Stories written by

Vyvyan Evans, The Conversation

How a joke can help us unlock the mystery of meaning in language

We are only just starting to understand the linguistic tools that get stuff done, move us to tears, bore us to death, or make us dizzy with delight.

Vyvyan Evans, The Conversation
· Dec 17, 2015 · 09:30 pm
Signs of our times: Why emoji can be even more powerful than words

The Oxford Dictionaries' word of the year is causing a bit of a stir – probably because it's not a word at all.

Vyvyan Evans, The Conversation
· Nov 20, 2015 · 02:30 pm
Emojis have hit Hollywood – and thriller or rom-com, they’ll take it by storm

The ubiquitous smileys, winks and love hearts are about to make it out of the smart phones in our pockets and on to the silver screen.

Vyvyan Evans, The Conversation
· Aug 05, 2015 · 05:00 pm

No, the rise of the emoji doesn't spell the end of language

Emojis are mainly used to enhance the meaning of words in texts – they won't replace them altogether.

Vyvyan Evans, The Conversation
· Jun 09, 2015 · 05:30 pm