Quantifying a Dialect’s ‘Distance’
How different are two dialects, really? Linguists can now answer that question with surprising precision. Discover the methods used to quantify the "lexical distance" between…
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How different are two dialects, really? Linguists can now answer that question with surprising precision. Discover the methods used to quantify the "lexical distance" between…
When a shaman or ritualist speaks in a 'spirit language', it isn't random babbling but a fascinating sociolinguistic performance. Even the most chaotic-sounding glossolalia follows…
A scribe's error in a single manuscript can be so influential it gets copied for centuries, becoming the "correct" version. Journey into the world of…
Ever wondered why Bombay became Mumbai, or why The Netherlands is no longer called Holland? The names on our maps aren't set in stone; they're…
We've taught AI to understand our spoken words, but sign language presents a far greater challenge that goes beyond tracking hand gestures. Its complexity relies…
Contrary to Hollywood depictions, lip-reading is less like a superpower and more like a high-stakes puzzle with most of the pieces missing. Since only 30-40%…
Which came first: the editor or the edit? The answer reveals a fascinating linguistic process called back-formation, where we reverse-engineer new words into existence by…
Ever wonder why "Grandma's slow-cooked apple pie" sounds more appealing than just "apple pie"? The secret lies in menu engineering, a fascinating field where linguistics…
Ever wonder why people in isolated places like an Appalachian hollow develop such a unique way of speaking? It's not just about preserving old language;…
Ever wonder why scientists use a "dead" language to name living things? Scientific Latin is more than just a tradition; it's a precise, universal, and…
Unlike English, the Irish language doesn't have a single verb for "to have." Instead, to say "I have a book", you say `Tรก leabhar agam`,…
Is Chinese a language of "idea-pictures"? Not quite. This common misconception confuses ideograms, which are language-independent symbols for concepts, with logograms, which are symbols that…
The suffix '-gate' has become a linguistic shorthand for scandal, but where did it come from? We trace its journey from a specific Washington D.C.…
Ever notice how Finnish words seem to change their consonants for no reason? This isn't random linguistic magic; it's a core feature of Finnish grammar…
Ever wonder why you can say 'cheese' with ease but stumble over the 'ch' in the Scottish 'loch'? This isn't a personal failing, but a…
Ever wondered if the mumbles and groans of a sleep-talker are just random noise? We take a linguistic deep dive into somniloquy, exploring its hidden…
Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) don't "read" your resume; they parse it using strict linguistic rules. To get past this digital gatekeeper, you must understand its…
In most languages, color is purely descriptive, but in some systems, it plays a grammatical role. This post explores how Cued Speech uses a "color-coding"…
When you hear a false statement like "The sky is green", your brain reacts in milliseconds, long before you consciously object. Neurolinguistics reveals this internal…
How do you reconstruct the vowels of an ancient language when its descendants, like Hebrew and Arabic, were written without them? This linguistic detective story…