How Some Words Get Forgetted
76,881It’s the Great American Read!
Vote for America's favorite novel: https://to.pbs.org/2Jes2X5
↓↓↓ More info and sources below ↓↓↓
English is a confusing language for many reasons. But the irregular verbs might be the most confusing part. Why is “told” the past tense of “tell” but “smold” isn’t the past tense of “smell”? It turns out that the study of irregular verbs can teach us a lot about how languages evolve. This week, we look at how the era of Big Data is unlocking secrets behind the weirdness of words.
OTHER VIDEOS TO CHECK OUT:
“The Zipf Mystery” - Vsauce https://youtu.be/fCn8zs912OE
“Trending Artists of the 17th Century” - The Art Assignment https://youtu.be/7eq3D9Q9lUA
REFERENCES:
Uncharted: Big Data as a Lens on Human Culture - Erez Aiden and Jean-Baptiste Michel https://amzn.to/2MLBEHF
Words and Rules - Steven Pinker https://amzn.to/2vKL1kf
Lieberman, Erez, et al. "Quantifying the evolutionary dynamics of language." Nature 449.7163 (2007): 713.
Michel, Jean-Baptiste, et al. "Quantitative analysis of culture using millions of digitized books." Science (2010): 1199644.
Hanley, M. L., Joos, M., & Fein, T. (1937). Word index to James Joyce's Ulysses. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press.
-----------
FOLLOW US:
Twitter: @DrJoeHanson @okaytobesmart
Instagram: @DrJoeHanson
Merch: https://store.dftba.com/collections/its-okay-to-be-smart
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/itsokaytobesmart
-----------
It’s Okay To Be Smart is hosted by Joe Hanson, Ph.D.
Writer: Joe Hanson
Creative Director/Director: David Schulte
Editor/animator: Derek Borsheim
Producers: Stephanie Noone and Amanda Fox
Produced by PBS Digital Studios
Music via APM
Stock images from Shutterstock http://www.shutterstock.com
Other Videos By Be Smart
| 2018-11-21 | Can We Get Older Without Aging? |
| 2018-11-15 | There Might Be a Dinosaur On Your Dinner Table |
| 2018-11-06 | What is Farthest Away? |
| 2018-10-31 | What Made the 1918 Flu Pandemic So Deadly? |
| 2018-10-23 | The Largest River On Earth Is In The Sky |
| 2018-10-09 | Where Do Teeth Come From? |
| 2018-09-25 | What Do Raindrops Really Look Like? |
| 2018-09-18 | Is Height Genetic? |
| 2018-09-11 | Will You Still Eat Raw Fish After Watching This Video? |
| 2018-08-28 | How Habits Can Change Your Life (and Your Brain) |
| 2018-08-14 | How Some Words Get Forgetted |
| 2018-08-07 | Why Do Disney Princesses All Look Like Babies? |
| 2018-07-24 | There's Proof of Evolution Hiding in Your DNA |
| 2018-07-17 | Why Do We Cry? |
| 2018-07-10 | The Surprising Reason We Eat Spicy Food |
| 2018-06-26 | The Science of Farts |
| 2018-06-20 | Biomass - How Much Does Life on Earth Weigh? |
| 2018-06-12 | What’s The Hottest Hot and Coldest Cold? |
| 2018-06-05 | The Strange Evolutionary Story of the Thylacine |
| 2018-05-22 | Where Did Earth's Water Come From? |
| 2018-05-15 | This Salamander Can Regrow Limbs Like Deadpool |