The future is now

11 examples of how voice assistants are reshaping the way we communicate

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For millions of people around the world, voice assistants like Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant have become part of daily routines, but they are also quietly changing the way we speak. From how we phrase questions to the words we choose, these digital helpers are introducing subtle changes in everyday language. As our use of these devices increases, the amount of time we spend talking to them will likely increase as well. Here are 12 ways voice assistants are influencing the way we communicate.

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The first and probably most noticeable example of how voice assistants change the way we speak has to do with the shift to more imperative sentences when making requests.

For example, instead of saying, "Can you please set a timer for me?" people now tend to default to concise, direct commands like, "Set a timer for 10 minutes." We use imperative sentences rather than polite or indirect forms.

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Since voice assistants are, essentially, robots that break up commands into simple concepts to process them effectively, we tend to simplify and rephrase the way we speak by using key terms the assistant is more likely to understand.

For example, instead of saying, "Can you put on something jazzy?" people often default to a concise command like, "Play jazz music."

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Another common trait when speaking to machines is that we tend to repeat similar structures, since voice assistants do not handle follow-up context as well as humans do.

For example, someone might say, "What’s the weather today? What’s the weather tomorrow?"

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This is possibly one of the most positive effects on the list. When speaking to a voice assistant, people tend to slow down and articulate more clearly, a habit that sometimes carries over into their regular speech.

For example, someone might deliberately separate words, saying, "Call… Mom," for a clearer enunciation.

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Wake words—those commands used to "wake up" a voice assistant, such as "Hey Siri" or "Alexa"—are increasingly entering casual conversation and humor.

For example, people might jokingly say, "Okay Google, make me a sandwich," to someone, or, "Hey Siri, can you take the dog out for a walk?"

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Another notable language shift is the tendency to use more formal, literal phrasing when speaking to machines, a habit that sometimes carries over into everyday conversation.

For example, someone might say, "Give me the details," instead of the slangier, "Gimme the deets," when interacting with a voice assistant.

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Even though artificial intelligence is making machine speech more natural, voice assistants do not always accurately interpret the exact meaning of our commands. As a result, people tend to adopt more mechanical, concise speech patterns to communicate more efficiently with these devices.

For example, someone might say, "Add milk to the shopping list," instead of a longer phrasing like, "Can you remind me to buy milk later?"

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Voice assistants typically use a neutral tone, without regional accents. As a result, people with strong accents or regional dialects may adjust their speech toward more "standard" English to be understood.

This can involve modifying pronunciation or vocabulary—for example, saying "elevator" instead of "lift" in certain regions.

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In line with some of the previous situations, the simplification of commands encourages the removal of hedges and conversational words in favor of more precise, direct questions.

For example, instead of saying, "Do you know how tall Mount Everest is?" someone might simply ask, "How tall is Mount Everest?"

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People have learned to anticipate how machines interpret language and adjust in real time, demonstrating a growing linguistic adaptability fostered by our interactions with voice assistants.

For example, someone might start by saying, "Call Sam," but then change it to, "Call Samantha, mobile," when they realize the assistant may not understand the initial command.

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While casual conversations with humans often rely on pronouns and shared context, voice assistants require more explicit information. Users tend to over-specify to compensate for the assistant’s limited contextual memory.

For example, someone might say, "Send message to John: I’ll be late," instead of the more natural, "Tell him I’m running late."

NAME ANCESTRY

14 Surprising Origin Stories Behind State Names In The USA

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Ever wondered where most US states’ names come from? From Native American roots to foreign or made-up words, the stories behind many of them are riddled with surprising historical references. Although the origin of some US states’ names is fairly obvious, many derive from unexpected people or places. The origin of names like Colorado, Montana, or Nevada are easy to infer —especially if you know a bit of Spanish— but many others have Native American origins with intriguing meanings. Some are even derived from fiction. If you ever wanted to know where names like Oregon, Connecticut, or Wisconsin come from, you are in the right place. Enjoy the surprising etymologies behind some of the names that make our country.

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Interestingly, for a state whose main economic activity is agriculture, the word Alabama comes from the Choctaw language and can be translated as "plant-cutters" or "vegetation pickers", recalling the farming practices of the Native Americans that lived in this area.

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Alaska is a corruption of an Aleut word that means "mainland", but can be translated literally as "the object towards which the action of the sea is directed". This is one of those names that manage to bring poetry into a word as simple and down-to-earth as land.

Image: Vital Sinkevich

This one comes from… a Spanish adventure novel! Bet you didn’t expect that. In Las Sergas de Esplandin by Garcia Ordez de Montalvo, a book from the 1500s, there is a fictional place called the "Island of California". Even when the modern state of California is clearly not an island, some die-hard fanatic of the novel decided to bring the name to life here in the U.S.

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Derived from the Algonquian word quinnehtukqut, which can be translated as "besides the long tidal river", in reference to the river Connecticut. If you are wondering what the "tidal" part means exactly, this is because the Connecticut River's flow and level are effectively influenced by tides along much of its course. Certainly some amazing insight into the rigorous knowledge of local hydrology that Native Americans managed to accrue over the centuries.

Image: Luke McKeown

Although the origin of this name is disputed, there are two main theories. One suggests that the islands may have been named after Hawaii Loa, their traditional discoverer. However, others have speculated that it is actually derived from the ancient Polynesian word hawaiki, meaning "place of the gods".

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Another crazy one. Although the name was first claimed to be derived from a Shoshone word that meant "Gem of the Mountains", it is highly likely that the word was fabricated by George M. Willing, and meant as a practical joke.

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Quite literally, "land of Indians", using a Latin suffix. The word Indians originally referred to the ancient dwellers of the shores of the Indus River, in South and Central Asia.

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"Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore!" said Dorothy, from The Wizard of Oz, right after a rampant tornado literally lifted her house in the air and took it to God knows where. Well, this US state’s fame for violent winds predates even the first settlers, since Kansas is a Native American word used by the Dakota, strongly related to the idea of "wind".

Image: Drew Beamer

This state owes its name to an Iroquoian word that means "land of tomorrow". Quite a blockbuster-worthy movie title, if you ask me.

Image: Mercedes Mehling

The origin story behind the name of "The Pine Tree State" is still disputed. However, there are some interesting theories. One states that it derives from "mainland", as a form of distinction from the many coastal islands in the vicinity. Other theories propose that it was named in honor of Henrietta Maria, queen of England, or after the province of Mayne in France.

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To the Native Americans that lived in this region, Missouri meant "town of the large canoes", as the Missouri tribes were renowned for their skill in making dugout canoes.

Image: Ashley Levinson

A largely disputed one. Many suggest that the name has Spanish origins, being similar to other words like orejón (meaning "big ear") or orégano, in reference to a type of plant (similar to the Mediterranean oregano) that grows in the southern part of the state.

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This is the only state that has a part of its founder’s name in it. It is widely believed that Pennsylvania means "Penn’s Woodland", and was named as such in honor of Sir William Penn, father of its founder William Penn.

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This is probably a French corruption of a native Miami word that meant "it lies red" or "river running through a red place", in reference to the bed of the river Wisconsin.

If our quick dive into the peculiar world of US state names wasn’t enough to quench your curiosity, stay around! We will keep uploading more content related to language and the weird stories and etymologies behind many English and foreign words.