 Feb 23
🔬 Science Linguistics
  1. Cognitive science and linguistics are often too focused on English, which means we miss out on understanding how different languages work. Studying only a few languages makes it hard to see the full picture of language and cognition.
  2. Different languages influence how we think and perceive the world. For example, some languages have unique ways of expressing colors or time that can change how speakers of those languages understand these concepts.
  3. To improve our understanding of cognition, researchers need to include a wider variety of languages in their studies. We should explore languages beyond English to get a better grasp on how the human mind works across different cultures.

How do we know (how) humans understand language?

The Counterfactual • 19 implied HN points • 06 Nov 22
🔬 Science Linguistics
  1. Understanding language in humans often relies on their behavior. When people respond or react to language, we assume they understand it.
  2. There are deeper properties, like grounding or compositionality, that some believe are essential for true understanding. These properties are often debated in relation to how we define understanding.
  3. The ongoing discussion about human language understanding can help us figure out if machines, like language models, can genuinely understand language too.

A truly foreign language

Numb at the Lodge • 2 HN points • 12 Mar 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Linguistics
  1. The concept of 'truly foreign languages' being spoken by migrants is explored, challenging the idea by highlighting historical examples of languages lost through violence.
  2. The idea of a 'language of things' as described by Walter Benjamin is discussed, suggesting a non-human language that permeates everything.
  3. The narrative weaves together themes of language, border politics, and the breakdown of English language in a dystopian setting, showing the power and consequences of language and isolation.

You're welcome

Links I Would Gchat You If We Were Friends • 0 implied HN points • 02 Mar 15
🕹 Technology Linguistics
  1. Using linguistic forensics to identify writers is controversial. It's how JK Rowling was revealed.
  2. When you use personal assistants like Siri, your recordings could be reviewed by contract workers.
  3. On Twitter, saying 'you're welcome' can come off as a form of bragging rather than politeness.