Germanic

The Butcher, the Baker, the Candlestick Maker

Ever wonder why so many English surnames sound like old jobs? This dive into linguistic history reveals how surnames like…

6 days ago

The Fairy Tale Behind ‘Serendipity’

The delightful word 'serendipity' wasn't a happy accident itself, but a deliberate creation by 18th-century writer Horace Walpole. Inspired by…

6 days ago

How a Phoneme is Born

Language sounds are always in flux, but where do new ones come from? This article explores the fascinating linguistic process…

1 month 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 Social Meaning of H-Dropping

H-dropping, the act of saying "'ouse" instead of "house", is far more than a simple pronunciation quirk. This feature of…

1 month ago

The Glottal Stop’s Secret Life in English

Think the glottal stop is just for Cockney accents? Think again. This unwritten consonant is hiding in plain sight in…

1 month ago

The Fossilized Question: Grammaticalization of Verbs

When you ask, "Do you speak English?", what is the word 'do' really doing? This seemingly simple word is actually…

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

The Dative vs. Accusative Reflexive Verb Mystery

Ever wondered why it's `Ich wasche mich` but `Ich wasche mir die Hände` in German? This common point of confusion…

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

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