cognition

The Secret Logic of Pig Latin

Pig Latin isn't just about moving the first letter; it follows complex phonological rules based on syllables and their component…

3 months ago

The Grammar of Certainty: Mood vs. Modality

What's the real difference between "He might be late" and "He could be late"? The answer lies in two parallel…

3 months ago

Building Sentences Backwards: The Verb-Final World

Ever felt like you're waiting for the punchline of a sentence? In languages like Japanese, German, and Hindi, that's the…

3 months ago

The Birth of a Vowel: Epenthesis Explained

Ever wonder why 'athlete' sometimes sounds like 'ath-a-lete', or 'film' like 'fi-lum'? This isn't a speech error, but a fascinating…

3 months ago

How Do You Learn a Language With No Writing System?

Imagine learning a language with no alphabet, no dictionary, and no textbooks. This is the challenge for field linguists who…

3 months ago

The Haida Language: A World of Its Own

Journey to the coast of British Columbia to discover X̱aad Kíl, the Haida language. A true linguistic isolate with a…

3 months ago

The Anti-Language of Power: What Is Gobbledygook?

This dense, evasive prose, known as gobbledygook, is more than just bad writing; it's a sophisticated "anti-language" designed to obscure…

3 months ago

The Language of De-escalation: How Words Avert Crisis

From hostage negotiation to customer service, specific linguistic choices can calm a volatile situation. This article explores the grammar of…

3 months ago

The Language of the Looms: Jacquard’s Code

Long before Silicon Valley, a different kind of code was being written—not in silicon, but in cardboard and thread. The…

3 months ago

Hidden Cousins: Cognates That Look Like Strangers

We’ve all heard of "false friends"—words that look the same in different languages but mean different things. But what about…

3 months ago

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