Linguistic Typology

East vs. West vs. South Slavic: What’s the Difference?

The Slavic languages are a sprawling family, divided into East, West, and South branches. But what does that split actually…

4 weeks ago

No ‘The’ or ‘A’? How to Think Without Articles

For English speakers learning a Slavic language, the lack of words for 'a/an/the' can be a shock. These languages don't…

4 weeks ago

Japanese vs. Chinese: Are They Even Related?

At a glance, Japanese and Chinese look incredibly similar due to their shared characters, leading many to believe they are…

4 weeks ago

The A-Not-A Question Structure

Many languages, like Mandarin Chinese, form yes-no questions without words for "yes" or "no." Instead, they use the ingenious "A-not-A"…

4 weeks ago

The Final Word: Verb Chaining in Papuan Languages

Imagine a sentence that lists a dozen actions before revealing the main verb at the very end. This is the…

4 months ago

One Verb, Many Actions: The Grammar of Plurality

Some languages don't just make nouns plural; they can make verbs plural to show repeated or distributed action. This fascinating…

4 months ago

Indo-European vs. Sino-Tibetan Compared

A deep dive into the world's two largest language families, revealing their core architectural differences. We explore how Indo-European languages…

4 months ago

The Uncrackable Language: The Pirahã Debate

The Pirahã language of the Amazon defies nearly every rule of "universal grammar", sparking one of modern linguistics' fiercest debates.…

4 months ago

The Amazon’s Verbal Art: The World of Hixkaryana

Journey to the Amazon basin to explore Hixkaryana, one of the few confirmed languages with a default Object-Verb-Subject (OVS) word…

4 months ago

The World’s Tonal Atlas: Where Pitch is Meaning

Imagine if saying "horse" with a rising pitch turned it into "mother." For over half the world's population, this isn't…

4 months ago

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