Etiquette & Languages

Over the holidays, lots of gift-giving will be going on. But some people get anxious about opening a gift in front of the giver in case they don't like it and can't fake enough enthusiasm.

By Alia Hoyt

How did this natural tic become the signal for so many social expressions?

By Michelle Konstantinovsky

And everyone used it, not just the local deaf community.

By Kate Kershner

Rudeness is not just a personal annoyance. It can actually affect health and safety. Why is that? And why do we replay a rude interaction over and over in our heads?

By Melanie Radzicki McManus

It doesn't get more awkward than the check arriving and no one knows who's paying for what. Is it rude to expect birthday guests to pay for their own meal?

By Alia Hoyt

Middle names aren't a purely modern invention, so why do we still have them?

By Laurie L. Dove

What does Boston have against the letter R? Why do Minnesotans sometimes drag out the 'O' sound? And what about the Noo Yawk accent?

By Mark Mancini

The world boasts about 7,000 languages. Close to half are threatened with extinction.

By John Donovan

Despite what you might think, everyone has an accent. It just becomes noticeable when it's different from others in the same community. How do accents develop and why is it so hard to lose one?

By Alia Hoyt

Surely a level of Hell is reserved for inconsiderate parkers. But can the police actually write them a ticket? Well, it depends...

By Patrick J. Kiger

There are two main factors that influence the development of unique accents within a language: human nature and isolation.

By Laurie L. Dove

And his name Is Robert Newton.

By Jonathan Strickland

When there's a big influx of Northerners into a Southern city, why do the locals begin to lose their Southern accents, as opposed to the other way around?

By Dave Roos

Ever dialed up or down your accent depending on whom you're speaking with? Or switched from one language to another mid-sentence? Even if you haven't, you've seen it done. Why do people do that - and is it conscious?

By Melanie Radzicki McManus

Ever met a person who wouldn't hand over an item until the receiver said "the magic word"? As it turns out, that person may be rude too.

By Kate Kershner

There are plenty more troublesome public behaviors to discourage, but knitting can be a distraction all the same.

By Kate Kershner

A friendly gesture in one country might be a highly insulting one in another. Here are 10 rude gestures that you'd better be sure you're using correctly before trying them out.

By Melanie Radzicki McManus

Kicking someone out of your social media territory is necessary sometimes, even if you feel it's a breach of etiquette.

By Kate Kershner

The good news: Sometimes you can ignore that text message you really don't want to answer. The bad news: The rules on when it's acceptable to do so are vague.

By Kate Kershner

If you've got a runny nose but your spaghetti is just too good for you to leave the table, don't fret: It may be OK to blow your nose without stepping away.

By Kate Kershner

The grammar-correcting pedant is a ubiquitous character in the strange and sometime cruel realm of social media and comment sections on the Internet. Are these "grammar police" helpful or just plain rude?

By Kate Kershner

Let's face it: Free champagne and food are huge incentives to attend a wedding reception. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't go to the ceremony, too.

By Kate Kershner

Normally, it's extremely rude to point out flaws in somebody's appearance. One big exception: the very embarrassing, but easily fixed, case of food stuck in someone's teeth.

By Susan Sherwood

It's an awkward task that most often falls to bosses, teachers and very close friends. So what's the best way to tell someone about an unpleasant body odor?

By Susan Sherwood

You should never assume you're invited to someone else's wedding ... but someone is sure to assume they're invited to yours. What do you do when that's not true?

By Susan Sherwood