TopLinks: Language

Ask A Linguist
http://linguistlist.org/~ask-ling/
Designed to be a place where anyone interested in language or linguistics can ask a question and get the response of a panel of professional linguists Ask a Linguist, sponsored by Linguist List of The University of Eastern Michigan and Wayne State University, is easy to navigate and a great source of information on a host of language topics. Submit your own question or browse through previously asked questions for a ton of information.

Center for Applied Linguistics
http://www.cal.org/
The Center for Applied Linguistics is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the research of language and culture as well as research on English-language learners, dialects, and literacy education. The site features an internal search engine, downloadable digests, and archived issues of their publication Language Link.

Center for Nonverbal Studies
http://center-for-nonverbal-studies.org/
This is the Web site of “a private, nonprofit research center whose mission is to advance the study of human communication in all its forms apart from language.” Use the Nonverbal Dictionary to search for the definitions and implications of various nonverbal communications, from Adam's Apple Jump to Zygomatic Smile.

Garbl's Plain Language Resources
http://garbl.home.comcast.net/writing/plaineng.htm
This page, devoted to the international plain-language movement, includes links to articles and lists of frequently asked questions about the plain-language movement, as well as links to a variety of other writing resources.

Linguist Geoffrey Nunberg
http://www-csli.stanford.edu/~nunberg/
Linguist Geoffrey Nunberg writes and comments extensively on society's use of language, especially in the realms of media and politics. Go to his Web site to access numerous articles, interviews, and blogs that he contributes to and reads.

Linguistic Society of America
http://www.lsadc.org/index.cfm
The Linguistic Society of America is a professional organization dedicated to the advancement of the scientific study of language and the publisher of Language magazine. Its Web site offers various articles accessible by a search engine.

National Association for Bilingual Education
http://www.nabe.org/
Sponsored by NABE to promote "excellence and equality through bilingual education," this site includes bilingual news, legislation, discussion forums, and a list of links to other resources.

SIL International
http://www.sil.org
SIL International is a "faith-based organization that studies, documents, and assists in developing the world's lesser-known languages." The organization specializes in anthropology, linguistics, and translation to promote language learning and preservation. The site offers survey reports, scholarly articles on language and culture, and literacy and education materials.

U.S. English, Inc.
http://www.us-english.org/inc/
U.S. English advocates for the preservation of "the unifying role of the English language in the United States." Read its Web site for updated news on legislation and the "cost of multilingualism" and for other material dedicated to making English the official language of the United States.

20 Awesomely Untranslatable Words from Around the World
http://matadornetwork.com/abroad/20-awesomely-untranslatable-words-from-around-the-world/
This list of words that have no equivalent in the English language is a fascinating comment on the concept of spoken language. It includes such words as jayus (a joke so unfunny you have to laugh) and tartle (the stalling that happens during an introduction when you don’t remember the other person’s name).

A History of the English Language
http://www.englishclub.com/english-language-history.htm
This site gives a brief overview of the history and development of the English language, complete with maps illustrating the migration of speech patterns, a description of the various stages of language development, such as Middle English, and a chronological timeline of key points.

An Introduction to the Sounds of Languages
http://www.phonetics.ucla.edu/vowels/contents.html
The homepage for the UCLA linguistics lab offers resources such as the IPA chart and audio files for the sounds of consonants and vowels.