I cannot believe that I have to state the obvious here, but yes, human connection trumps the illusion of one done through interaction with chatbots. Anyway, I had decided to do a review of Airlearn at the same time I was using this language learning method. Being so disappointed in Airlearn and its slop, I … Continue reading Language cafés beat chatbots every time
artificial intelligence
Airlearn, a warning of Duolingo’s future
Disclaimer: The language-learning application covered in this review features AI-generated assets and outputs pretty heavily. If you have watched sponsored segments on videos, you might have come across language learning applications like Babbel and LingoPie (which I have reviewed before) pop up. There are some more minor examples, though these applications tend to vary in … Continue reading Airlearn, a warning of Duolingo’s future
Chatbots in language learning
To introduce the second month of our mini series in the influence of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in languages, from how we speak and write, to how we learn languages, I want to introduce you to some literature concerning the use of chatbots employing large language models (LLMs) in language learning. In the ecosystem of … Continue reading Chatbots in language learning
The em-dash
In late-2025, denizens of the Internet noticed a pattern in how punctuations are used by large language models (LLMs) when generating their responses to a given prompt. Putting aside the verbosity, pervasive use of style words, and very ironically here, tendency to use the rule of three, users have pointed out that the 'quickest' way … Continue reading The em-dash
How has LLM use impacted human speech?
Over the course of human history, several paradigm shifts have occurred to change how we communicate with one another. From the invention of writing to the printing press, radio, and later, the Internet, the patterns in which we communicate have developed in punctuated spurts, such as the development of Internet and messaging lingo, with the … Continue reading How has LLM use impacted human speech?
How has LLM use impacted the language of scientific writing?
In recent years on this website, we have given a pretty critical eye on the use and prevalence of large language models (LLMs), more often realised as generative artificial intelligence (GAI), in academic literature that I tend to surround myself with at work and on here. The main critical points I have made in the … Continue reading How has LLM use impacted the language of scientific writing?
What are the general themes surrounding GenAI in language teaching and learning?
Traditionally, language teaching and learning occur in a classroom setting, where an educator would facilitate and deliver a lesson, and getting the students to practice speaking with one another. A paradigm shift would come with the advent of the Internet and search engines would provide greater accessibility and resources to prospective language learners, transforming the … Continue reading What are the general themes surrounding GenAI in language teaching and learning?
Biting the bullet
Within the ecosystem of commonly-used or new language learning applications, I have been witnessing a trend. Duolingo, a major language learning application for instance, has dedicated fully to pivoting towards the use of generative artificial intelligence (GAI) in its course design, and replacing human translation teams in favour of GAI. Similarly, on the App Store, … Continue reading Biting the bullet
The growing problem of fake citations in academia
As a writer online and a researcher offline, my work pretty much always involves looking up existing research or literature concerning a certain essay topic or research question. On here, we have discussed in some length the existing controversies and fraudulent practices in research and academia, from generated images and manuscripts, to the questionable practices … Continue reading The growing problem of fake citations in academia
It’s been a year, how is the situation now?
Over a year ago, I posted a rather lengthy rant concerning the contemporary pestilence in academia that is the use of generative artificial intelligence, which I will abbreviate to GAI here, in the process of writing academic manuscripts and more egregiously, the creation of figures and diagrams. In that essay, I made my stance on … Continue reading It’s been a year, how is the situation now?
A rant on a concerning phenomenon in academia
This is a subject that may seem out of the blue here on The Language Closet, but it is something I want to get off my chest. After all, having a background in science, and a particular enjoyment in reading up on topics in linguistics, it is inevitable for me to at the very least, … Continue reading A rant on a concerning phenomenon in academia
The Language Closet 