Stretching Your Mouth Affects What You Hear, Scientific American 28/5/2009

Depending on how a mechanical device pulls and tugs areas around the mouth, the volunteer will hear and interpret speech sounds differently

By Erica Westly

Neuroscience textbooks typically portray the five senses as separate entities, but in the real world the senses frequently interact, as anyone who has tried to enjoy dinner with a stuffy nose can attest. Hearing and vision seem similarly connected, the most famous example being the “McGurk effect,” where visual cues, such as moving lips, affect how people hear speech. And now new research shows that touch can influence speech perception, too.

How America got its name, Boston Globe, 4/7/2010

 

The suprising story of an obscure scholar, an adventurer’s letter, and a pun

Each July 4, as we celebrate the origins of America, we look back ritually at what happened in 1776: the war, the politics, the principles that defined our nation.

But what about the other thing that defines America: the name itself? Its story is far older and far less often told, and still offers some revealing surprises.

1559 Genève se met à l’étude du grec, Tribune de Genève 2/7/2010

La scène est célèbre. Elle se situe à l’acte III desFemmes savantes,le brûlot écrit par Molière en 1672 (et en alexandrins) contre l’instruction des dames et demoiselles. Un homme «vêtu de noir et parlant d’un ton doux» se voit admis au gynécée (tiens, un mot grec!).

Trissotin:«Il a des vieux auteurs la pleine intelligence/Et sait du grec, Madame, autant qu’homme en France. »
Philaminte:«Du grec, ô Ciel, du grec! Il sait du grec, ma sœur!»
Bélise:«Ah, ma nièce, du grec!»
Armande:«Du grec! Quelle douceur!»
Philaminte:«Quoi, Monsieur sait du grec! Ah permettez de grâce/Que pour l’amour du grec, Monsieur, on vous embrasse. »

Languages and Business Today and Solutions for Tomorrow, Lisbon 1-2/10/2010

Languages and Business Today and Solutions for Tomorrow

Lisbon (Portugal), 1 & 2 October 2010

The financial crisis recently struck the global economies and its effects continue to be felt. Our conference last year, in Geneva in 2009, showed how changes have been occurring quickly in the language industries and the training of trainers.
Along these lines, we invite you to continue this essential reflection and to join us for the conference entitled “Languages and Business Today and Solutions for Tomorrow” organised by the International Association Language and Business (IALB) and the international network Tradulex, in Lisbon, Portugal, on 1 and 2 October 2010.