Unlocking the Universe of Languages
Ever wonder why some people say ''ouse' instead of 'house'? In the 1970s, sociolinguist Peter Trudgill conducted a groundbreaking study in Norwich, revealing a stunningly clear connection between 'h'-dropping, social…
What do the 's' in 'cats', the 'en' in 'oxen', and the vowel change in 'feet' have in common? They are all allomorphs—different forms of the same unit of meaning,…
In his famous essay 'Politics and the English Language', George Orwell laid out six rules for powerful, clear prose. This post explores his timeless advice on avoiding clichés, cutting needless…
Teaching a computer to read is simple, but what if the text is a 2,000-year-old, fragmented manuscript written in an archaic script? The digitization of the Dead Sea Scrolls presents…
On Halloween Eve 1938, Orson Welles didn't just tell a scary story; he masterfully manipulated the language and structure of radio news to convince thousands of Americans that Martians had…
The story of Koko the gorilla is filled with moments of wonder, but none are as philosophically charged as the time she ripped a steel sink from a wall. When…
Explore "yeísmo", the fascinating linguistic phenomenon where the Spanish 'll' and 'y' sounds have merged into one. This post delves into why 'calle' and 'cayó' often sound identical, mapping the…