#linguistics question

[ded-inside-anonymous]

Ok but like, whose cat was biting and clawing people's tongues? Like it had to be happening a lot. It's just a phrase we use now. We don't even think about it. 'Oh, Bill? Yeah, cat got his tongue, it's a such a shame. He hasn't spoken since'

[dizzy-boy]

Random question for any linguists out there: are there any sounds that are just harder to pronounce? Like do certain sounds take more of a toll on your throat/mouth to produce? And by extension, are there any languages that tire one’s voice out quicker than others?

I caught a cold and my throat’s been bothering me recently, so this sorta thing has been on my mind. I’m quite interested in linguistics and sounds, generally, so the question popped up. Just curious! Would love any response :)

[9ine9ine9ine6ix]

also it'd be really cool to have a bunch of people get those scans where you see your brain light up as you think about things and ask them questions about their gender. like we know the anterior cingulate cortex will probably glow because of descision making, but also because that part of your brain is commonly bigger in trans individuals (don't ask me any more details, it's wildly under studied).

I ask this not to see if we can determine what part of the brain "causes" gender-

but rather to see if we can actually, properly DEFINE the word. Cause think about it

It's definitely part of your emotional range. It's something people have Felt for as far back as human record has gone. I Like Appearing And Acting as this 'type' of person in a group. Or maybe I Feel Both Or Multiple 'types' of people within my own presentation. Or, I Feel New and Not Yet Represented. I'm thinking a lot about how I've heard twospirit individuals talk.

And then, there's the Joy versus Dyphoria. What's really cool is some people can recognize differences in Their Feeling versus Some Other Group without That Feeling ever causing them distress. Others, like my journey with gender, aren't as positive or painless, and some us did become all too familiar with gender dysphoria. It doesn't help that hormones are substances controlled so weirdly you often have to be diagnosed with dysphoria to get medication- even though both testosterone and estrogen are in every human body, and gender affirming care isn't the primary reasons these medications exist. But, it has clinicalized the word dysphoria and made it an extremely uncomfortable topic for a lot of queer people to breach.

But- the joy part? When I think about how not every language has gendered pronouns, it makes me confused as to why people calling me "he/him" makes my heart skip a beat and lets my body exit fight or flight. A skirt is literally a piece of fabric, and yet someone tries one on for the first time, and then realizes her reflection is crying tears of joy. THAT'S SO COOL. HOW DOES THAT WORK. WHAT DOES THE BRAIN LOOK LIKE WHEN THAT HAPPENS. Or like the blue girl! Being blue helps eliminate her dysphoria!? That sounds borderline magical, right? Because- all of these examples have so, so, so little to do with the shape of ur genitals or how doctors tried to categorize it when you were born.

Tiny little pieces of artistic and style expression can make the human body feel extreme comfort and relief and joy- to the degree it makes them feel Ultra Present in their being. Haircuts and tattoos and fabric and colors and shapes and methods of self care and music and looking at art Other People Made, all of that can make you feel that Good Gender Feeling.

absolutely fucking fascinating. human brains are so gorgeous

[in-tua-deep]

Out of curiosity, linguistics side of tumblr (or American side of tumblr?) why do Americans (? Midwest ones? Sample size unclear) say “in THE hospital” instead of in hospital but still say “in hospice” or “in school” etc.

Genuinely just curious lol or would like to know if u are American and say in hospital where in America you are from 👀

[little-alien-thoughts]

Hey does anyone know of a good site to learn new (english) vocabulary from? (preferably not a site for learning languages since english is my native language lol) My teacher used to have us use Vocabulary.com but you can't really use it now without paying for it :( I just want to expand my vocabulary more and in a way that's quicker than reading a lot of books yk

[rt8815]

Is swearing with and in front of most anyone (not guests at work, for instance), but automatically not using most swears in front of my mother a form of code switching?

[ammyamarant]

I have a linguistics question which will help for naming an object in a story I'm planning.

So in English, we often use the French word "faux" when we are talking about a material meant to mimic another one. Faux leather, faux fur, that kind of thing. Sometimes the word "fake" is used, but "faux" is a common way to describe these things.

My question is: is there a word in either German or Japanese that is used in a similar fashion for materials or objects meant to mimic other materials or objects?

[eatanorange]

Wait…… is the drop of a hat saying because you’d run so fast at their call that your hat would be left behind. And do the cartoon thing where it floats in the air for a second before dropping. And by the time it hits the ground you’d already be at their side. Is that what that is. Or am I being autistic. Or both.