Semantics

From Insult to Honor: The Journey of Amelioration

While many words degrade, some do the opposite in a process called amelioration. This post explores the linguistic glow-up of…

3 months ago

The Flavor Lexicon: Why Taste Is So Hard to Describe

Ever struggled to describe a complex flavor, resorting to 'it's kind of... earthy'? This isn't a personal failing, but a…

3 months ago

How to Own Without ‘Have’: The Be-Languages

In languages like English, you 'have' a book. But in Russian, Irish, or Turkish, you would say "to me there…

3 months ago

The Universal Groan: Anatomy of a Dad Joke

The dad joke is a unique linguistic phenomenon where the intended reaction is not a laugh, but a groan. We'll…

3 months ago

The Mind’s Blueprints: How Image Schemas Build Meaning

How do we grasp abstract ideas like love or time? Cognitive linguistics reveals that our minds use 'image schemas'—fundamental blueprints…

3 months ago

When ‘Awful’ Meant ‘Worthy’: The Journey of Good Words

Ever wonder how a word like 'nice', which once meant 'silly' or 'ignorant', became a staple of pleasantries? This fascinating…

3 months 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 months ago

Why “Literally” Doesn’t Mean Literally Anymore

Ever cringe when someone says they "literally died laughing"? This common complaint points to a fascinating linguistic process called semantic…

3 months ago

How Words Go Bad: The Science of Pejoration

Why did "silly" once mean "blessed," and "villain" just mean "farmhand"? This post explores pejoration, the fascinating linguistic process where…

3 months ago

Naming the Enemy: The Linguistics of Disease

The names we give diseases, from the ancient 'malaria' (bad air) to the clinical 'COVID-19,' are never just labels. They…

3 months ago

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