language

Two images side by side: on the left, two knights fight each other on horseback; on the right, the knight ask a woman for forgiveness after he killed her husband

Arts & culture

Why did medieval readers kiss, smudge and deface their books?

“What they were really touching was each other,” says French Professor Henry Ravenhall. “The book was just a conduit for whatever kind of social desire was needed to be expressed within that group.”

Arts & culture

Why Berkeley’s Center for Jewish Studies teaches three Jewish languages

Audience members at a rally in support of Ukraine wave Ukrainian flags and the United States flag

Arts & culture

With $3 million gift, Berkeley prepares to build premier Ukrainian studies program

This image shows a person with curly hair and a friendly smile, wearing a dark hoodie, standing against a plain light-colored wall. The person's relaxed posture and cheerful expression convey a warm and approachable demeanor.

People

Student aims to improve AI for underserved languages and communities

Justin Davidson as a toddler smiles as he rides a horse and his mom smiles and holds him on the saddle.
Audio article

Berkeley Voices: One brain, two languages

Rachel Jeantel on the stand during her testimony in the trial of George Zimmerman
Audio article

Berkeley Voices: A language divided

Natalie walks on UC Berkeley's campus with her mom and younger brother.
Audio article

Berkeley Voices: A linguist’s quest to legitimize U.S. Spanish

Saagar, with short dark hair and glasses, wearing a powder blue suit, holds a viola to his chin while standing in a courtyard
Audio article

Berkeley Voices: Medieval song holds clues to lost dialects

a child rides on mom's back as she works outside standing in water
Audio article

Berkeley Talks: How we learn language across communities and cultures

Traduce tu trabajo al idioma local

La traducción automática podría poner la ciencia al alcance de todos

Traduza seu trabalho para o idioma local

A tradução automática poderia tornar a ciência em língua inglesa acessível a todos

Fordítsa le munkáját a helyi nyelvre

A gépi fordítás mindenki számára hozzáférhetővé teheti a kizárólag angol nyelvű tudományt

a poster encouraging people to translate their work to the local language

Machine translation could make English-only science accessible to all

a professor stands at the front of a class talking while students listen

Leo Bersani, cultural critic and professor emeritus of French, has died

Adult frowning at smartphone while child sits with arms folded.

Word gap: When money’s tight, parents talk less to kids

Zachary O'Hagan in the home of anthropologist Gerald Weiss packing up his Ashaninka collection.
Video article

Chance phone call keeps alive scholar’s remarkable Amazonian legacy

All language