The Diplomacy of ‘You’: T-V Distinction Beyond French
The difference between France’s tu and vous is a classic challenge for language learners, but this formal and informal 'you' is part of a global linguistic phenomenon known as the…
Tag: ancient civilizations
The Ergonomics of Writing: How Hand-Tool Fit Shaped Scripts
Have you ever wondered why the letter 'o' is round and 'l' is straight? The answer lies not in abstract design, but in ergonomics. This post explores how the physical…
How Roman Soldiers Spread Their Language
The spread of Latin wasn't just the work of poets and senators; it was carried across Europe on the hobnailed sandals of Roman legionaries. Their everyday speech, a "common" or…
The Uncracked Minoan Code: Linear A
We can read the sounds of the ancient Minoan script, Linear A, but we have no idea what the words mean. Unlike Egyptian hieroglyphs, this Bronze Age code lacks a…
The Singapore Stone’s Lost Story
Long before the British arrived, a massive inscribed stone stood guard at the Singapore River's mouth, holding the secrets of a lost kingdom. In 1843, it was unceremoniously blown to…
The Cuneiform Stylus: The Tool That Wrote the Word
The world's first writing system, cuneiform, owes its distinctive wedge-shaped appearance to a surprisingly simple tool. This post explores how the physical act of pressing a reed stylus into wet…
Vinča Symbols: Europe’s Oldest Writing?
Long before Egyptian hieroglyphs, a mysterious Neolithic culture in the Balkans etched thousands of symbols onto clay. These Vinča symbols have sparked a fierce debate: are they mere decorations, a…
Reading the Knots: Quipu, the Inca’s Mysterious 3D Writing System
What if writing wasn't flat on a page, but a three-dimensional web of information you could hold in your hands? The Inca Empire's Quipu, an intricate system of knotted, colorful…
The Codex Borbonicus: A Pre-Columbian Link to Language
One of the most captivating stories tied to the world of languages revolves around a pre-Columbian Aztec document, known as the “Códice Borbónico” or the...