Historical Linguistics

The Hidden Arabic Roots of the Portuguese Language

Did you know common Portuguese words like 'alface' (lettuce) and 'açúcar' (sugar) come directly from Arabic? This fascinating linguistic heritage…

2 weeks ago

From Latin to Lisbon: A History of Portuguese

From the Vulgar Latin of Roman soldiers to the courts of Al-Andalus, the Portuguese language has a dramatic and surprising…

2 weeks ago

The 10 Portuguese Words You’re Already Using

Did you know that every time you spread marmalade on your toast or watch a documentary about cobras, you're speaking…

2 weeks ago

Why Dante Is the Father of the Italian Language

Long before Italy was a unified nation, its people spoke a mosaic of regional dialects, with prestigious Latin reserved for…

2 weeks ago

The History of German in 5 Minutes

From the dramatic sound shifts that separated it from English to the pivotal role of Martin Luther's Bible, the German…

2 weeks ago

Why Are English and German So Similar?

Ever notice 'house' is 'Haus' and 'book' is 'Buch'? This isn't a coincidence, but a clue to a shared family…

2 weeks ago

An Autopsy of a Lost Language

We dissect the fascinating failures of constructed languages, focusing on Volapük, a language that attracted a million followers before its…

2 weeks ago

P vs. Q: The Great Celtic Language Divide

Ever wondered why Welsh and Irish, both Celtic languages, are so fundamentally different? The answer lies in the P-Celtic and…

2 weeks ago

From Oracle Bones to Alphabets

Ever wonder why Chinese, Japanese, and Korean writing look so different yet interconnected? This journey explores three unique solutions to…

2 weeks ago

History of French in 5 Minutes

How did a regional dialect of Latin become the world's language of love and diplomacy? From the battlefields of Roman…

2 weeks ago

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