language and thought

Fossilized Errors: The Permanent Mistake

Why do some second-language errors become permanent, even for highly advanced speakers? This phenomenon is known as "fossilization", where certain…

5 months ago

The Secret Logic of Pig Latin

Pig Latin isn't just about moving the first letter; it follows complex phonological rules based on syllables and their component…

5 months ago

The Grammar of Certainty: Mood vs. Modality

What's the real difference between "He might be late" and "He could be late"? The answer lies in two parallel…

5 months ago

Building Sentences Backwards: The Verb-Final World

Ever felt like you're waiting for the punchline of a sentence? In languages like Japanese, German, and Hindi, that's the…

5 months ago

The Ket Language: Siberia’s Last Echo

Deep in the Siberian wilderness, the Ket language is the last of its kind, a linguistic island with a mind-bendingly…

5 months ago

How Do You Learn a Language With No Writing System?

Imagine learning a language with no alphabet, no dictionary, and no textbooks. This is the challenge for field linguists who…

5 months ago

The Haida Language: A World of Its Own

Journey to the coast of British Columbia to discover X̱aad Kíl, the Haida language. A true linguistic isolate with a…

5 months ago

The Anti-Language of Power: What Is Gobbledygook?

This dense, evasive prose, known as gobbledygook, is more than just bad writing; it's a sophisticated "anti-language" designed to obscure…

5 months ago

The Language of De-escalation: How Words Avert Crisis

From hostage negotiation to customer service, specific linguistic choices can calm a volatile situation. This article explores the grammar of…

5 months ago

The Language of the Looms: Jacquard’s Code

Long before Silicon Valley, a different kind of code was being written—not in silicon, but in cardboard and thread. The…

5 months ago

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