Category: Text lab

Is there the Language of Disinformation?

It would be great if computers could detect fake news and disinformation automatically and neatly classify information into true and false. But is this a realistic task? In their recent book The Language of Fake News (Cambridge University Press, series "Elements in Forensic Linguistics"), Jack Grieve and Helena Woodfield argue that it is possible to … Continue reading Is there the Language of Disinformation? →

Lost in Translation: Feminitives and gender-inclusive language in Zelenskyy’s speeches

Kalush Orchestra's Stefania represented Ukraine in the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 and won. The video, filmed in Bucha, Hostomel, Irwin and Borodianka, features women soldiers carrying children out of bombed-out and burning buildings. Volodymyr Zelenskyy addresses Ukrainian people almost every day. The transcripts of his videos are translated into English and Russian (just a fun … Continue reading Lost in Translation: Feminitives and gender-inclusive language in Zelenskyy’s speeches →

Yevgeny Prigozhin: A businessman and a showman

Last weekend all the world talked about the Wagner Group rebellion headed by Yevgeny Prigozhin. It was difficult to say what was more unexpected, the beginning of the so-called "March for Justice" or its abrupt end. Everyone was mystified. What was Prigozhin's aim? Why did the march stop 200 km from Moscow? What kind of … Continue reading Yevgeny Prigozhin: A businessman and a showman →

A negative fact: Putin’s silence about attacks on Russian territory

https://twitter.com/nexta_tv/status/1664626520667611136 In one of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's short stories, Sherlock Holmes used a "negative fact" to solve a mystery - the fact that a watchdog did not bark when a prize-winning racehorse was stolen. The Scotland Yard detective: Is there any other point to which you would wish to draw my attention?Holmes: To the … Continue reading A negative fact: Putin’s silence about attacks on Russian territory →

Another Victory Day without a victory

On May 9 Russia celebrated Victory Day. As in 2022, there were no glorious victories to report. In contrast to the usual grand shows advertising the country’s military power, this year’s parade seemed to have the motto “less is more”. The flypast was cancelled. The number of troops was modest. A lone Soviet T-34 tank … Continue reading Another Victory Day without a victory →

Putin and Xi: Asymmetric friendship

A romantic dinner in the Kremlin. Source: en.kremlin.ru Last week I wrote about Orwell's totalitarian world, where Oceania can at one point be allied with Eastasia against Eurasia, and at the next moment be allied with Eurasia against Eastasia. According to Putin's most recent version of history, Russia has always been at war with Europe … Continue reading Putin and Xi: Asymmetric friendship →

Oceania has always been at war with Eastasia: How Putin re-writes history

The world in Orwell's 1984. Source: Wikipedia. George Orwell's novel 1984 describes how a totalitarian regime can constantly re-write history. It was one of the pillars of the Big Brother's power. At one moment, it was believed that Oceania was at war with Eurasia and allied with Eastasia. The next moment, it was announced that … Continue reading Oceania has always been at war with Eastasia: How Putin re-writes history →