Humanities

Poet and teacher Martha Silano, ’93, died May 5, 2025, at the age of 63. A nationally renowned poet and beloved teacher, she captured the impacts of the climate crisis in her poetry. Martha received a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from the UW.

An AI leaderboard suggests the newest reasoning models used in chatbots are producing less accurate results because of higher hallucination rates. Experts say the problem is bigger than that. Emily M. Bender, professor of linguistics at the UW, is quoted.

Because of its unique status in the modern world, myths and misunderstandings about Chinese characters abound. Where does this writing system, so different in form and function from alphabetic writing, come from? How does it really work? By exploring the spread and adaptation of the script across two millennia and thousands of miles, Chinese Characters across Asia: How the Chinese Script Came to Write Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese (University of Washington Press, 2025) by Dr. Zev Handel addresses these questions and provides insights into human cognition and culture.

Researchers in natural language processing tried to tame human language. Then came the transformer. Emily M. Bender, professor of linguistics at the UW, is quoted.

Chatbots learned from human writing. Now its their turn to influence us. Emily M. Bender, professor of linguistics at the UW, is quoted.

The large language models that power todays chatbots have gotten so astoundingly capable, AI researchers are hard pressed to assess those capabilities it seems that no sooner is there a new test than the AI systems ace it. But what does that performance really mean? Do these models genuinely understand our world? Or are they merely a triumph of data and calculations that simulates true understanding? Emily M. Bender, professor of linguistics at the UW, is quoted.

Bonobos grunts, peeps and whistles may share an advanced linguistic property with human language. Shane Steinert-Threlkeld, assistant professor of linguistics at the UW, is quoted.

Rare survey of AI experts exposes deep divide with public opinion. Emily M. Bender, professor of linguistics at the UW, is quoted.

"Songs are not mere entertainment if we consider the case of Japan. There, they can be the very essence of life itself," writes Davinder Bhowmik, a UW associate professor of Asian languages and literature.

"Songs are not mere entertainment if we consider the case of Japan. There, they can be the very essence of life itself," writes Davinder Bhowmik, a UW associate professor of Asian languages and literature.

Alumna Laura Matz told her Classical Greek professor that she was creating an endowment in his honor. He was stunned — and touched. 

As books evolve with new technologies, Geoffrey Turnovsky, professor of French, explores the history of texts — and the reading experience. 

"As a professor, I agree with my colleagues who have noticed the declining literacy of American students at elite universities. However, I am not sure if the schools are entirely to blame," writes Ione Fine, professor of psychology at the UW.

Through her love of languages and plants — and some serendipity — UW junior Katie Ruesink connected with a Korean family while studying in Seoul.

Bargaining is the norm in many foreign markets, but you’ll need the right mind-set. Anu Taranath, teaching professor of English and of Comparative History of Ideas at the UW, is quoted.