Great Thinkers

Meet the great minds whose ideas have shaped the world — philosophers, scientists, artists, leaders, and revolutionaries whose thinking still matters today.

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Subject: Language & Linguistics ×
Language & Linguistics
Deborah Tannen
b. 1945 · United States
Deborah Tannen (born 1945) is an American linguist who has become one of the most widely read scholars of how people talk to each other.…
Critical thinking Emotional intelligence Cultural heritage and identity Research skills +1
"Communication is a continual balancing act, juggling the conflicting needs for intimacy and independence."
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Language & Linguistics
Ferdinand de Saussure
1857-1913 · Switzerland
Ferdinand de Saussure (1857-1913) was a Swiss linguist whose ideas about language changed how people study not only language but many other fields as well.…
Critical thinking Scientific thinking Cultural heritage and identity Research skills +1
"In language there are only differences."
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Language & Linguistics
Noam Chomsky
b. 1928 · United States
Avram Noam Chomsky (born 1928) is an American linguist, philosopher, and political commentator whose work has changed the study of language and who has also…
Critical thinking Scientific thinking Ethical thinking Research skills +1
"Colorless green ideas sleep furiously."
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Language & Linguistics
Pāṇini
c. 5th-4th century BCE · Ancient India (Gandhara)
Pāṇini was an ancient Indian grammarian whose work on the Sanskrit language is often described as one of the greatest intellectual achievements of the ancient…
Scientific thinking Critical thinking Research skills Cultural heritage and identity +1
"Vriddhi is ā, ai, au."
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Language & Linguistics
Sībawayh
c. 760-796 · Persia / Iraq (Basra)
Abu Bishr Amr ibn Uthman, known as Sībawayh (c. 760-796), was a Persian-born Arab grammarian whose book Al-Kitāb is the first comprehensive description of the…
Scientific thinking Critical thinking Research skills Cultural heritage and identity +1
"A noun is a word that refers to a thing; a verb is a word that indicates an action in…"
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