Marc Wilson: word power

Marc Wilson: word power

Pioneering tools developed here are helping researchers discover the spread of language families.

By Marc Wilson In Psychology

One of my daughters queued for three hours to get a book signed by author George RR Martin for my Christmas present. It reminds me of when she and her sister were a lot younger and I took them to meet Suzy Cato, their heroine and the presenter of You and Me at the time. “Tahi is one, rua is two, toru number three, wha is four, rima is five, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.” I’m not going to get those hours of my life back.

What if You and Me were a Samoan show? Then “one” would be tasi. In Niuean and Tongan, taha. They sound a little similar, but that’s not surprising. We have Polynesia ...

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