Archive: Linguistics
35 Articles
- Faculty in the Media
What ‘Familect’ Do You Speak? Linguists Explain the Weird Words and Phrases Used Within Families
Georgetown University linguist Cynthia Gordon spent over two decades recording how families really talk at.…
July 13, 2026
- Faculty in the Media
Trump Always Does This 1 Extremely Boomer Thing In His Truth Social Posts
“My guess would be [it’s] to remind people he’s the president and to have the pleasure of seeing ‘President Donald Trump,’” said Deborah Tannen, a distinguished linguistics…
July 9, 2026
- News Story
Alison Mackey Named New Vice President for Graduate Studies at Georgetown
The longtime Georgetown faculty member and accomplished linguist will lead the university office for graduate education and.…
June 22, 2026
- News Story
4 Alumni with Majors That Led Them in Unexpected and Successful Directions
A beauty director whose classical studies minor sets her apart. A medical student whose English degree is his superpower. Meet alumni whose liberal arts degrees expanded their…
April 14, 2026
- Faculty in the Media
Why Is Everyone Saying the Word Tranche?
Deborah Tannen, a professor of linguistics, told The New York Times that the word’s current prominence was reflective of a phenomenon known as “lexical touch-off,” which she…
March 12, 2026
- News Story
Life Hacks Backed by Research to Start Your 2026 Happier, More Focused and Less Anxious
Georgetown professors use their research and expertise to offer everyday ideas and life hacks that can boost your happiness and focus in the new.…
January 7, 2026
- News Story
Georgetown Grad Student Team Wins International Natural Language Processing Challenge
Team members are current and former students of the computational linguistics and computer science.…
October 29, 2025
- News Story
What Does ‘6-7’ Mean? We Don’t Know Either, So We Asked a Linguistics Professor
Linguistics professor Cynthia Gordon unpacks the two numbers that have perplexed — and frustrated — parents, teachers and Americans across the country this.…
October 23, 2025
- News Story
College of Arts & Sciences Alumni Gain Firsthand Experience in Germany’s Parliament
Helen Poe (C’22) and Soma Arens (C’24) spent five months this year working in the German Bundestag, Germany’s main legislative body, in.…
August 22, 2025
- News Story
How Georgetown Linguists, Legal Expert Scored a Win in Supreme Court ‘Ghost Guns’ Case
A Georgetown team of two linguists and a law professor celebrated an achievement at the Supreme Court after their amicus (“friend of the court”) brief was cited in the 7-to-2…
June 12, 2025