Austronesian Languages

Surpassing Tagalog: The Massive Reach of Cebuano

For most of the 20th century, Cebuano, not Tagalog, held the title for the most native speakers in the Philippines,…

5 days ago

The First Words: Cebuano and Magellan’s Voyage

Discover the fascinating linguistic history of the first European-recorded word list in the Philippines, compiled by Antonio Pigafetta during Magellan's…

5 days ago

Hanacaraka: The Legend Behind Javanese Script

Unlike the arbitrary order of the Latin ABCs, the Javanese script (Hanacaraka) is organized into a perfect poem recounting a…

6 days ago

Running Amok: Surprising English Words of Malay Origin

Did you know that "ketchup" isn't an American invention, but a word borrowed from the Spice Islands? In this deep…

6 days ago

One Language, 17,000 Islands: The Rise of Indonesian

Discover the fascinating linguistic history behind the world's fourth most populous nation. We explore how the 1928 "Youth Pledge" united…

6 days ago

Hawaiian and the Phonemic Principle

With only eight consonants and five vowels, the Hawaiian alphabet is a perfect example of the phonemic principle, where each…

3 months ago

The African Tongue with Asian Roots

Journey to the great island of Madagascar, a biodiversity hotspot floating off the coast of Mozambique. You might assume its…

6 months ago

The Rotuman Language: A Phonetic Puzzle

Deep in the Pacific, the Rotuman language presents a fascinating phonetic puzzle that has captivated linguists for decades. Its words…

6 months ago

Speaking Up, Speaking Down: Java’s Speech Levels

In the Javanese language, 'please' and 'thank you' are just the beginning. The entire vocabulary—from pronouns to verbs—changes based on…

6 months ago

The Ghost of Spanish in the Philippines

For over 300 years, Spanish was the official language of the Philippines, but today it is a linguistic ghost. Its…

6 months ago

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