Explore one of history's most radical linguistic reforms: Turkey's 1928 Alphabet Revolution. At the direction of Atatürk, the nation abandoned…
What happens when unrelated languages live side-by-side for centuries? In the Balkans, languages as different as Albanian, Greek, and Romanian…
Ever wonder why William becomes Bill, but not Willam? Or how a Russian Aleksandr affectionately becomes Sashenka? Nicknames follow a…
Discover Michif, one of the world's most unique mixed languages, spoken by the Métis people. A fascinating blend of French…
Far from being linguistic sludge, swearing is a surprisingly sophisticated system that follows its own intricate grammatical rules. Profanity is…
The concept of "face" (面子, 체면, メンツ) is a cornerstone of social interaction in East Asia, deeply encoded in language.…
Have you ever felt lost reading a contract full of words like "aforesaid" and "notwithstanding"? This is "legalese," a unique…
Beyond culture and identity, a nation's language policy has a powerful, measurable impact on its economy. From Switzerland's multilingual GDP…
Ever notice how some people end statements as if they were asking a question? This rising inflection, known as "uptalk,"…
The motto on every Quebec license plate, "Je me souviens" (I remember), is the key to understanding the province's modern…
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