Vocabulary

Lexical Gaps Across Languages

Ever wonder why German has a word for taking pleasure in someone else's misfortune (*Schadenfreude*), but English doesn't? This post…

6 days ago

Autohyponymy: The Word Inside

Can a word be a specific type of itself? This article introduces autohyponymy, a fascinating linguistic quirk where words like…

6 days ago

The Case for Compounding

Behold the German word Donaudampfschifffahrtsgesellschaftskapitän. Far from being a chaotic jumble of letters, this linguistic titan is a masterclass in…

1 month ago

The Lexicon of the Lab: Inside Scientific Latin

Ever wonder why scientists use a "dead" language to name living things? Scientific Latin is more than just a tradition;…

1 month ago

Linguistic Landmines: The World of Contronyms

Have you ever noticed that a single word can mean its own opposite? These linguistic curiosities, called contronyms, are words…

1 month ago

The Surprising Slavic Words in English

Did you know that when you talk about 'vampires' or 'robots', you're actually speaking Slavic? English is full of surprising…

1 month ago

Can Slavic Speakers Understand Each Other?

Can a Pole successfully order a beer in Slovakia? We explore the fascinating world of Slavic mutual intelligibility, testing the…

1 month ago

Counting in Japanese Is Weird: A Guide to Counters

You’ve diligently memorized 'ichi, ni, san', but ordering 'two beers' in Tokyo isn't as simple as 'biiru ni'. Welcome to…

1 month ago

20 German Verbs That Look Like English, But Aren’t

Be careful! Many German verbs look just like English ones but have wildly different meanings, leading to hilarious and embarrassing…

1 month ago

The Most Beautiful Words in English

What makes a word beautiful? Is it the way it rolls off the tongue, the profound meaning it holds, or…

1 month ago

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