19th century

The Pasilalinic-sympathetic Alphabet

What if the letter 'S' looked like a hiss or 'P' was shaped by the lips? We delve into the…

7 months ago

The People Who Became Words: A Guide to Eponyms

From 'boycott' to 'sandwich', our language is full of words that were once people's names. This fascinating guide to eponyms…

10 months ago

The Kasiski Method: From Ciphers to Authorship

Discover how a 19th-century code-breaking technique, the Kasiski examination, found a new life in the digital age. This method, originally…

10 months ago

The Dorabella Cipher: Elgar’s Musical Mystery

Dive into the mystery of the Dorabella Cipher, an 87-character encrypted note from famed composer Edward Elgar that has baffled…

10 months ago

The Beale Ciphers: A Treasure Map in Code

Dive into the legendary tale of the Beale Ciphers, a set of three encrypted messages that promise a fortune in…

10 months ago

Equatoguinean Spanish: Africa’s Outlier

Did you know Spanish is an official language in Africa? Spoken in Equatorial Guinea, this unique dialect preserves sounds lost…

10 months ago

Why is Brazilian Portuguese So Different?

It's not just the musical accent. The divergence of Brazilian Portuguese from its European parent is a fascinating story of…

10 months 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…

10 months ago

The Most Beautiful French Love Quotes

Ever wondered why French is called the language of love? We delve into its romantic soul by exploring 10 of…

10 months ago

French Idioms That Make No Sense

Why would a French person say they 'have a cockroach' when they're feeling blue, or 'fall in the apples' when…

10 months ago

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