etymology

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…

6 days ago

The Telegram That Named a Country

The name "Pakistan" is famously an acronym for the homelands of Punjab, Afghania, Kashmir, and Sindh. But a fascinating, debated…

6 days ago

The Case for Compounding

Behold the German word Donaudampfschifffahrtsgesellschaftskapitän. Far from being a chaotic jumble of letters, this linguistic titan is a masterclass in…

1 month ago

The Hyperforeignism Trap

Ever wondered why some people say "mojito" with a French 'zh' sound or put on a fake accent for "foyer"?…

1 month ago

The World’s Quietest Shift: The Great Silence of French

Move beyond the Great Vowel Shift and explore French's "Great Silence"—the massive, historical loss of final consonants. This single change…

1 month ago

Why Is Polish So Different From Other Slavic Languages?

Ever wondered why Polish sounds and looks so different from its Slavic cousins like Russian or Czech? From its unique…

1 month ago

When Did Slavic Languages Separate?

Ever wonder how Polish and Russian, while related, became so different? The story begins with a single language, Proto-Slavic, and…

1 month ago

The Origins of Slavic: A Journey Back in Time

Ever wondered how Russian, Polish, and Croatian can be so different yet so similar? We journey back 1500 years to…

1 month ago

The Boontling Lingo of Boonville

Deep in a remote California valley, a community invented its own secret lingo called Boontling to gossip and joke in…

4 months ago

From Rome to Romania: A History of Romance

Ever wonder how the Latin of Roman soldiers evolved into languages as diverse as French, Spanish, and Romanian? We trace…

4 months ago

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