The Chinese Friendship Garden in Sydney in the foreground. Water, a beautiful Chinese temple. In the background are tall buildings in the Sydney CBD

Language Is a Guide To Social Reality

Linguist Edward Sapier said that societies live in distinct worlds, not simply ‘the same world with different labels attached.’

Two small groups of people stand together in a park. Quote by Edward Sapier on the top and bottom
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Social Science in Multidisciplinary Research

The Vice Chancellor of Cambridge University says the social sciences have an important role to play in society, especially through multidisciplinary research.

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Indigenous Australians, Justice & Language Translation

Common law does not require people are given access to an interpreter but legal cases show that use of interpreters does not always lead to an accurate and fair presentation of evidence in court. This is especially problematic for Indigenous Australians who speak diverse languages that don’t necessarily translate well through the mouths of a poorly trained interpreter.

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Linguistics and Cultural Appropriation

What happens when White people appropriate Black slang? Commodification without stigma.

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Managing Accents at Work

A linguistics study from University of Manchester finds that: “most people modify their accent not because they lack pride in it, quite the opposite in fact. It’s actually because they fear the negative perceptions others might have of them if they don’t, especially in work-related contexts.”

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From Sociolinguistics to Entertainment

What can you do with a social science degree? Carrie Brownstein has been a rockstar with Sleater Kinney and has found further success as a comedy writer and star on Portlandia. Here’s how she sees the link between her degree in sociolinguistics and her comedy TV show.

Carrie Brownstein is a white woman with short brown, curly hair. She wears red lipstick and smiles
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