While exploring TED talks today I discovered a video that I found interesting titled "The Birth of a Word." I thought that it would relate to my content area because it was found under the catigory Literature & Language.  From the title, I assumed that it would be about etimology.  Back when I taught 11th grade British Literature I used to teach a lesson about the evolution of the English language as it was originally formed from the languages of England's invaders during the Dark Ages. Although it turned out not to be something I would likely use in a high school English classroom, it presented some fascinating research.
This talk, given by MIT researcher Deb Roy, showed his team's 2 year study of his own family teaching his newborn son to speak. Using video recorders, placed in the ceiling thoughout his home, the researchers recorded every waking moment in his family's life.They learned how many attempts are required for a child's to acquire a single word; for a word to evolve from "ga-ga" to "water," for instance.  His team also learned that caregivers, probably subconsciously, simplify their use of a word to meet the immediate level of an infant's language development. 
Roy's team's research extended to mapping language use in broadcasting and in social media where they draw connections betwen programs and the recorded discussions of viewers.  Their technology creates fascinating graphical depictions of the connections between television broadcasts and related conversations in social media.  These charts will help researchers, and probably broadcasters, learn how and why people react to television programming.  This TED talk is available at:
http://ed.ted.com/lessons/deb-roy-the-birth-of-a-word