Linguists Find Proof of Sweeping Language Pattern Once Deemed a 'Hoax'

10 pseudolus 2 5/14/2025, 3:46:53 PM scientificamerican.com ↗

Comments (2)

jll29 · 6h ago

Laura Martin (1986) "Eskimo Words for Snow": A Case Study in the Genesis and Decay of an Anthropological Example" American Anthropologist, New Series 88(2): 418-423, https://www.jstor.org/stable/677570?casa_token=KsX4yPgs1YIAA...

versus

Temuulen Khishigsuren, Terry Regier, Ekaterina Vylomova, and Charles Kemp (2025) "A computational analysis of lexical elaboration across languages" PNAS 122(25) e2417304122 https://www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.2417304122

os2warpman · 3h ago

Linguists using the word "hypothesis" when nothing they have ever pondered, proposed, or published has ever been even close to a "testable and reproducible prediction about reality" really tickles my pickle.

Also their use of the word "proof".

And "science".