Social Commentary

Examine how language reflects and influences social dynamics, power structures, and cultural values.

Brett Rutledge Brett Rutledge

It’s all about prediction

When we realise that AI is essentially a prediction tool, it becomes less intimidating and more understandable.

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The secret sauce of English

English has a hidden layer of complexity that often goes unnoticed and it can completely change the meaning of a word.

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Don’t believe the AI hype

Everyone needs to get a grip. AI is being hyped up to be a super-intelligent technology, but in reality, it’s not.

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Monty Python and spam

The term "spam" originally referred to a brand of canned meat but electronic "spam" has a very different history.

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The spirit of the game

Let's talk cricket! Specifically, let's talk about a common expression used to describe the idea of fair play and sportsmanship.

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Age is not just a number!

In most countries, your age is determined by the number of years since you were born - but not all.

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AI is stupid

Here is something about AI that everyone seems to keep missing. AI models are not inherently intelligent or knowledgeable!

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Why Australia?

The name "Australia" for the continent and country has its origins in the Latin term "Terra Australis."

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The origins of Ms.

The title "Ms." originated in the 20th century as a way to address women without specifying their marital status.

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When your name is your job

An aptronym is a person's name that coincidentally suits their profession, character, or circumstances in a humorous or ironic way.

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Equality versus Equity

While equality and equity are often used interchangeably, they actually have different meanings.

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The challenges facing AI

One of AI's biggest challenges today is developing systems that generalise and learn from data and contexts.

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Introducing contronyms

Synonyms are similar words. Antonyms are words that are opposites. Contronyms are their own opposite!

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Are you a ‘cheug’?

You might have noticed the word "cheugy" popping up online and wondered what it means and how to pronounce it.

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The order of adjectives

The order of adjectives is a grammar rule of English that you’ve probably never heard of but use every day.

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Why love means nothing

In tennis, the word 'love' represents a score of zero. It’s been used this way since the late 1800s, but no one knows why.

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“We the people…”

Among the most important changes to the draft of the United States Constitution was a critical phrase in the very first line.

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From Amazonas, Yoda is

Why does Yoda speak the way he does? Where does his language come from? Where on Earth would you find Yoda?

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Why Canada?

There are a lot of place names in the world that are derived from existing place names but Canada isn’t one of them.

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