What Is a ‘Construct State’ in Hebrew and Arabic?

5 months ago

In English, we say 'the king's house', but what if you could fuse the words into a single concept like…

When Did English Lose Its Grammatical Gender?

5 months ago

Old English once had a complex system of masculine, feminine, and neuter nouns, much like modern German. This all changed…

The Language of Air Traffic Control

5 months ago

In the high-stakes world of aviation, ordinary English is too ambiguous for the cockpit. Pilots and air traffic controllers rely…

How Do Linguists Map a Dialect?

5 months ago

Dialectology is the geography of language, revealing the hidden maps drawn by our words. From old-school fieldwork with clipboards to…

The Sound of Old English: How Was Beowulf Spoken?

5 months ago

We can read the words of Beowulf, but what did this ancient ancestor of English actually sound like? By using…

What Does ‘Native-Like Fluency’ Really Mean?

5 months ago

The quest for 'native-like fluency' is a holy grail for many language learners, a seemingly straightforward goal that promises total…

Why Do We Say ‘Ouch’! When We Get Hurt?

5 months ago

Ever wondered why you scream 'Ouch'! when you stub your toe? This post explores the fascinating world of interjections, examining…

The Invisible Plural: Zero-Marking in Language

5 months ago

One sheep, two sheep. One fish, two fish. Ever wonder why some English nouns refuse to add an '-s' for…

Why Are There So Many Words for Snow in Sámi?

5 months ago

The old "Eskimo words for snow" trope is a well-known but misleading linguistic myth. A far more accurate and fascinating…

How Do Babies Learn to Hear Word Breaks?

5 months ago

Ever wonder how babies find individual words in the continuous stream of speech they hear? It turns out their brains…

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