Helping verbs are curious, AND fascinating
English has a big bagful of auxiliary verbs. You may know these as helping verbs as they help the main verb express its meaning.
“Lying” in computer-generated texts: hallucinations and omissions
There is huge excitement about ChatGPT and other large generative language models that produce fluent and human-like texts in English and other human languages. But these models have one big drawback, which is that their texts can be factually incorrect (hallucination) and also leave out key information (omission).
Plain as day?
The Oxford Etymologist looks at the origin of the word “day” and its connections across the Indo-European language world.
The great gun conundrum [podcast]
In this podcast episode, we discuss the history of the gun debate in the US with Robert J. Spitzer and how a reform of policing can deter gun violence with Philip J. Cook.
Is a 15-week limit on abortion an acceptable compromise?
A recent opinion piece claims that the overturning of Roe v. Wade has resulted in “a partial healing of the nation’s civic culture.”
Real patterns and the structure of language
There’s been a lot of hype recently about the emergence of technologies like ChatGPT and the effects they will have on science and society. Linguists have been especially curious about what highly successful large language models (LLMs) mean for their business.
Confronting bud and buddy
The Oxford Etymologist tackles the convoluted history of “bud” and “buddy” – the final part of the series.
Rethinking the future of work: an interview with Phil McCash
One of the best ways organisations can enhance their employees’ careers is through access to career coaching. Career coaching can be accessed through external providers or delivered internally by suitably trained members of staff.
Public health challenge: taking on the commercial determinants of health
How can the public health community use the commercial determinants of health lens to better protect human and planetary health and reduce the stark health inequities that characterize the world today? We suggest four cross-cutting strategies.
“There is no writer can touch sir Walter Scott”: Joyce and the Wizard of the North
There is a network of intertextual links between Walter Scott and James Joyce. Richard Barlow teases out some of the allusions and references to Scott and his work in Joyce’s texts, comparing the different visions of history offered by these two writers.
The company we keep, part two: bud(dy)
The Oxford Etymologist tackles the convoluted history of “bud” and “buddy”.
What can Large Language Models offer to linguists?
Does the recent, impressive performance of Large Language Models, such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, have any repercussions for the way in which linguists carry out their work? And what is a Language Model anyway?
Elon Musk, Mars, and bioethics: is sending astronauts into space ethical?
A future human mission to Mars will be very dangerous, both as a result of factors already known but intensified, as well as new risk factors. It is worth raising the question of the ethicality of the decision to send humans into such a dangerous environment.
Rethinking the future of work: an interview with Eduardo Salas and Scott Tannenbaum
In this interview, Eduardo Salas and Scott Tannenbaum share their thoughts on the future of work and how to build a successful team.
Finding purpose for the corporate office
When the pandemic occurred, a major shift to virtual work occurred out of necessity and those in corporate settings adapted magnificently to a new way of working. Where does this leave the corporate office and what are the long-term ramifications for hybrid and remote work?
What’s coming down the pike?
During the news coverage of the COVID pandemic, I enjoyed seeing Dr Anthony Fauci on television and hearing his old-school Brooklyn accent. My favorite expression to listen for was his use of “down the pike” to mean “in the future.”