Linguistics

Are There Any Absolute Language Universals?

For decades, linguists have searched for features shared by all 7,000+ human languages, a quest for a "Universal Grammar." But…

3 weeks ago

More Than a Suffix: The World of Clitics

What do 'll in "we'll" and 's in "cat's" have in common? They are clitics—phonologically weak words that can't stand…

3 weeks ago

The Fossil in ‘Sing, Sang, Sung’: Ablaut

Ever wonder why we say "I sing" but "I sang" and "I have sung"? These aren't just random, annoying exceptions…

3 weeks ago

The Vowel’s Shadow: Parasitic Vowels

Have you ever wondered why some non-native speakers say "espeak" for "speak"? This isn't just an error, but a linguistic…

3 weeks ago

When ‘S’ Became ‘R’: The Story of Rhotacism

Ever wondered why the Latin word for 'honor' is honos but its other forms use the stem honor-? This isn't…

3 weeks ago

Gender-Neutral Pronouns in Romance

Grammatical gender is a core feature of Romance languages, making gender-neutral expression a complex puzzle. Yet, from the rise of…

3 weeks ago

How Roman Soldiers Spread Their Language

The spread of Latin wasn't just the work of poets and senators; it was carried across Europe on the hobnailed…

3 weeks ago

Endangered Romance: Languages on the Brink

Not all of Rome's linguistic children are thriving like Spanish or French. We shine a light on endangered Romance languages…

3 weeks ago

What’s the Hardest Romance Language to Learn?

While most language learners ask about the easiest Romance language, we're flipping the script to find the toughest. From the…

3 weeks ago

When Did Latin Become French and Spanish?

There was no single day people in Paris or Madrid woke up and stopped speaking Latin. The evolution from Latin…

3 weeks ago

This website uses cookies.