View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/speech-acts-constative-and-performative-colleen-glenney-boggs When are words just words, and when do words force action? Linguist J.L. Austin divided words into two categories: constatives (words that describe a situation) and performatives (words that incite action). For instance, is a "No running" sign describing your gait, or are you not running because the sign prohibits it? Colleen Glenney Boggs describes how these categorizations give power to words and, ultimately, to your actions. Lesson by Colleen Glenney Boggs, animation by Lou Webb.

user1408244541258Jul 3, 2026

MeJul 3, 2026

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Monika wadhwaniaJun 17, 2026

Take a look at 3 English language grammar rules to find out where they come from and if you actually need to follow them. -- Grammatical rules have caused heated debate in various regions and languages for centuries. But while we know people take grammar seriously, what’s less clear is, why? Where do these seemingly random rules come from, and which, if any, actually matter? Arika Okrent takes a closer look at three famous examples from the English language that have been the source of numerous grammatical arguments. Lesson by Arika Okrent, directed by Sharon Colman. Support Our Non-Profit Mission ---------------------------------------------- Support us on Patreon: http://bit.ly/TEDEdPatreon Check out our merch: http://bit.ly/TEDEDShop ---------------------------------------------- Connect With Us ---------------------------------------------- Sign up for our newsletter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdNewsletter Follow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/TEDEdFacebook Find us on Twitter: http://bi

Julien Dimitri RigonJun 17, 2026

choudhary jasrajJun 17, 2026

Sidia Da ElsaJun 17, 2026

user7164193544460Jun 17, 2026

Trace the history of Chinese characters, and find out how this writing system has changed and evolved over thousands of years. -- According to legend, in the 27th century BCE, the Yellow Emperor of China charged his historian, Cangjie, to develop a system of writing. Sitting alongside a riverbank, Cangjie noted the imagery that surrounded him. From this, he created the first Chinese characters. So, how has Chinese evolved in the last 3,000 years? Gina Marie Elia explores the history of one of the earliest written languages. Lesson by Gina Marie Elia, directed by PeiHsin Cho. Support Our Non-Profit Mission ---------------------------------------------- Support us on Patreon: http://bit.ly/TEDEdPatreon Check out our merch: http://bit.ly/TEDEDShop ---------------------------------------------- Connect With Us ---------------------------------------------- Sign up for our newsletter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdNewsletter Follow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/TEDEdFacebook Find us on Twitter:

MAM Nancy😍Jun 17, 2026

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