How a Priest’s Lisp Changed a Language
The famous ‘th’ sound in Castilian Spanish is often attributed to a lisping king whose court mimicked his speech. This popular legend, while charming, is a myth. The real story…
Tag: conquistadors
The Forbidden Language of the Inca Court
The Inca emperors, divine rulers of a vast Andean empire, held a powerful secret—a language spoken only among themselves. This forbidden tongue, likely the now-extinct Puquina, was more than just…
The Future Subjunctive: A Fossil in Peru?
The future subjunctive, a verb tense dead in almost all spoken Spanish, is a ghost from the Golden Age. Yet, this linguistic fossil has found a surprising refuge in the…
The Glottal Stop in Yucatecan Spanish
Travel to Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula and you might hear a secret sound hiding within the local Spanish. This subtle ‘pop’ or sharp cut-off is the glottal stop, a fascinating phonetic…
The ‘J’ for ‘S’ Swap in Rural Andes
In the rural highlands of the Andes, you might hear Spanish spoken with a curious twist, where the 's' sound transforms into a soft 'j' or 'h'. This isn't a…
Is Castilian Spanish the ‘Original’?
Many Spanish learners are told they must learn "Castilian" Spanish, the supposedly "pure" or "original" form of the language. This post delves into the history of Spanish to debunk this…
The Lost ‘Vosotros’ of the Americas
Why do Spaniards say 'vosotros' while Latin Americans say 'ustedes'? The answer is a fascinating linguistic journey back to the age of conquistadors. This historical divergence is a tale of…
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…
Cracking the Code: The Portuguese Language in Macau
Wander through Macau and you'll find a city where languages collide in a unique blend of Cantonese and Portuguese. This post delves into the fascinating 400-year history of Portuguese in…
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…
History of French in 5 Minutes
How did a regional dialect of Latin become the world's language of love and diplomacy? From the battlefields of Roman Gaul to the gilded halls of Versailles, we trace the…
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…
Spain vs. Mexico: 10 Words You’ll Get Wrong
Think 'coche' is just a car? Or that ordering a 'torta' in Mexico City will get you a slice of cake? We break down 10 everyday Spanish words with wildly…
The History of Spanish Influence in America
Long before the English arrived, Spanish explorers and settlers left an indelible mark on the landscape and language of North America. From the names of our states and cities to…
The Colonist’s Dictionary, The People’s Voice
Colonial-era dictionaries and grammars, once crafted as tools of control to convert and assimilate Indigenous peoples, carry a profound irony. Today, these same historical documents are being reclaimed by Indigenous…
The Lies on the Map: When Placenames Deceive
We trust our maps to tell us the truth, but what if they're lying? From Greenland's icy shores named to attract settlers, to places like "Canada" born from a linguistic…
AI’s Low-Resource Language Crisis
AI models like ChatGPT can write poetry in English, yet they stumble over languages spoken by millions. This 'low-resource' language crisis is creating a new digital divide, silencing entire cultures…
10 Endangered Scripts to Watch in 2025
Long before a language falls silent, its unique writing system can fade into obscurity. This post explores ten beautiful and endangered scripts, from the vertical Mongolian alphabet to the Philippines'…
The Spanish That Crossed the Atlantic
Ever wonder why Spanish in Mexico sounds so different from Spanish in Madrid? The story begins not in the capital, but in the southern ports of Andalusia, where the ships…