Phonetics

When a President’s Accent Becomes a Weapon

The 1960 debate between Kennedy and Nixon wasn't just a visual contest; it was a duel of dialects. This sociolinguistic…

1 week ago

The Vowel That Saved a Kingdom

In the chaos of medieval Bruges, how could you tell friend from foe? For Flemish rebels in 1302, the answer…

1 week ago

Re-voicing the Past: The AT-ST Project

We can read the words of Charlemagne's era, but what did they actually sound like? A groundbreaking initiative called the…

1 week ago

The Phonemic Restoration Effect

Ever wonder how you can understand someone through a crackly phone line or a loud cough? The answer lies in…

2 weeks ago

The Prosody of a Lie

It’s not just what you say, but how you say it that can betray a lie. The prosody of speech—the…

2 weeks ago

The Vowel That Isn’t There: Schwa Explained

Meet the schwa [ə], the most common yet most invisible vowel in the English language. This humble sound lives in…

2 weeks ago

The Inward Breath: The World of Implosive Sounds

While most consonants are made by pushing air out, a fascinating category of sounds called implosives does the exact opposite.…

2 weeks ago

The Glottal Stop in Yucatecan Spanish

Travel to Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula and you might hear a secret sound hiding within the local Spanish. This subtle ‘pop’…

2 weeks ago

The ‘J’ for ‘S’ Swap in Rural Andes

In the rural highlands of the Andes, you might hear Spanish spoken with a curious twist, where the 's' sound…

2 weeks ago

The ‘Sh’ of Buenos Aires: Yeísmo Rehilado

Ever wondered why Argentinians and Uruguayans pronounce 'calle' as 'cashe'? This unique 'sh' sound, known as *yeísmo rehilado*, is more…

2 weeks ago

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