Historical Linguistics

The Ghost in the Word: Cranberry Morphemes

What do the "cran" in cranberry and the "luke" in lukewarm have in common? They are "cranberry morphemes"—fossilized word parts…

3 weeks ago

The Janus Word: Unpacking Auto-Antonyms

Ever been told to *dust* a cake right after you finished *dusting* the furniture? Welcome to the paradoxical world of…

3 weeks ago

The Great Consonant Shift of Romance Languages

Why does the Latin word for 'one hundred' (centum, 'kentum') sound so different in Italian (cento), French (cent), and Spanish…

3 weeks ago

Sardinian: The Living Echo of Latin

Often called the most conservative Romance language, Sardinian is a true linguistic time capsule. Journey to this Mediterranean island to…

3 weeks ago

The Source of the Nasal Twinge in French & Portuguese

What gives French and Portuguese their characteristic nasal sound? It’s not just a funny way of saying 'n' or 'm'—it's…

3 weeks ago

Ladino: The Echo of 15th-Century Spanish

When the Jews were expelled from Spain in 1492, they carried their language with them, creating a linguistic time capsule.…

3 weeks ago

The Hidden Verb in the Romance Future Tense

Did you know the future tense in languages like French and Spanish is a linguistic fossil? It didn't evolve from…

3 weeks ago

Ser vs. Estar: The Story of a Latin Verb Split

Why do Spanish and Portuguese have two verbs for "to be"? This grammatical puzzle, a familiar hurdle for learners, isn't…

3 weeks ago

Romanian: A Latin Island in a Slavic Sea

While its heart beats with the rhythm of Latin, the Romanian language wears a coat woven from Slavic threads. Geographically…

3 weeks ago

The Lost Gender: What Happened to Latin’s Neuter?

Classical Latin had three grammatical genders, but its modern descendants like Spanish and French only have two. This article investigates…

3 weeks ago

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