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Articles & Books From Eric Vatikiotis-Bateson
Learn what language is all about—in an approachable, accessible way Linguistics For Dummies, 2nd Edition explains the science of language in simple terms, so you can wrap your mind around how human languages are structured and what they reveal about our world. With approachable explanations in this book and coverage of the social nature of language, cognitive language processing, and beyond, this guide a go-to resource.
Cheat Sheet / Updated 10-12-2026
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language — covering everything from sounds and sentence structure to meaning, culture, and even computers. This cheat sheet introduces big thinkers like Pāṇini, Saussure, and Chomsky, explores how invented languages like Klingon and Esperanto come to life, and breaks down what working linguists actually do.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
There are about 6,000 human languages currently spoken. You would think that would be enough, but some brave souls feel the need to make up new languages from scratch. These constructed languages are sometimes called conlang and are especially popular in fantasy and science fiction writing and moviemaking.
How does linguistics fit into this?
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
The problems posed by linguistics can make you notice really cool things about language. You’ve probably asked yourself these questions without even realizing that they’re linguistic questions.
Why is learning a second language so difficult?
Why do French and English have so many words in common?
Why do dialects exist?
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
If you’re into linguistics, it’s important to be familiar with the founding linguists. Here are some of the big thinkers — and some of their important ideas — from ancient times to today:
Pāṇini (around the 5th century BCE): Not to be confused with the Italian word panini ‘sandwich’ — this guy is famous for developing the first comprehensive and scientific theory of grammar.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
Many linguists are academics — studying languages for their own sake — but a lot of others work for government organizations, including the military, or for nonprofits documenting and revitalizing languages. Still others work for corporations that use linguistics to solve technical problems.
Linguists explore all areas of human language.
