In digital communication, the acronym “lol” has taken on a life of its own beyond its original meaning of “laughing out loud.” It has evolved into a multifaceted linguistic tool used for a variety of ...

There's a deceitful act I've been engaging in for years—lol—but it wasn't until recently, while texting a massive rant to a friend, that I became aware of just how bad it is. I'd just sent an ...

“Today, communication is much more fluid, much more varied, much subtler—it's better,” says John McWhorter, professor of linguistics at Columbia University, author, and frequent contributor to The ...