What if the ability to say "if" was a prerequisite for science itself? This post explores how counterfactuals and the…
We think of Python or Java as "computer languages," but they are fundamentally constructed languages built on core linguistic principles.…
Who broke the window? The choice between saying "The boy broke the window" and "The window broke" is more than…
Beyond the simple "he/she/it" of English, many languages categorize the world in ways that are deeply tied to culture and…
Did you know that many languages, like Mandarin Chinese and Finnish, get by perfectly well without a grammatical future tense?…
Long before refrigeration, salt was a mineral so valuable that Roman soldiers were paid in it, giving us the word…
How does someone who cannot form mental images understand a phrase like "a forest of emerald green"? This post explores…
In English, we use optional phrases like "I heard" or "I saw" to show how we know something. But in…
A confession can seem like the most straightforward form of evidence, but the language used to obtain it is incredibly…
Ever felt a conversation was awkward or that someone was being evasive, but couldn't pinpoint why? Philosopher Paul Grice proposed…
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