Native American Languages

Jaguar & Tapioca: Everyday English Words from Guarani

Did you know that when you order tapioca or talk about jaguars, you are speaking a bit of Tupi-Guarani? Explore…

6 days ago

Paraguay’s Paradox: Where Non-Natives Speak Guarani

Explore the fascinating sociolinguistic anomaly of Paraguay, the only nation in the Americas where a vast majority of the non-indigenous…

6 days ago

Hollywood’s Ancient Tongue: The Language of Apocalypto

Mel Gibson’s *Apocalypto* did more than deliver high-octane action; it immersed global audiences in the sounds of Màaya t'àan (Yucatec…

1 week ago

The Greenberg Controversy: Lumpers vs. Splitters

Joseph Greenberg shocked the linguistics world in 1987 by claiming all Native American languages belonged to just three families, sparking…

1 week ago

Guaraní: The Indigenous Language That Won

Unlike almost everywhere else in the Americas, the indigenous language of Paraguay, Guaraní, is spoken by the vast majority of…

1 week ago

Wampum Belts: Diplomacy Woven in Beads

Long before the invention of the computer, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy utilized a binary system of white and purple shells to…

1 week ago

The One-Word Language Myth: Yaghan

The viral myth claims *mamihlapinatapai* is an untranslatable Yaghan word for a romantic, unspoken look. The truth, however, is far…

3 months ago

The Fourth Person: Obviation Explained

Ever get confused when a sentence has too many "he"s or "they"s? Some languages have a brilliant built-in solution for…

3 months ago

The Inuktitut “Word-Sentences”

Imagine a language where "I don't hear very well" isn't a sentence, but a single, perfectly grammatical word. Welcome to…

3 months ago

The Grammar of Evidentials in Quechua

In Quechua, it’s grammatically impossible to state a fact without also specifying how you know it. This fascinating system of…

3 months ago

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