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How does the human brain process language?

Some of the pictorial signs used at the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles, Calif.

Roman dog mosaic from the threshold of a house in Pompeii, “Cave canem” (“Beware of the dog”); National Archaeological Museum, Naples.

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Chinese pictograph, calligraphy tablet of Huang Tingjian, a famous calligrapher in Ancient Song Dynasty. The background of Chinese cultural elements.

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A ginger cat sleeps in his soft cozy bed on a floor carpet, soft focus

Lay, Lie, Lied, Lain: When Do We Use Which?

Barbadian singer Rihanna, 2018.

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poem. A poet in a Heian period kimono writes Japanese poetry during the Kamo Kyokusui No En Ancient Festival at Jonan-gu shrine on April 29, 2013 in Kyoto, Japan. Festival of Kyokusui-no Utage orignated in 1,182, party Heian era (794-1192).

World Poetry Day

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Statue of Liberty in front of the skyline of Manhattan, New York City, New York.

Who Was the Woman Behind the Statue of Liberty?

A Factory Interior, watercolor, pen and gray ink, graphite, and white goache on wove paper by unknown artist, c. 1871-91; in the Yale Center for British Art. Industrial Revolution England

Inventors and Inventions of the Industrial Revolution

Aphrodite. Greek mythology. Sculpture. Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love and beauty.

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NBA Lakers Celtics Finals Kevin Garnett shooting.

10 Great Sports Rivalries

Hemp (Cannabis sativa).

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Moonrise over Tucson, Arizona

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Amendments 1-10 to the Constitution of the United States constitute what is known as the Bill of Rights on an American flag.

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In 'Death Takes Me,' men are the victims of violence usually inflicted on women • Mar. 11, 2025, 9:33 PM ET (NPR)

Photos and Videos

Some of the pictorial signs used at the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles, Calif.

Roman dog mosaic from the threshold of a house in Pompeii, “Cave canem” (“Beware of the dog”); National Archaeological Museum, Naples.

papyrus loan contract

How does the human brain process language?

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handwriting writing system technical writing orthography mass communication literature rhetoric literacy semiotics plagiarism speech prosody grammar meaning profanity dialect slang oral tradition lingua franca Grimm’s law

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language: Written language

Key People

Franz Liszt

Franz Liszt

Hungarian composer

Felix Mendelssohn

Felix Mendelssohn

German musician and composer

Sidney Poitier

Sidney Poitier

Bahamanian American actor

Arthur Ransome

English author

Mari Evans

American author

Yevgeny Petrov

Soviet humorist

Mary Oliver

Mary Oliver

American poet

Leon Edel

American critic and biographer

Patricia Highsmith

Patricia Highsmith

American writer

E.B. White

American writer

Quiz

Misspelled words (sequel) thumbnail image (by EB) on original Getty image in background (crumpled piece of paper)

Commonly Misspelled Words Vol. 2 Quiz

Fiery heart or heart made of flames with a dark concrete wall background. (love, Valentine's Day)

Love It or Hate It Vocabulary Quiz

Hand with pencil writing on page. (handwriting; write)

Word Nerd Quiz

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Chinese pictograph, calligraphy tablet of Huang Tingjian, a famous calligrapher in Ancient Song Dynasty. The background of Chinese cultural elements.

The World’s 5 Most Commonly Used Writing Systems

Demystified

A ginger cat sleeps in his soft cozy bed on a floor carpet, soft focus

Lay, Lie, Lied, Lain: When Do We Use Which?