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Intellect

BYU student uses the gift of language to bless others

By Shelby Clark
November 01, 2023
For first-generation college student Sarah Davila, growing up near the sunny Florida coast consisted of playing on the beach, learning English in school and making traditional Colombian food with her mom. Davila’s parents had moved to the United States a few months before Davila was born, hoping to provide her with a bright future.
2 Min Read
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Intellect

Utahns are ahead of the curve in baby-naming trends, but still plenty quirky

By Christie Allen
March 30, 2023
Brooks, Hudson, Milo, Oakley, Navy: if you want to predict the top U.S. baby names of 2033, take a look at some of Utah’s popular names in 2023. Although Utahns are known for their one-of-a-kind monikers — such as Treysen or Swayzee — a new book edited at BYU shows that Utah parents have a long history of anticipating mainstream American naming fads.
4 Min Read
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Character

BYU students, creator of Alexa develop software to preserve Cambodian stories

By Christie Allen
December 09, 2020
By recording nearly 5,000 life stories during the past few years, BYU’s Cambodian Oral History Project has brought to light many narratives long suppressed by the trauma of the late 1970s Khmer Rouge regime, during which nearly two million Cambodians were killed or died.
3 Min Read
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Intellect

BYU professor helps courts solve 60 cases as language detective

By Christie Allen
September 25, 2020
Dr. Eggington has had plenty of exciting moments as a forensic linguist. What he really cares about—why he became a linguistics professor to begin with—is using his knowledge of language to help others.
4 Min Read
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Announcements

BYU launches 4 new majors, new minor

July 25, 2018
Brigham Young University has created five new courses of study available to its students starting Fall Semester 2018. The four new majors and the new minor come from five different colleges on campus.
4 Min Read
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Intellect

Workplace myth-making

By Alec Sears
November 01, 2017
A BYU linguistics professor is exploring the ways companies use myth and storytelling to foster unity and support during times of change.

2 Min Read
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Intellect

Delivering bad news? Don't beat around the bush.

Andrea Christensen
By Andrea Christensen
October 04, 2017
New BYU research shows that when it comes to receiving bad news, most people prefer directness, candor and very little — if any — buffer.

2 Min Read
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Intellect

'Arrival' Oscar noms got you pumped about linguistics?

Andrea Christensen
By Andrea Christensen
January 23, 2017
Inspired by Tolkien, Dirk Elzinga created his own language as a teenager. That dabbling eventually led to a career as a linguist: one who is documenting a trio of endangered Native American languages.

2 Min Read
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Intellect

The look of a language

January 15, 2016
In the Andes and Amazon Field School, a BYU team is learning and preserving the Quichua language and culture. See this stunning photo essay. 

1 Min Read
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Intellect

Ever heard a Utahn say 'mountain'?

December 09, 2012
It’s no secret that Utahns tend to drop the T in words like “mountain.” BYU linguistics professor David Eddington and student Matthew Savage researched how, exactly, it happens — both physically and socially. 

3 Min Read
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