Quantifying a Dialect’s ‘Distance’

3 weeks ago

How different are two dialects, really? Linguists can now answer that question with surprising precision. Discover the methods used to…

The Speech of Second Selves

3 weeks ago

When a shaman or ritualist speaks in a 'spirit language', it isn't random babbling but a fascinating sociolinguistic performance. Even…

The Typo That Survives Extinction

3 weeks ago

A scribe's error in a single manuscript can be so influential it gets copied for centuries, becoming the "correct" version.…

When Did We Agree on Place Names?

3 weeks ago

Ever wondered why Bombay became Mumbai, or why The Netherlands is no longer called Holland? The names on our maps…

AI’s Sign Language Problem

3 weeks ago

We've taught AI to understand our spoken words, but sign language presents a far greater challenge that goes beyond tracking…

How the Deaf Read Lips: A Feat of Phonetics

3 weeks ago

Contrary to Hollywood depictions, lip-reading is less like a superpower and more like a high-stakes puzzle with most of the…

The Logic of Back-Formation: From ‘Editor’ to ‘Edit’

3 weeks ago

Which came first: the editor or the edit? The answer reveals a fascinating linguistic process called back-formation, where we reverse-engineer…

The Grammar of a Menu: How Wording Whets the Appetite

3 weeks ago

Ever wonder why "Grandma's slow-cooked apple pie" sounds more appealing than just "apple pie"? The secret lies in menu engineering,…

The Sound of a Valley: Dialect Leveling in Isolation

3 weeks ago

Ever wonder why people in isolated places like an Appalachian hollow develop such a unique way of speaking? It's not…

The Lexicon of the Lab: Inside Scientific Latin

3 weeks ago

Ever wonder why scientists use a "dead" language to name living things? Scientific Latin is more than just a tradition;…

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