britain

Appalachian English: It’s Not “Bad” Grammar, It’s History

Far from being a sign of poor education, Appalachian English is a complex, rule-governed dialect rooted in Elizabethan history and…

5 days ago

Kennings: The Metal-Crushing Metaphors of Old English

Explore the metal-crushing metaphors and poetic riddles of Old English known as Kennings. From the "whale-road" to the "bone-house", discover…

5 days ago

Why It’s ‘Feet’ Not ‘Foots’: The Logic of I-Umlaut

Why do we say "feet" instead of "foots"? It isn't a random quirk of English grammar, but the result of…

5 days ago

Wit and Git: The Lost Dual Pronouns of Old English

Old English possessed a grammatical rarity called the "dual number", using specific pronouns—*wit* (we two) and *git* (you two)—to refer…

5 days ago

Runic Roots: From the Futhorc to the Letter Thorn

While modern English relies on the Latin alphabet, our language was originally written in the angular, 33-character runic system known…

5 days ago

English Words Borrowed From Tamil: More Than Just Curry

While most people know the word "curry" hails from India, few realize that everyday English words like "mango", "catamaran", and…

5 days ago

When Scots Was King: A Royal History

Trace the rise and fall of the Scots language, from its golden age as the official tongue of kings and…

5 days ago

Aitken’s Law: The Unique Sound of Scots

Explore the fascinating mechanics of Aitken’s Law, the phonological rule that gives Scots its distinctive, choppy rhythm and sets it…

5 days ago

Frisian: The Closest Living Relative to English

Discover why linguists consider Frisian to be the closest living sibling to the English language. This article explores the Anglo-Frisian…

5 days ago

Transliteration vs. Transcription: What’s the Difference?

Confused why "Peking" became "Beijing", or why "Quran" is sometimes spelled "Koran"? It all comes down to the linguistic battle…

6 days ago

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