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Instructor Blanca Claudio (standing) teaches a history lesson in Spanish in a Dual Language Academy class at Franklin High School in Los Angeles, California.

Education

Why Is Bilingualism Framed as an Asset for Some Students and a Deficit for Others?

Advocates and researchers have warned that dual-language programs are increasingly becoming a tool of enrichment rather than a mode of serving the needs of English learners.

Amaya Garcia

President Donald Trump with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen during his visit to U.S. Border Patrol McAllen Station in McAllen, Texas, on January 10th, 2019.

Social Justice

How Metaphor Can Be a Potent Tool in Fostering Anti-Immigrant Sentiment

For a politician who wants to trigger nativist revulsion, a metaphor can be as effective as an explicit insult.

Tom Jacobs

Viewed from the window of a tornado scout vehicle, a supercell thunderstorm develops on May 10th, 2017, in Olustee, Oklahoma.

Social Justice

Breaking the Language Barrier to Prepare for Natural Disasters

More than 37 languages are spoken in one small Oklahoma town, creating a major information issue when extreme weather is imminent.

Jacob McCleland

News in Brief

Making Music Builds a More Efficient Brain

There's new evidence that the brains of musicians and bilinguals require less effort to perform cognitive tasks.

Tom Jacobs

Inupiat Eskimo children play along the banks of the frozen Arctic Ocean on June 7th, 2006, in Browerville, Alaska.

Education

The Department of Education Is Trying to Promote Native Language Learning

The DOE's new programs will also support improvement in English proficiency.

Elena Gooray

Dreamers and advocates attend a rally in support of a Clean Dream Act in Los Angeles, California, on March 5th, 2018.

Education

‘The Myth of English as America’s National Language’: A Conversation With Dominika Baran

The Duke University linguistics professor talks about her new book, and the power of language in determining inclusion.

Vangmayi Parakala

News in Brief

Being Multilingual May Protect Against Alzheimer’s Disease

New research suggests it creates a cognitive reserve the brain can utilize when other regions start to decay.

Tom Jacobs

George Carlin at a book signing in New York City.

News in Brief

The Pervasiveness of Profanity

New research tracks the rise in swear words in books over the decades.

Tom Jacobs

News in Brief

The Unique Linguistic Effects of ‘Laughing Out Loud’

Historically, written language has been created to represent spoken language. For the first time, that dynamic is working in the opposite direction.

Rick Paulas

News in Brief

How English Creates a New Caste System in India

Contemporary India has created a system in which the majority of Indian youth find little educational and economic…

Pacific Standard Staff