LANGUAGE

• HOW LANGUAGE TRANSFORMED OUR HUMANITY
  (Joelle) Excellent !

Biologist Mark Pagel shares an intriguing theory about why humans evolved our complex system of language. He suggests that language is a piece of "social technology" that allowed early human tribes to access a powerful new tool: cooperation.
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/mark_pagel_how_language_transformed_humanity.html

• Language and thoughts (joëlle)

Excellent. Needs a bit of explanation beforehand.
Steven Pinker RSA animate on the relationship between language and thoughts, language as a window into human nature

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-son3EJTrU&feature=player_embedded

• Dying Languages: (Joëlle)

an superbe map of the world regarding dying languages AND a cool recording of some of them...quite amazing !
http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/enduring-voices/?source=link_tw20110221-enduringvoices

• 20 terrific ted talks for language lovers: (joëlle)

I only know the one with steven pinker. (above) Please comment on any of the others you might come across !
http://www.bachelorsdegreeonline.com/blog/2011/20-terrific-ted-talks-for-language-lovers

• texting is killing language (?) / John mac whorter 13.48 Min.(joelle)

Does texting mean the death of good writing skills? John McWhorter posits that there’s much more to texting -- linguistically, culturally -- than it seems, and it’s all good news.
http://www.ted.com/talks/john_mcwhorter_txtng_is_killing_language_jk.html