Hacker News with Generative AI: Language

How Many 'Copilots' Do We Need? (woon.sg)
Dear companies, please stop using the term “Copilot” for everything. It is honestly confusing and doesn’t help anyone. Imagine a conversation like this:
AI, Technology, Language, Marketing
16 points by 9woc 4 days ago | 1 comments
The letter ℘: name and origin? (2017) (mathoverflow.net)
Do you think the letter \wp has a name? It may depend on community - the language, region, speciality, etc, so if you don't mind, please be specific about yours. (Mainly I'd like to know the English names, if any, but other information is welcome.) If yes, when and how did you come to know it? When, how, and how often do you mention it? (See below.) What's the origin of the letter?
Mathematics, Language, History
283 points by IdealeZahlen 7 days ago | 142 comments
DeepL Voice: Real-time voice translations for global collaboration (deepl.com)
Connect with colleagues, customers, and partners everywhere—without language barriers. Unlock global collaboration for your business with accurate AI voice translations.
AI, Translation, Language, Collaboration, Business
124 points by doener 7 days ago | 58 comments
'It gets more and more confused': can AI replace translators? (theguardian.com)
A Dutch publisher has announced that it will use AI to translate some of its books – but those in the industry are worried about the consequences if this becomes the norm
Artificial Intelligence, Translation, Publishing, Language
5 points by rntn 9 days ago | 0 comments
Academic-style writing persists because it works (greyenlightenment.com)
Academic-style writing is characterized by defensive or hedging language, an abundance of citations, and being overly charitable to the opposing side by writing for the most skeptical reader in mind or anticipating objections. However, it’s criticized as being inauthentic or ambiguous. Or it reads as if the writer is prevaricating or beating around the bush instead of just saying what is on his or her mind. This can make the writing seem confusing or needlessly complex.
Writing Style, Academia, Communication, Language
10 points by paulpauper 11 days ago | 5 comments
Verbalize – text editor with writing assistance for Brazilian Portuguese (ycombinator.com)
I'm a linguist and technical writer (tech writer, dev writer, documenter, technical editor, etc.) and I've always used Hemingway for my English writing. The problem was that I'd never found a text editor capable of suggesting possible improvements to a text in Brazilian Portuguese.
Language, Writing Tools, Software, Brazilian Portuguese
33 points by mtgr18977 11 days ago | 4 comments
Ticker Tape Synesthesia (thesynesthesiatree.com)
"Ticker taping" consists of automatically visualising written words in the form of subtitles when hearing other people speak. It can also occur with one’s own speech and/or with internal dialogue, i.e. verbal thinking.
Synesthesia, Perception, Language, Neuroscience, Cognitive Science
47 points by daverol 12 days ago | 22 comments
A brief history of the word "fuck" (lithub.com)
In all of English there are few words rich enough in their history and variety of use to warrant a dedicated dictionary that runs to hundreds of pages and multiple editions.
Language, History, Linguistics, Etymology, Vulgar Language
38 points by tintinnabula 13 days ago | 21 comments
The Charms of Catastrophe (1978) (nybooks.com)
“All things,” said Charles Peirce, “swim in continua.” At what wave length does blue become green? When does a child become a grown-up? Are viruses alive? Do cows think? It is also obvious that there are discrete “things” that swim in these spectrums, and sometimes jump from one part of a spectrum to another. Day fades into night, but a flicked switch produces instant darkness.
Philosophy, Science, Language, Time
44 points by mitchbob 13 days ago | 9 comments
Gadsby: Wikip_dia's Lost Lipogram (2015) [pdf] (core.ac.uk)
Literature, Language, History, Linguistics
9 points by pncnmnp 14 days ago | 0 comments
Cats may be able to learn human words (nautil.us)
Felines may be able to learn human words.
Animal Behavior, Language, Research
50 points by dnetesn 19 days ago | 57 comments
The 1600s were a watershed for swear words (2022) (historytoday.com)
Swear words are a constant, but their ability to cause offence is in flux. In the 1600s, today's obscenities were mundane.
Language, History, Linguistics, Culture, Social Change
119 points by pepys 24 days ago | 145 comments
Dead Labor, Dead Speech – What happens when culture becomes an industry's raw... (newcartographies.com)
If, as Marx argued, capital is dead labor, then the products of large language models might best be understood as dead speech.
Culture, Industry, Artificial Intelligence, Language
9 points by mikae1 25 days ago | 1 comments
Don't use Summer and Winter for event invites, it's "northern" and not inclusive (nature.com)
Using Northern Hemisphere-specific seasonal language might not be inclusive to those in the Southern Hemisphere.Credit: Richard Drury/Getty
Culture, Inclusivity, Language, Seasonal Events
14 points by fsckboy 25 days ago | 21 comments
Character amnesia in China (globalchinapulse.net)
During a visit to Beijing many years ago, I was having lunch with three PhD students in the Chinese Department at Peking University, all of whom were native speakers of Chinese. I happened to have a cold that day and was trying to write a brief note to a friend to cancel an appointment that afternoon. I found that I could not recall how to write the Chinese characters for the word ‘sneeze’.
Language, China, Memory, Culture
483 points by nabla9 25 days ago | 528 comments
Character Amnesia in China (globalchinapulse.net)
During a visit to Beijing many years ago, I was having lunch with three PhD students in the Chinese Department at Peking University, all of whom were native speakers of Chinese. I happened to have a cold that day and was trying to write a brief note to a friend to cancel an appointment that afternoon. I found that I could not recall how to write the Chinese characters for the word ‘sneeze’.
Language, China, Education, Culture
11 points by gcoleman 26 days ago | 0 comments
Hyphen War (wikipedia.org)
The Hyphen War (Czech: Pomlčková válka; Slovak: Pomlčková vojna, lit. 'Dash War') was the political conflict over renaming the country of Czechoslovakia after the fall of the Communist government in 1989.
Politics, History, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Language
5 points by mkotowski 26 days ago | 1 comments
Redact-a-Chat (redact-a-chat.com)
Redact-A-Chat is an online chat platform where every word can only be used once a day.
Chat Platforms, Language, Games, Social Media, Communication
42 points by neonate 26 days ago | 20 comments
Ask HN: What's a good Chinese language equivalent to HN? (ycombinator.com)
Ask HN: What's a good Chinese language equivalent to HN?
Community, China, Language, Online Communities, News
11 points by closetkantian 29 days ago | 2 comments
Mondegreen (wikipedia.org)
A mondegreen (/ˈmɒndɪˌɡriːn/ ⓘ) is a mishearing or misinterpretation of a phrase in a way that gives it a new meaning.[1] Mondegreens are most often created by a person listening to a poem or a song; the listener, being unable to hear a lyric clearly, substitutes words that sound similar and make some kind of sense.[2][3] The American writer Sylvia Wright coined the term in 1954, recalling a childhood memory of her mother reading the Scottish ballad "The Bonnie Earl
Linguistics, Language, Misinterpretations, Culture, Poetry
26 points by keiferski 31 days ago | 13 comments
Scientists working to decode birdsong (newyorker.com)
On a drizzly day in Grünau im Almtal, Austria, a gaggle of greylag geese shared a peaceful moment on a grassy field near a stream.
Science, Ornithology, Animal Behavior, Language
166 points by tintinnabula 31 days ago | 151 comments
Rekhta (wikipedia.org)
Rekhta (Urdu: ریختہ [ˈreːxtaː]; Hindi: रेख़्ता [ˈreːxtaː]) was an early form of the Hindustani language.
Language, History, Linguistics, Urdu, Hindi
7 points by thunderbong 33 days ago | 0 comments
For the love of God, stop talking about "post-truth" (conspicuouscognition.com)
This week, I am speaking on a panel at an event on “The Politics of Post-Truth?”. As part of the event, each speaker gives a ten-minute presentation. This is mine:
Politics, Media, Truth, Language
19 points by paulpauper 35 days ago | 29 comments
Unicode uses elephants as baseline comparison of cultural frequency for emoji (unicode.org)
The goal of this page is to outline the process and requirements for submitting a proposal for new emoji; including how to submit a proposal, the selection factors that need to be addressed in each proposal, and guidelines on presenting evidence of frequency.
Emoji, Unicode, Language, Cultural Frequency
75 points by thunderbong 37 days ago | 52 comments
Directional system and spatial deix in Manam language (wikipedia.org)
Manam is a Kairiru–Manam language spoken mainly on the volcanic Manam Island, northeast of New Guinea.
Linguistics, Language, Geography
14 points by thunderbong 38 days ago | 0 comments
Making the Tibetan language a first-class citizen in the digital world (bdrc.io)
An important part of BDRC's mission is technological innovation to make the Tibetan language a first-class citizen in the digital world. A major milestone in that enterprise was passed recently, as the open source software suite LibreOffice now supports an important feature of Tibetan: very long paragraphs.
Language, Technology, Open Source, Tibet
306 points by thunderbong 39 days ago | 157 comments
"Simple English" is a language on Wikipedia (wikipedia.org)
The Simple English Wikipedia (simplewiki) is a Simple English language version of Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia, written in a language that is easy to understand but is still natural and grammatical.
Wikipedia, Language, Online Encyclopedia, Education, Linguistics
8 points by barrettondricka 39 days ago | 6 comments
Shibboleth (wikipedia.org)
A shibboleth (/ˈʃɪbəlɛθ, -ɪθ/ ⓘ;[1][2] Biblical Hebrew: שִׁבֹּלֶת, romanized: šībbōleṯ) is any custom or tradition, usually a choice of phrasing or single word, that distinguishes one group of people from another.[3][2][4] Shibboleths have been used throughout history in many societies as passwords, ways of self-identification, signals of loyalty and affinity, ways of maintaining traditional segregation, or protection from real or perceived threats.
Language, Culture, History, Linguistics, Identity
6 points by redbell 40 days ago | 4 comments
Turkish language has a gossip tense (twitter.com)
Turkish language, Linguistics, Language
276 points by sedatk 42 days ago | 255 comments
Germans decry influence of English as 'idiot's apostrophe' gets approval (theguardian.com)
A relaxation of official rules around the correct use of apostrophes in German has not only irritated grammar sticklers but triggered existential fears around the pervasive influence of English.
Grammar, Language, German Language, English Language
232 points by pseudolus 43 days ago | 560 comments