Romance languages

The Making of a Nation’s Voice: How Italy Chose Its Language

When Italy became a nation in 1861, a famous statesman declared, "We have made Italy. Now we must make Italians."…

3 weeks ago

The Ghost Vowels of French: How Silent Letters Shape Pronunciation

Why does French have so many letters that aren't pronounced? Far from being useless spelling relics, these "ghost" letters are…

4 weeks ago

“Je me souviens”: How the Fight for French Forged Modern Quebec

The motto on every Quebec license plate, "Je me souviens" (I remember), is the key to understanding the province's modern…

4 weeks ago

The Fight for Purity: Inside the Académie Française and the Quest to Protect the French Language

For nearly 400 years, the forty "immortals" of the Académie Française have stood as the official guardians of the French…

4 weeks ago

Canali on Mars: The 19th-Century Mistranslation That Invented a World

This post explores how Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli's 1877 description of "canali" (channels) on Mars was translated into English as…

4 weeks ago

Punctuation Reimagined: Hervé Bazin’s Linguistic Innovations

Hervé Bazin (1911-1996), a famous French writer and essayist, is known not only for his literary contributions but also for…

2 years ago

Famous Mistranslations: “Let Them Eat Cake!”

The phrase "Let them eat cake" is one of the most notorious remarks attributed to a historical figure. This sentence…

2 years ago

The History of the French Circumflex

The French language, renowned for its fluidity and musicality, is adorned with a variety of diacritical marks that contribute to…

2 years ago

Italian Slang: Language of the Streets and Everyday Conversations

Italian is one of the world's most melodious languages, full of rhythm, emotion, and expressiveness. Yet, there is a version…

2 years ago

The Sicilian Language: A Unique Variant of Italian

The Sicilian language, known in its original form as "Sicilianu", occupies a unique position in the mosaic of Romance languages.…

2 years ago

This website uses cookies.