Rory Turnbull
@roryturnbull.bsky.social
Senior Lecturer in Phonetics and Phonology at Newcastle University ✦ Bahá’í ✦ Scottish ✦ he/him ✦ I like bikes, network science, R, and Linux
Reposted by Rory Turnbull
second dialect acquisition in The Atlantic! I'm quoted in this piece (along w/@abbyjwalker.bsky.social & other linguists) #linguistics
Why Taylor Swift’s Accent Has Changed
And yours might too.
www.theatlantic.com
December 5, 2025 at 2:20 AM
second dialect acquisition in The Atlantic! I'm quoted in this piece (along w/@abbyjwalker.bsky.social & other linguists) #linguistics
Me: I'm hip and in touch with youth trends
Spotify wrapped: your most played artist was Bach and you have the musical tastes of a 73 year old 💀
Spotify wrapped: your most played artist was Bach and you have the musical tastes of a 73 year old 💀
December 3, 2025 at 8:49 PM
Me: I'm hip and in touch with youth trends
Spotify wrapped: your most played artist was Bach and you have the musical tastes of a 73 year old 💀
Spotify wrapped: your most played artist was Bach and you have the musical tastes of a 73 year old 💀
This is so fascinating, I'd love to read this.
111. 🇧🇾 Belarus- Alhierd Bachaverič, Alindarka's Children
The original was published in Belarusian and Russian, and to covey the linguistic complexity central to the story, this translation renders only the Russian text in English, and the Belarusian in Scots- an incredible choice that works so well
The original was published in Belarusian and Russian, and to covey the linguistic complexity central to the story, this translation renders only the Russian text in English, and the Belarusian in Scots- an incredible choice that works so well
Alindarka's Children: Things Will Be Bad
Things Will Be Bad
bookshop.org
December 2, 2025 at 9:04 PM
This is so fascinating, I'd love to read this.
Reposted by Rory Turnbull
wtf I am so old lmao
Follow us on Tiktok, Instagram and Facebook to see daily videos answering the internet's most asked questions about Star Wars: The Force Awakens leading us to the 10 year anniversary on December 18th!
December 1, 2025 at 4:06 PM
wtf I am so old lmao
Reposted by Rory Turnbull
📈 Listen up!
💡 There is a considerable gap in the field of historical linguistics re the diachronic study of tone.
💡 The latest SI of 𝘋𝘪𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢 brings together contributions from linguists specializing in different regions & language families who work on 𝗗𝗶𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗼𝗻𝗲:
doi.org/10.1075/dia....
💡 There is a considerable gap in the field of historical linguistics re the diachronic study of tone.
💡 The latest SI of 𝘋𝘪𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢 brings together contributions from linguists specializing in different regions & language families who work on 𝗗𝗶𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗼𝗻𝗲:
doi.org/10.1075/dia....
December 1, 2025 at 10:11 AM
📈 Listen up!
💡 There is a considerable gap in the field of historical linguistics re the diachronic study of tone.
💡 The latest SI of 𝘋𝘪𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢 brings together contributions from linguists specializing in different regions & language families who work on 𝗗𝗶𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗼𝗻𝗲:
doi.org/10.1075/dia....
💡 There is a considerable gap in the field of historical linguistics re the diachronic study of tone.
💡 The latest SI of 𝘋𝘪𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢 brings together contributions from linguists specializing in different regions & language families who work on 𝗗𝗶𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗼𝗻𝗲:
doi.org/10.1075/dia....
Looks like the lads who design men's razors have branched out to scissors
December 1, 2025 at 8:47 AM
Looks like the lads who design men's razors have branched out to scissors
Reposted by Rory Turnbull
Cabbage is red,*
Violets are blue.*
(*Actually purple,
But what can you do?)
Violets are blue.*
(*Actually purple,
But what can you do?)
November 29, 2025 at 12:10 AM
Cabbage is red,*
Violets are blue.*
(*Actually purple,
But what can you do?)
Violets are blue.*
(*Actually purple,
But what can you do?)
Petition to replace the phrase "taking coals to Newcastle" with "taking sausage rolls to Newcastle"
November 22, 2025 at 1:27 PM
Petition to replace the phrase "taking coals to Newcastle" with "taking sausage rolls to Newcastle"
Reposted by Rory Turnbull
We're excited to re-launch the journal "Innovations in Linguistics Education", a forum for evidence-based research in the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) in linguistics! We open for submissions in January 2026.
journals.ed.ac.uk/innovations/
journals.ed.ac.uk/innovations/
Innovations in Linguistics Education
journals.ed.ac.uk
November 17, 2025 at 1:53 PM
We're excited to re-launch the journal "Innovations in Linguistics Education", a forum for evidence-based research in the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) in linguistics! We open for submissions in January 2026.
journals.ed.ac.uk/innovations/
journals.ed.ac.uk/innovations/
Reposted by Rory Turnbull
There is so much fun & interesting language-related research coming out recently.
A fascinating new study from the University of Exeter shows that herring gulls don’t just react to what we say — they react to how we say it.
🔗 tinyurl.com/mta7ba9f
🧵👇
#langsky #linguistics #language
A fascinating new study from the University of Exeter shows that herring gulls don’t just react to what we say — they react to how we say it.
🔗 tinyurl.com/mta7ba9f
🧵👇
#langsky #linguistics #language
Yes, shouting at seagulls actually works, scientists confirm
This is one of the few times shouting might actually help.
tinyurl.com
November 14, 2025 at 1:08 PM
There is so much fun & interesting language-related research coming out recently.
A fascinating new study from the University of Exeter shows that herring gulls don’t just react to what we say — they react to how we say it.
🔗 tinyurl.com/mta7ba9f
🧵👇
#langsky #linguistics #language
A fascinating new study from the University of Exeter shows that herring gulls don’t just react to what we say — they react to how we say it.
🔗 tinyurl.com/mta7ba9f
🧵👇
#langsky #linguistics #language
Uhh, that's actually my emotional support chocolate
November 13, 2025 at 7:18 PM
Uhh, that's actually my emotional support chocolate
My students always oooh and aaah when I teach them the phonetics of vowels
November 12, 2025 at 10:04 AM
My students always oooh and aaah when I teach them the phonetics of vowels
Incidentally also _cappuccino_ comes from this same source!
It's some fairly well known etymology that we owe some everyday words to Martin of Tours (d. 397).
The most famous episode of his life is when he selflessly cut his cloak (in Latin: 'cappa') in two. That cloak was later venerated in Frankish lands, from which come the words 'chapel' and 'chaplain'.
The most famous episode of his life is when he selflessly cut his cloak (in Latin: 'cappa') in two. That cloak was later venerated in Frankish lands, from which come the words 'chapel' and 'chaplain'.
Since today is Saint Martin's Day, here's a humble image of the popular saint that I recently encountered on Veliki Brijun, Croatia. Carved for a church in Senj c. 1330, it has "Sveti Marъtinъ" written in Glagolitic letters around the saint's head – part of Croatia's long tradition of Glagolitic.
November 11, 2025 at 12:52 PM
Incidentally also _cappuccino_ comes from this same source!
Reposted by Rory Turnbull
Actually, you’re being pedantic
August 26, 2025 at 12:00 PM
Actually, you’re being pedantic
Tweeting "happy Eid" and "there is no God but God" is apparently "undermining Islam" and deserves a five year prison sentence in Qatar, if you are a Baha'i.
www.hrw.org/news/2025/08...
www.hrw.org/news/2025/08...
Qatar: Five-Year Sentence for Baha’i Dignitary on Abusive Charges
A Doha court sentenced the chair of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is in Qatar to five years in prison on August 13, 2025, based solely on exercising his rights to freedom of speech and r...
www.hrw.org
August 19, 2025 at 9:02 PM
Tweeting "happy Eid" and "there is no God but God" is apparently "undermining Islam" and deserves a five year prison sentence in Qatar, if you are a Baha'i.
www.hrw.org/news/2025/08...
www.hrw.org/news/2025/08...
Reposted by Rory Turnbull
On the left is a rabbit. On the right is an elephant. But guess what: They’re the *same image*, rotated 90°!
In @currentbiology.bsky.social, @chazfirestone.bsky.social & I show how these images—known as “visual anagrams”—can help solve a longstanding problem in cognitive science. bit.ly/45BVnCZ
In @currentbiology.bsky.social, @chazfirestone.bsky.social & I show how these images—known as “visual anagrams”—can help solve a longstanding problem in cognitive science. bit.ly/45BVnCZ
August 19, 2025 at 4:32 PM
On the left is a rabbit. On the right is an elephant. But guess what: They’re the *same image*, rotated 90°!
In @currentbiology.bsky.social, @chazfirestone.bsky.social & I show how these images—known as “visual anagrams”—can help solve a longstanding problem in cognitive science. bit.ly/45BVnCZ
In @currentbiology.bsky.social, @chazfirestone.bsky.social & I show how these images—known as “visual anagrams”—can help solve a longstanding problem in cognitive science. bit.ly/45BVnCZ
Does anyone have a sense of the origins of the term "Standard Southern British English" (SSBE)? It seems to have developed as an alternative to "RP" but I'm not sure who popularised it (if anyone).
June 16, 2025 at 1:33 PM
Does anyone have a sense of the origins of the term "Standard Southern British English" (SSBE)? It seems to have developed as an alternative to "RP" but I'm not sure who popularised it (if anyone).
Reposted by Rory Turnbull
Keep your cats indoors and switch to Linux.
June 13, 2025 at 11:48 AM
Keep your cats indoors and switch to Linux.
New paper out, just accepted to Interspeech! We find that acoustic measures of similarity between English and French only weakly correlate with human judgements.
roryturnbull.github.io/papers/Turnb...
roryturnbull.github.io/papers/Turnb...
roryturnbull.github.io
May 28, 2025 at 3:23 PM
New paper out, just accepted to Interspeech! We find that acoustic measures of similarity between English and French only weakly correlate with human judgements.
roryturnbull.github.io/papers/Turnb...
roryturnbull.github.io/papers/Turnb...
Reposted by Rory Turnbull
While English is undeniably vital for accessing opportunities & fostering community cohesion, it's essential to recognize the UK's rich linguistic tapestry. Languages like #Welsh, #Scots #Gaelic, & others are integral to our national identity & cultural heritage.
🔗 tinyurl.com/4mte5vae
#langsky
🔗 tinyurl.com/4mte5vae
#langsky
Starmer says migrants should speak English – but all of the UK’s languages are important for integration
As the UK government doubles down on English as the sole route to integration, it shouldn’t mean leaving other languages behind.
theconversation.com
May 22, 2025 at 12:27 PM
While English is undeniably vital for accessing opportunities & fostering community cohesion, it's essential to recognize the UK's rich linguistic tapestry. Languages like #Welsh, #Scots #Gaelic, & others are integral to our national identity & cultural heritage.
🔗 tinyurl.com/4mte5vae
#langsky
🔗 tinyurl.com/4mte5vae
#langsky
Reposted by Rory Turnbull
Do caregivers exaggerate vowels when talking to infants? Prior findings are inconsistent () & the mechanisms unclear. We meta-analyzed 35 studies across 10 languages to disentangle systematic cross-linguistic and methodological variation. Paper: osf.io/preprints/ps... 🧵
May 21, 2025 at 1:46 PM
Do caregivers exaggerate vowels when talking to infants? Prior findings are inconsistent () & the mechanisms unclear. We meta-analyzed 35 studies across 10 languages to disentangle systematic cross-linguistic and methodological variation. Paper: osf.io/preprints/ps... 🧵
Come to Glasgow on May 28 for Phon-UP 3 (Phonetics/Phonology Unconference on Pedagogy)!
Attendance is free. Please repost for reach!
blogs.ncl.ac.uk/phon-up/
Attendance is free. Please repost for reach!
blogs.ncl.ac.uk/phon-up/
Phon-UP | Phonetics/Phonology Unconference on Pedagogy
blogs.ncl.ac.uk
May 14, 2025 at 2:22 PM
Come to Glasgow on May 28 for Phon-UP 3 (Phonetics/Phonology Unconference on Pedagogy)!
Attendance is free. Please repost for reach!
blogs.ncl.ac.uk/phon-up/
Attendance is free. Please repost for reach!
blogs.ncl.ac.uk/phon-up/
Reposted by Rory Turnbull
This is a terrible misunderstanding.
Your Pope-name is the last thing you ate IN LATIN, + the number of letters in your last name (in roman numerals of course)
signed
Pope Pirum XIII
Your Pope-name is the last thing you ate IN LATIN, + the number of letters in your last name (in roman numerals of course)
signed
Pope Pirum XIII
Your Pope name is: Last thing you ate + number of letters in your first name. POPE GINGER IV.
May 9, 2025 at 9:52 AM
This is a terrible misunderstanding.
Your Pope-name is the last thing you ate IN LATIN, + the number of letters in your last name (in roman numerals of course)
signed
Pope Pirum XIII
Your Pope-name is the last thing you ate IN LATIN, + the number of letters in your last name (in roman numerals of course)
signed
Pope Pirum XIII
Reposted by Rory Turnbull
can we get human rights for the humans first please?
“Can ChatGPT experience joy or suffering? Does Gemini deserve human rights?” our tech columnist asks. “Many A.I. experts I know would say no, not yet, not even close. But I was intrigued.”
Should We Start Taking the Welfare of A.I. Seriously?
As artificial intelligence systems become smarter, one A.I. company is trying to figure out what to do if they become conscious.
www.nytimes.com
April 24, 2025 at 7:52 PM
can we get human rights for the humans first please?