For scientists and staff "wintering-over" in Antarctica, months of profound isolation have forged a unique micro-dialect. This "Antarctic English" features…
In the 1960s, a radical new alphabet for English was born, bankrolled by the will of playwright George Bernard Shaw.…
In Islamic art, the graceful curves of calligraphy are not a matter of artistic whim, but of sacred mathematics. This…
What happens when a language preserved in a 1,000-year-old time capsule re-encounters its rapidly evolved cousin? The meeting of Icelandic…
Why isn't the past tense of "go" *goed*? The answer lies in a fascinating linguistic phenomenon called suppletion, where a…
In the 1830s, an illiterate Vai man in West Africa named Momolu Duwalu Bukele had a vivid dream where he…
From the simple 'bye-bye' in English to the Indonesian *wiku-wiku* (very fast), repeating words is a powerful tool found in…
Grimm's Law neatly explains many sound changes from ancient Proto-Indo-European to Germanic languages, but puzzling exceptions remained a mystery for…
Explore the fascinating world of "Wanderwörter", or wandering words—terms for tradeable goods like tea, sugar, and silk that crossed entire…
Did you know that some languages get by perfectly without sounds we consider fundamental, like the 'p' in 'puppy'? This…
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