Unlocking the Universe of Languages
Long before paper became affordable, the ancient world ran on ostraca—broken pottery shards used for everything from grocery lists and political votes to laundry receipts. Discover how these "ancient Post-It…
The Dolch List consists of 220 high-frequency "sight words" that comprise up to 75% of all juvenile reading material. This article explores the linguistic history behind the list, explaining why…
Long before the invention of the computer, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy utilized a binary system of white and purple shells to encode their laws and treaties. This exploration of Wampum Belts…
Discover the Fraser alphabet, a remarkable script for the Lisu language where letters are ingeniously rotated to represent different sounds. Created by missionary James O. Fraser and his collaborators, this…
The Vietnamese alphabet, Quốc Ngữ, presents a fascinating paradox with its Latin letters used for a tonal, Austroasiatic language. Originally created by 17th-century Catholic missionaries to spread their faith, the…
When Italy became a nation in 1861, a famous statesman declared, "We have made Italy. Now we must make Italians." A crucial part of that project was language, as less…
Explore one of history's most radical linguistic reforms: Turkey's 1928 Alphabet Revolution. At the direction of Atatürk, the nation abandoned the centuries-old Arabic script for a new Latin-based alphabet in…
While many alphabets are ancient, the N'Ko script was born in 1949 from one man's defiant response to colonial prejudice. Created by Solomana Kante, this ingenious alphabet is perfectly tailored…
Discover the genius of Braille, a revolutionary writing system born from a French teenager's ingenuity. We explore how its simple six-dot cell unlocked literacy for millions, transcending language and culture…
Hangul, the writing system of the Korean language, boasts a unique, rich, and significant historical pedigree that sets it apart from other writing systems around...
Our story begins in a time much different from our own; a period when English writing was a privilege of the educated and the clergy,...