Communication

Billboard (outdoor advertising) Billboard A billboard is a large outdoor display used to present advertisements and messages to passing audiences. This article explains types, history, placement, uses, and regulatory issue…

Billboard (magazine): history, charts, and role in the music industry Billboard (magazine) Billboard is an American music and entertainment magazine and trade publication best known for its weekly charts, including the Hot 100 and the main albums chart, which reflect sal…

Bird sounds Bird sound An overview of bird sounds: songs, calls and other noises birds use to communicate; their physiology, functions, learning, study and importance for ecology and human culture.

Bislama: the English-based creole of Vanuatu Bislama Bislama is an English-derived creole spoken throughout Vanuatu. It developed as a lingua franca mixing English, French and local languages and functions as a national and everyday…

Bit rate (bitrate): measurement and significance of digital data speed Bit rate Bit rate (bitrate) is the speed at which binary data is transmitted or processed, measured in bits per second. Covers measurement, relation to symbol rate and bandwidth, history, a…

Blue box (phone phreaking tone generator) Blue box A blue box is an electronic device used by phone phreaks to manipulate telephone signaling tones to control trunk switches and make unauthorized calls; notable in 1960s–70s hacking…

Bluetooth: short-range wireless communication technology Bluetooth Bluetooth is a standardized wireless technology for short-range data exchange between devices, using the 2.4 GHz ISM band and frequency-hopping techniques to connect phones, periph…

Body language Nonverbal communication expressed through posture, gestures, facial expressions, eye contact and personal space; reflects emotions and intentions but requires context and cultural…

Bombay Hindi (Bambaiyya): an overview Bombay Hindi Bombay Hindi, or Bambaiyya, is the street-influenced Hindustani variety of Mumbai shaped by Marathi, Gujarati, Konkani and English; notable for slang, code-switching and presence i…

Booing: public jeering as an expression of disapproval Booing Booing is a vocal or audible expression of disapproval used by crowds at performances, sports and public events. This article covers forms, history, cultural meanings, etiquette an…

Boro (Bodo) language of India Boro language (India) Boro (Bodo) is a Sino‑Tibetan language spoken by the Bodo people of northeast India. It is an official language of Bodoland, co‑official in Assam, and one of the languages listed i…

Bosnian language Bosnian is a South Slavic language spoken primarily by Bosniaks in Bosnia and Herzegovina and neighboring countries. It is part of the Serbo‑Croatian continuum and uses largely the…

Bowing (taking a bow): forms, meanings, and cultural practices Bowing Bowing is a bodily gesture of greeting, respect or thanks found worldwide. This article explains forms and technique, cultural variations, historical background, common contexts, a…

Brahui language: a Dravidian tongue in Balochistan Brahui language Brahui is a Dravidian language spoken mainly in Pakistan’s Balochistan, with communities in Afghanistan and Iran. It preserves Dravidian grammar while showing heavy Iranian and Ind…

Braille: Tactile Writing System for Blind and Visually Impaired Readers Braille Braille is a tactile system of raised-dot cells that enables people who are blind or have low vision to read and write. It uses a six-dot cell, multiple codes, and a range of produ…

Brazilian Portuguese: overview, features, history and usage Brazilian Portuguese A concise encyclopedic account of Brazilian Portuguese: its characteristics, history, dialectal distinctions, social role, and differences from European Portuguese.

Breakup (romantic relationship ending) Breakup A breakup is the end of an intimate romantic relationship. This article explains what a breakup is, common causes and forms, emotional stages, differences from divorce or death, an…

Breton: Brythonic Celtic Language of Brittany — History, Decline, and Revival Breton language Breton (Brezhoneg), a Brythonic Celtic language of Brittany, traces roots to early medieval migrations. Covers its history, decline under French policies, endangered status, and co…

British English: overview, features, history, and varieties British English British English is the set of dialects and standards of English used in the United Kingdom. This article outlines its characteristics, development, regional varieties, uses and dif…

British Sign Language (BSL) British Sign Language British Sign Language is the natural visual-gestural language of many Deaf people in the UK. It has its own grammar, regional varieties, and is used across education, media, and pu…

Broken English (Engrish): definition, features, history and contexts Broken English Broken English, often called Engrish, describes nonstandard spoken or written English produced by speakers with limited proficiency; it appears in signage, fashion, menus and onlin…

Brythonic languages Branch of the Celtic (P‑Celtic) languages historically spoken across Britain and now represented by Breton, Welsh and Cornish in Brittany, Wales and Cornwall.

Bulgarian language: overview, features, history and distribution Bulgarian language Bulgarian is a South Slavic Indo-European language spoken mainly in Bulgaria and neighbouring regions. It uses the Cyrillic script and displays distinctive Balkan grammatical featu…

Bullet (typography) A bullet is a typographic symbol used to mark items in a list. This article explains common forms, usage, history, technical notes and accessibility considerations.

Bullshit: meaning, usage, origins and cultural notes Bullshit A neutral overview of the informal expletive “bullshit”: meanings, grammatical roles, origins, social uses, distinctions from lying, and cultural commentary.

Burmese language — overview, script, grammar, and use in Myanmar Burmese language Burmese is the principal language of Myanmar, a Tibeto-Burman member of the Sino‑Tibetan family. This article covers its classification, script, grammar features, dialects, history…

Burushaski: a language isolate of northern Pakistan Burushaski Burushaski is a language isolate spoken by the Burusho people in parts of Gilgit‑Baltistan and Srinagar. It has several dialects, complex morphology, and a history of linguistic co…

Buzzword: meaning, functions, history and critiques Buzzword An overview of buzzwords: what they are, how they work in business and media, differences from jargon, examples, lifecycle, and practical advice for recognizing and evaluating them…

C (letter) — third letter of the Latin alphabet C The letter C is the third character of the ISO basic Latin alphabet. This article describes its forms, sounds, historical origin, common uses, and notable variations across languag…

Cable (electrical, optical, and mechanical): types, construction, and uses Cable Comprehensive overview of cables: construction, common types (electrical, coaxial, fiber, wire rope), materials, history, and typical applications in power, data, and mechanical sy…

Canadian English: characteristics, history and regional varieties Canadian English Overview of Canadian English: its spelling, pronunciation, grammar influences, regional dialects, history and common differences from British and American English.

French in Canada: regional varieties, official status, and use Canadian French Overview of French in Canada: profiles of regional varieties (Quebec, Acadian, Franco-Ontarian, Métis), official bilingualism, census figures and how French is used in services and…

Cantonese: Yue Chinese language, dialects, and cultural influence Cantonese Overview of Cantonese, the Yue Chinese cluster centered on Guangzhou and used in Hong Kong and Macau: its dialects, tonal phonology, writing practices, geographic spread, and cultu…

Cantonese language: overview, history, phonology and global presence Cantonese language Comprehensive overview of Cantonese: its linguistic features, history, written forms, geographic distribution, relation to other Chinese varieties, and cultural significance.

Card (object): types, history and uses Card A concise overview of cards as physical or digital objects — playing, greeting, business, credit, ID, trading and learning cards — covering characteristics, history, uses and notab…

Caron (háček): the diacritic mark used for palatal and postalveolar sounds Caron The caron, or háček, is a small diacritic (ˇ) placed over letters to indicate palatalization, iotation or postalveolar pronunciation. It appears in many Slavic, Baltic and Uralic l…

Carrier-Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection (CSMA/CD) Carrier-sense multiple access with collision detection CSMA/CD is a network access method used historically in Ethernet to avoid and handle data collisions on shared media, using carrier sensing, collision detection and randomized back…

Catalan language: history, distribution, varieties and cultural role Catalan language Catalan is a Western Romance language spoken across parts of Spain, Andorra, France and Italy. This article reviews its origins, dialects, official status, literature, and contempo…

Cebuano language (Bisaya) Cebuano language Cebuano, often called Bisaya, is an Austronesian language of the Philippines spoken by roughly 20 million people across the Visayas and Mindanao, used in daily life, media, and reg…

Censorship: definition, forms, history, and contemporary issues Censorship Overview of censorship: what it is, common methods, historical development, modern digital challenges, reasons authorities censor, and legal and ethical debates.

Central Siberian Yupik (Siberian / St. Lawrence Island Yupik) Central Siberian Yupik language Central Siberian Yupik is a Yupik language of the Eskimo–Aleut family, spoken on St. Lawrence Island (Alaska) and across the Bering Strait in Siberia; it is endangered and appears…

Chain letter A chain letter is a message that urges recipients to forward copies to others. It can be benign or harmful, taking forms from friendly notes to scams, hoaxes, pyramid appeals, and…

Channel: connections, waterways, communications, and other meanings Channel A concise encyclopedia overview of the term “channel,” covering waterways (natural and artificial), communications and broadcasting channels, biological and commercial senses, hist…

Chat (everyday conversation and online messaging) Chat Chat refers to informal spoken or written conversation and to real-time online messaging; it covers face-to-face banter, chat rooms, instant messaging platforms and tools that conn…

Chatterbot (Chatbot): Overview, History, Design, and Uses Chatterbot A chatterbot (chatbot) is a program that converses in natural language. This article explains origins, technical approaches, applications, evaluation, and notable examples such as…

Che (Cyrillic letter Ч) Che (Cyrillic) Che (Ч, ч) is a Cyrillic letter representing a voiceless postalveolar affricate like English “ch”. Used across Slavic languages with several transliteration conventions and a long…

Chechen language A Nakh language of the Northeast Caucasian family spoken mainly in Chechnya and diaspora communities; notable for a rich consonant system, ergative alignment, and a Cyrillic-based…

Chess notation: systems, symbols, history and practical use Chess notation How chess moves and positions are recorded: major notation systems (algebraic, descriptive, PGN), core symbols, examples, history, and uses in play, study and digital databases.