King Njoya’s Dream: The Bamum Script Revolution
Discover the remarkable true story of King Ibrahim Njoya of Cameroon, who invented a writing system from scratch in the late 19th century. This post explores the linguistic evolution of…
Tag: africa colonialism
The Doctor Who Invented a Writing System
Discover the forgotten story of Dr. J. W. P. Davis, a Liberian doctor who invented a unique writing system for the Bassa language in the early 20th century. This tale…
The Novel That Made Pidgin Literature
When Amos Tutuola published *The Palm-Wine Drinkard* in 1952, its "broken" English was celebrated abroad but scorned as a national embarrassment in his native Nigeria. This is the story of…
The Adlam Script: A Modern Alphabet for an Ancient People
For centuries, the Fula language, spoken by over 40 million people, lacked its own native script. In the 1980s, two teenage brothers in Guinea decided to change that, inventing a…
The Great Script Divide: Ge’ez vs. Latin in Ethiopia
In Ethiopia's vibrant digital spaces, a cultural and linguistic battle is underway. The ancient, elegant Ge’ez script, a cornerstone of national identity, is clashing with the universal convenience of the…
Equatoguinean Spanish: Africa’s Outlier
Did you know Spanish is an official language in Africa? Spoken in Equatorial Guinea, this unique dialect preserves sounds lost to the rest of the Hispanic world and incorporates rhythms…
The Spanish of the Sahara
Deep in the Western Sahara, a unique and resilient dialect of Spanish persists, heavily seasoned with the grammar and vocabulary of Hassaniya Arabic. Spoken by the Sahrawi people, this linguistic…
The History of Spanish Grammar in 5 Minutes
Ever wondered why Spanish has gendered nouns or a tricky subjunctive mood? The answers aren't in a textbook; they're in a fascinating story of Roman soldiers, Moorish scholars, and ambitious…
Why is Brazilian Portuguese So Different?
It's not just the musical accent. The divergence of Brazilian Portuguese from its European parent is a fascinating story of colonial history, indigenous soundscapes, and profound African influence. Discover the…
From Latin to Lisbon: A History of Portuguese
From the Vulgar Latin of Roman soldiers to the courts of Al-Andalus, the Portuguese language has a dramatic and surprising history. Discover how a regional Iberian dialect embarked on a…
The 10 Portuguese Words You’re Already Using
Did you know that every time you spread marmalade on your toast or watch a documentary about cobras, you're speaking Portuguese? Uncover the fascinating stories behind ten common English words…
A World Tour of the Portuguese Language
It's not just Brazil and Portugal! Join us on a linguistic journey to Angola, Mozambique, Macau, and beyond to discover how Portuguese evolved differently across the globe. From the Bantu-influenced…
Where Is German Spoken? It’s Not Just Germany
Think German is only for Germany? While it’s the heart of the German-speaking world, the language’s story stretches across continents. We’ll take you on a tour of the six countries…
The Birth of a Creole: The Case of Haitian Creole
How is a new language born? We trace the fascinating genesis of Haitian Creole, showing how elements of French vocabulary and West African grammar were fused in the crucible of…
The Most Spoken Romance Languages Today
Ever wonder which child of Latin reigns supreme? We dive into the numbers, comparing the world's most spoken Romance languages from the native-speaker giant, Spanish, to the geographically vast French.…
The Ultimate Guide to Romance Languages
Ever wonder what connects the Spanish of Madrid, the French of Montreal, and the Italian of Rome? Journey back in time to the Roman Empire to uncover the story of…
Puerto Rican Spanish: A Guide to the Lingo
From the musical way the 'r' melts into an 'l' to the joyful shout of '¡Wepa!', Puerto Rican Spanish is a vibrant reflection of the island's soul. This guide introduces…
The Great Banana Debate: A Spanish Word Guide
Ordering a banana in Spanish seems simple, but it can lead to some delicious confusion. Is it a `plátano`, `banana`, `guineo`, or `cambur`? This guide unravels the great banana debate,…
The Double Negatives of Afrikaans
Ever heard an Afrikaans speaker say "Ek praat nie Afrikaans nie" and wondered about that extra "nie"? This seemingly redundant word is actually a grammatical cornerstone known as the double…
Papiamento: The Caribbean Creole
Journey to the ABC islands to discover Papiamento, the unique Creole language that sings with the rhythms of its history. Born from the contact between Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, and Arawak,…