slang

How Dr. Seuss Invented ‘Nerd’

Where did the word 'nerd' come from? The answer lies not in a dusty dictionary, but in the whimsical pages…

6 days ago

The Campaign to ‘Speak Good English’

Explore the sociopolitical story of Singlish, Singapore's vibrant creole, and its decades-long clash with the government's official "Speak Good English…

6 days ago

The Keyboard That Looked Like a Piano

Before QWERTY conquered the world, the first typewriter prototype had keys arranged in two simple rows like a piano. This…

6 days ago

The Grammar of a Bluff: Linguistics at the Poker Table

Beyond the cards and chips, the poker table is a battlefield of language where every action is a speech act.…

1 month ago

Grammatical Viruses: The Spread of ‘-gate’

The suffix '-gate' has become a linguistic shorthand for scandal, but where did it come from? We trace its journey…

1 month ago

Anti-Languages: The Grammar of the Underworld

Ever wonder how marginalized groups create secret worlds right under our noses? This post explores "anti-languages"—the cunning linguistic codes of…

1 month ago

Lost in Translation: A Brand Name Guide

Ever wonder why a great brand name in one country becomes a marketing disaster in another? This guide explores hilarious…

1 month ago

Language, Purity, and Power

This post explores the often-overlooked link between linguistic purism and exclusionary politics. We move beyond simple vocabulary debates to investigate…

1 month ago

Walls That Talk: Decoding Ancient Graffiti

Forget stuffy royal decrees. Ancient graffiti offers an unfiltered glimpse into the lives of everyday people, from lovelorn Romans to…

1 month ago

Finland’s “Possessive Suffixes”

In English, we say 'my house', but Finnish takes a more intimate approach. Instead of a separate word for 'my',…

1 month ago

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