PROFESSOR OF LINGUISTICS
writer, researcher, author, lecturer,
broadcaster, consultant
Popular Science Essays
The future of communication: In the digital age, technology is changing how and what we communicate. The Next Truth -- April 2021
Coronavius emojis: Conveying compassion and humour with a facemask. The Wire -- May 1st 2019
Breaking the Emoji Code. LinkedIn Essay--March 20th 2018
Emojis actually make our language way better. New York Post -- August 13th 2017
Emoji is the new universal 'language'. And it's making us better communicators. LinkedIn Weekend Essay -- August 5th 2017
Why you need emoji: Emoji are the body language of the digital age. Nautilus magazine -- July 6th 2017
The power of the emoji, Japan's most transformative design. CNN Style -- May 30th 2017
How number words may have changed us from zeroes to heroes. New Scientist -- May 3rd 2017
What is the most difficult language to learn from scratch? The Question -- January 10th 2017
What's the easiest way to learn a new language? The Question -- January 9th 2017
What were the key historical landmarks in the development of language? The Question--January 6th 2017
Why is English such a difficult language to learn? The Question--January 5th 2017
What is the fastest growing language on earth, and should I learn it? The Question--January 4th 2017
Does the popularity emoji and text-speak indicate a dumbing down of society? The Question--January 3rd 2017
How emoji means: The rise and rise of the global communication system. Lobby architecture magazine, September 2016
The brave new world of emoji. Cambridge Extra--July 15th 2016
Why Only Us: The Language Paradox. Review of book by Berwick and Chomsky, published in New Scientist, February 2016
How do emojis mean? Babel: The Language Magazine--February 2016
How a joke can help us unlock the mystery of meaning in language The Conversation--November 2015
Beyond words: How language-like is emoji? Oxford Dictionaries blog--20th November 2015
Sign of our times: Why emojis can be even more powerful than words The Conversation--18th November, 2015
Are Emojis Becoming the New Universal 'Language'? Newsweek--18th September 2015
"Emojis have hit Hollywood--and thriller or rom-com, they'll take it by storm". The Conversation--3rd August 2015
"Language: Evolution in the digital age". The Guardian--26th June 2015
"Sorry, emoji doesn't make you dumber". Psychology Today--8th June 2015
"No, the rise of the emoji doesn't spell the end for language". Essay in The Conversation--22nd May 2015
Can emojis really be used to make terror threats? Article in The Guardian, February 2015
Real Talk. The evidence is in: There is no language instinct. Essay published in Aeon, popular science magazine December 4th 2014.
Analytics for Vyv's four essays published in The Conversation--150K readers upto April 2016