Articles in the Language Stories series
Which came first: the editor or the edit? The answer reveals a fascinating linguistic process called back-formation, where we reverse-engineer…
Did you know the Cyrillic alphabet wasn't invented by a man named Cyril, or even by a Russian? The script…
In 1974, UNESCO declared the Manx language extinct with the death of its last native speaker, Ned Maddrell. Yet, this…
Ever tried to say you're 'close' in Galicia and ended up implying you're 'tight'? This post explores the hilarious and…
Explore the strange case of "I-da-no", a phantom island that appeared on Japanese maps for decades. This wasn't a sailor's…
Following a severe stroke, a brilliant Russian scientist lost his ability to speak—but found a new voice in the language…
What do you get when you combine a question mark and an exclamation point? In the 1960s, frustrated ad man…
Discover the story of the Ems Dispatch, a royal telegram that sparked the Franco-Prussian War of 1870. See how master…
On Halloween Eve 1938, Orson Welles didn't just tell a scary story; he masterfully manipulated the language and structure of…
In the crushing silence of Vietnamese POW camps, American prisoners forged a lifeline from a simple 5x5 grid of letters.…
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