code-switching

The Campaign to ‘Speak Good English’

Explore the sociopolitical story of Singlish, Singapore's vibrant creole, and its decades-long clash with the government's official "Speak Good English…

6 days ago

Mednyj Aleut: A Hybrid Tongue

Mednyj Aleut is a rare "mixed language" from the Commander Islands that defies typical linguistic classification. It was created by…

6 days ago

The Speech of Second Selves

When a shaman or ritualist speaks in a 'spirit language', it isn't random babbling but a fascinating sociolinguistic performance. Even…

1 month ago

The Grammar of a Menu: How Wording Whets the Appetite

Ever wonder why "Grandma's slow-cooked apple pie" sounds more appealing than just "apple pie"? The secret lies in menu engineering,…

1 month ago

Kitchen-Table Creole: A Child’s Private Language

Ever heard a bilingual child say something that isn't quite one language or the other? This isn't a mistake, but…

1 month ago

5 Tips to Beat Writer’s Block

Stuck staring at a blank screen? Writer's block isn't a failure of imagination—it's a linguistic puzzle waiting to be solved.…

1 month ago

How to Use ‘Desu’ and ‘Masu’ (And When to Drop Them)

The polite endings '-desu' and '-masu' are keystones of beginner Japanese, but true fluency comes from knowing when to drop…

1 month ago

What Is AAVE? (And Why It’s Not ‘Slang’)

African-American Vernacular English is far more than just 'slang'—it's a complete, rule-governed dialect with a rich history. This post explores…

1 month ago

Why ‘Ain’t’ Is a Real Word (And Other Contractions)

Your English teacher probably told you 'ain't' isn't a word, but they were teaching you a rule, not a reality.…

1 month ago

The Last Monolingual Generation?

In a world connected by digital streams and global migration, the idea of living a life in just one language…

1 month ago

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