Term

Candidate

Definition of a Candidate A candidate is a person who wants to be chosen for a role in government, like a mayor or even the President. Think of a job interview: the candidate is the person being interviewed for the job, but instead of one interviewer, there are millions – all the voters. They explain why they’re the right person for the job and ask people to vote for them. Another simple way... »

Campaign

Simple Definitions A campaign is like a big plan that political candidates use to win the hearts of people so that they’ll vote for them. It’s made up of many different activities like giving speeches, putting ads on TV or the internet, and meeting people to talk about what they want to do if they get elected. Another way to see a campaign is as a teamwork project where a lot of people... »

Bills

Simple Explanation of What a Bill Is Bills are pretty important when it comes to making rules and laws in the United States. Here’s a simple way to understand it: A bill is like a first draft or an early version of a law. Imagine you come up with an idea to improve something where you live – maybe you think it should be easier for people to recycle in your neighborhood. You would write down ... »

Assistant Minority Leader

What is an Assistant Minority Leader? An Assistant Minority Leader is someone who plays a supportive leadership role in American politics. They work within the U.S. Congress, either in the House of Representatives or the Senate. This person’s job is to help their party’s leader, called the Minority Leader, who leads the party with fewer members in Congress. The Assistant Minority Leade... »

Absentee Voting

What is Absentee Voting? Absentee voting is a method of voting where people can cast their votes without having to be physically present at their local voting location when an election is happening. Think of it like this: If you can’t get to your polling place on the day of the election, you can still vote through a process that lets you send your vote in a different way. This might be by ma... »

Us Government Branches

Definition of the US Government Branches The United States Government is a complex machine designed to safeguard the freedom and welfare of its citizens. It’s split into three main branches—the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial branches. Think of the government like a big tree. Just like branches on a tree, each part has to be strong and healthy for the tree (or government) to flourish. E... »

Anthropological Linguistics

What is Anthropological Linguistics? Think of anthropological linguistics as a treasure hunt where language is the treasure. Every time people speak, there are hidden gems that show us how they see the world. We get to discover the ways different communities tell stories, celebrate, argue, and even how they joke around. Anthropological linguistics is the study of these language treasures and the s... »

Study of Language

Definition The Study of Language, especially within philosophy, can be broken down into two simple definitions that get to the heart of the topic: First, it’s the examination of how we as people use words and sentences to express our thoughts, ideas, and feelings. To make it clearer, think about how each word you choose can paint a picture or tell a story in someone else’s mind. Second... »

Romance Linguistics

What is Romance Linguistics? Romance Linguistics is the field that looks at a group of languages called the Romance languages. These languages didn’t just pop up out of nowhere; they all started from Latin, which was spoken by the Romans a really long time ago. Think about it like a huge language family, with Latin being the great-great-grandparent. As the Roman Empire grew, Latin reached ne... »

Phonology

Definition Phonology is a branch of linguistics focused on studying how sounds function within a specific language. To put it simply, it’s like a rule book for sounds that guides how these sounds are used to create meaningful words. For example, think about the sound ‘k’ in the word ‘kite.’ In English, it’s okay to have this sound at the start of words. However,... »