Language

All kinds of well-known Dutch people have been in the news recently who “wanted to ask questions” about the government’s corona policy. But asking a question doesn’t necessarily mean someone is looking for an answer. What can a question actually imply?

Imagine having a casual conversation and your conversation partner suddenly sniffs… No need to run off immediately to get tested for Corona; though people obviously sniff to prevent snot leaving their nose, it seems that the act of sniffing – a short, powerful and audible inhalation through the nose – also fulfills a useful communicative function during conversations!

Have you ever heard of the claim that 93% of communication is nonverbal? This often-repeated claim states that 55% of what you communicate comes from your facial expressions, 38% from your tone of voice, and the words you speak are only responsible for 7%. Although non-verbal communication is of course important, these numbers are not true at all. What is wrong with them? And where do they come from?

The current pandemic has us keeping our distance to reduce contagion, but is the physical distance affecting our social interactions? And how is it changing the way we speak?

We all talk to ourselves on a regular basis, and some of us get embarrassed

Reading comes so naturally, almost effortlessly, but not for the brain. Each sentence we read triggers great activation in our brain. Curious how?

It’s always challenging to learn a new language. But once you speak it fluently, you

Offensive language is used in times of anger, frustration, surprise, or delight, but is negatively perceived and censored in public spaces. Despite society’s general reproach of sh*tty words, what does research have to say about swearing?

A lot of people assume that you can’t forget your mother tongue. However, although traces of it may persist forever, it is entirely possible to lose the ability to communicate in your native language. Here, we explore why and how this happens.

Wearable gloves packed with technology promise to translate sign language into speech. Are they as fancy and futuristic as they sound or are they just one of many half-baked ideas on the technology market?