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Topic Review Peer Reviewed
Translation of Word- and Language-Play
Translation primarily refers to interlingual translation here, i.e., the transfer of texts (broadly understood) between distinct languages. Wordplay is used synonymously with puns, while language-play is a broader concept referring to the intentional manipulation of linguistic elements for special effects. Language-play thus includes, but is not limited to, wordplay. This paper provides an overview of the issues involved in the translation of language-play, including wordplay. To this end, definitions, categories, and arguments related to translation on the one hand, and to word- as well as language-play on the other, are presented. This includes an introduction to different modes, purposes, and challenges of translation, as well as a discussion of the possible forms, functions, and effects of language-play, partly in relation to humour. Based on this groundwork, claims and findings related to the combination of the fields, i.e., the translation of word- and language-play, will be summarized. The paper concludes with an attempt at placing word- and language-play translation into a broader context, including societal and educational concerns, as well as the latest changes affecting the translation profession.
  • 19
  • 13 Feb 2026
Topic Review Peer Reviewed
Usage-Based Motivations for Diachronic Language Change
With the understanding that language variation, whether synchronic or diachronic, is, for the most part, not random but systematic and predictable, linguists and philologists have long engaged with the task of providing accounts and explanations for how a phenomenon in a given language moves from stage a to stage b, with a temporally preceding b. A usage-based approach to diachronic change takes as its basis a fundamental link between usage and the evolution of linguistic structure through time. More specifically, motivations for language change are sought in areas that involve speakers using language and interacting with one another, such as discourse and communication, as well as cognitive processes involved in producing and understanding language. Mechanisms that contribute to language change include pragmatic inferences, frequency, (inter)subjectification and discourse management (turn-taking).
  • 14
  • 05 Feb 2026
Topic Review Peer Reviewed
Typology of Sinitic (Chinese)
Sinitic, often referred to simply as ‘Chinese’, is a well-differentiated major branch of the Sino-Tibetan family, further divided into ten commonly recognized groups (Mandarin, Jin, Wu, Gan, Xiang, Hui, Hakka, Yue, Min, and Pinghua), identified mainly on the basis of phonological criteria. Sinitic as a whole stands out for being typologically quite distant from the rest of Sino-Tibetan (i.e., the so-called ‘Tibeto-Burman’ languages). Sinitic languages overwhelmingly possess verb-medial basic constituent order and isolating/analytic morphology, while Tibeto-Burman languages are dominantly verb-final and exhibit more complex and varied morphological profiles. Moreover, the Sinitic languages themselves show a considerable degree of internal variation, involving aspects such as word order, morphology, and grammaticalization patterns, among others. The development of Sinitic has often been driven by contact, both within the family and with unrelated (non-Sinitic) languages. For instance, Northern Sinitic shows ‘Altaic’ features due to contact with Mongolic, Turkic, and Tungusic languages, while Southern Sinitic is closer to the Mainland Southeast Asian areal type due to contact with Tai-Kadai, Hmong-Mien, and Mon-Khmer. We also find Sinitic varieties in the Northwest possessing basic verb-final order and postposed markers of case and evidentiality, again due to contact (with Mongolic and Tibetic), as well as other areas of convergence, which contribute to the complexity of the typology of Sinitic.
  • 9
  • 03 Mar 2026
Topic Review
Bilingual Education in the U.S.
Bilingual education in the United States encompasses programs that use both English and students’ home languages to promote learning. It has been shaped by changing political priorities, policies, and debates over assimilation versus linguistic diversity. This entry reviews the history of bilingual education in the United States and how public opinion and political attitudes have shifted over time. It traces how policymakers and practitioners have viewed English language acquisition as either a tool of assimilation or as a resource for learning, and how support has moved from English-only immersion to dual language education programs. The discussion highlights how current assessment practices, focused on English-only standardized testing, have not kept pace with changing views of bilingual education. The entry concludes by identifying gaps in research and urging states to evaluate how comprehensively they serve their bilingual student population through their education policies and programs.
  • 5
  • 05 Jan 2026
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