Historical Linguistics

1283: Did a King Really Invent the Thai Script?

Tradition holds that King Ramkhamhaeng the Great single-handedly created the Thai writing system in 1283, but does this legend hold…

7 days ago

The Freising Manuscripts: The Oldest Slavic Latin Texts

Dating back to roughly 1000 AD, the Freising Manuscripts (Brižinski spomeniki) hold the title of the oldest surviving texts in…

7 days ago

Spelling Bee Linguistics: Etymology Under Pressure

Winning a national Spelling Bee isn't about memorizing the dictionary; it's about mastering rapid-fire linguistic forensics. This post analyzes how…

7 days ago

The Rebus Principle: How Pictures Became Words

The invention of writing wasn't just about drawing pictures; it required a massive cognitive leap known as the Rebus Principle.…

7 days ago

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…

7 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…

7 days ago

39 Letters of Faith: The Story of the Armenian Alphabet

Travel back to 405 AD to discover how the monk Mesrop Mashtots engineered the 39-letter Armenian alphabet to save a…

7 days ago

Decoding -yan: The History Behind Armenian Surnames

Explore the fascinating linguistics and history behind the iconic Armenian "-ian" and "-yan" surnames. This article breaks down the etymology…

7 days ago

The Lone Wolf: Why Armenian is an Indo-European Mystery

Discover why Armenian is considered a "lone wolf" within the Indo-European language family, sitting on its own independent branch. We…

7 days ago

Manipravalam: The Historic Fusion of Malayalam and Sanskrit

Discover the fascinating history of Manipravalam, the "Ruby-Coral" linguistic blend that turned medieval Kerala into a literary powerhouse. This post…

7 days ago

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