The Mechanical Mouth: A History of Speech Synthesis
From the bellows-powered talking heads of the 18th century to the neural networks that voice our smart assistants, the quest to create an artificial voice is a fascinating story of…
Unlocking the Universe of Languages
From the bellows-powered talking heads of the 18th century to the neural networks that voice our smart assistants, the quest to create an artificial voice is a fascinating story of…
Before the familiar Cyrillic script dominated Eastern Europe, there was another, more mysterious alphabet designed for the Slavic people. We uncover the story of Glagolitic, the ornate and beautiful alphabet…
Ever dreamed of creating your own alphabet? This guide delves into the art and science of script creation, exploring the cognitive principles that make a writing system successful. Learn the…
Arabizi is the internet’s hybrid Arabic script, an ingenious solution to typing Arabic sounds on Latin keyboards using numbers like '3' for 'ﻉ' and '7' for 'ﺡ'. What began as…
In the 13th century, Kublai Khan commissioned a single, official script to unite the vast, multilingual Mongol Empire. The result was Phags-pa, a unique, vertically-written alphabet designed to write everything…
Does the direction you read in change how you perceive the world? This article delves into the surprising science of how writing systems like English, Arabic, and Hebrew physically shape…
In the 1960s, a radical new alphabet for English was born, bankrolled by the will of playwright George Bernard Shaw. Designed to be perfectly logical and efficient, the Shavian alphabet…
In Islamic art, the graceful curves of calligraphy are not a matter of artistic whim, but of sacred mathematics. This article explores the rule-governed system of *khatt*, where the width…
In the 1830s, an illiterate Vai man in West Africa named Momolu Duwalu Bukele had a vivid dream where he was shown a book of symbols. Inspired by this vision…
Long before a language falls silent, its unique writing system can fade into obscurity. This post explores ten beautiful and endangered scripts, from the vertical Mongolian alphabet to the Philippines'…
We've all squinted at a doctor's prescription, wondering if it's a note or a secret code. But is this infamous scrawl merely a tired stereotype, or is it a unique…
Ever wonder why some fonts feel formal and others friendly? The answer lies in a hidden visual grammar, where tiny details like serifs—the small "feet" on letters—profoundly impact our reading…
The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is a universal system for transcribing the sounds of any language with scientific precision. Born out of the need to solve the chaos of inconsistent…
Georgia doesn't just have one unique alphabet—it has three. This trio of distinct but related scripts, known as Asomtavruli, Nuskhuri, and Mkhedruli, represent a living cultural tradition so unique it…
We often speak of music as a "universal language", but beyond the metaphor lies a tangible, non-verbal writing system of incredible power. This article deciphers sheet music as a linguistic…
An alphabet is more than just a tool for writing; it's a flag, a declaration of identity. In Central Asia, nations like Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are embroiled in "alphabet wars,"…
The Vietnamese alphabet, Quốc Ngữ, presents a fascinating paradox with its Latin letters used for a tonal, Austroasiatic language. Originally created by 17th-century Catholic missionaries to spread their faith, the…
Imagine a language that can express every human thought with only 12 letters. Discover the world of Rotokas, a language from Papua New Guinea with the smallest alphabet on Earth.…
Before audio recorders, a unique form of writing captured speech at the speed of thought. This article delves into the lost art of shorthand, exploring the clever linguistic principles behind…
Go beyond the iconic "S" shield and discover Kryptonian, Superman's surprisingly detailed constructed language. This deep dive explores how Kryptonian evolved from random squiggles into a linguistically-sound abugida, complete with…