Germanic

How a Phoneme is Born

Language sounds are always in flux, but where do new ones come from? This article explores the fascinating linguistic process…

3 weeks ago

The Case for Compounding

Behold the German word Donaudampfschifffahrtsgesellschaftskapitän. Far from being a chaotic jumble of letters, this linguistic titan is a masterclass in…

3 weeks ago

The Social Meaning of H-Dropping

H-dropping, the act of saying "'ouse" instead of "house", is far more than a simple pronunciation quirk. This feature of…

4 weeks ago

The Glottal Stop’s Secret Life in English

Think the glottal stop is just for Cockney accents? Think again. This unwritten consonant is hiding in plain sight in…

4 weeks ago

The Fossilized Question: Grammaticalization of Verbs

When you ask, "Do you speak English?", what is the word 'do' really doing? This seemingly simple word is actually…

4 weeks ago

The Surprising Slavic Words in English

Did you know that when you talk about 'vampires' or 'robots', you're actually speaking Slavic? English is full of surprising…

4 weeks ago

The Dative vs. Accusative Reflexive Verb Mystery

Ever wondered why it's `Ich wasche mich` but `Ich wasche mir die Hände` in German? This common point of confusion…

4 weeks ago

20 German Verbs That Look Like English, But Aren’t

Be careful! Many German verbs look just like English ones but have wildly different meanings, leading to hilarious and embarrassing…

4 weeks ago

Why Is the German Verb at the End?

Struggling with German sentences that seem to hide the verb at the very end? You're not alone. This deep dive…

4 weeks ago

What’s a Diphthong? (And How to Say Them)

Ever wondered what the sounds in 'boy', 'cow', and 'my' have in common? They're diphthongs—two vowel sounds smashed into a…

4 weeks ago

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