contributorOrin Hargraves Language LoungeA Monthly Column for Word Lovers"Humans and Robots Do Not Communicate Well"  November 1, 2018
Nothing is more intuitive and natural to humans than communicating via language, and specifically, via speech. Language must be central to developing a more robust channel for human-robot communication.
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Article Topics:Language LoungeA Monthly Column for Word LoversWhat Did God Really Mean by That? October 1, 2018
Canons, whether you believe that their prime movers are divine or not, are the work of humans, and are surely among our most imaginative creations. But our ways of interpreting and implementing the language of religious canons are equally imaginative and creative.
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Article Topics:Language LoungeA Monthly Column for Word LoversWhat Did They Really Mean by That? September 4, 2018
Written language has an afterlife that is practically unlimited. When we commit something to writing we make a record that far outlives the context in which it is produced. Take the United States Constitution for example, now on the job for more than 225 years.
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Article Topics:Language LoungeA Monthly Column for Word LoversTime (or Not) to Take Sides August 1, 2018 By Orin Hargraves
In our increasingly polarized world, it may be helpful to investigate how sides came to mean things that exist in vehement opposition to each other.
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Article Topics:Language LoungeA Monthly Column for Word LoversThe Meaning of Meaning July 2, 2018 By Orin Hargraves
How do you come to know the meaning of mean, and to be comfortable with the notion of meaning?
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Article Topics:Language LoungeA Monthly Column for Word LoversNo Spanish, Please. We're American. June 1, 2018 By Orin Hargraves
Winners of wars have traditionally sought to impose their language on the vanquished. In an era in which many believe that policies promoting diversity, tolerance, and multiculturalism are out of favor, it is encouraging that the US government and the public now seem to recognize that there aren't many benefits to this practice.
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Let's look at the behavior of some words in English whose primary denotation involves physical contact, physical characteristics, violent impact, and damage. How do these words behave in contexts where no physical objects are flying about?
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