What is a Language Worth? The Economics of Extinction
Can you put a price tag on a language? This article explores the emerging field of linguistic valuation, where economists and lawyers attempt to calculate the monetary value of a…
Tag: colonialism
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…
10 Endangered Scripts to Watch in 2025
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'…
The Politics of Place Names: Why Cities Change
From Bombay to Mumbai, place names are more than just labels on a map; they are battlegrounds for identity, power, and history. This deep dive into toponymy explores why cities…
The Spanish That Crossed the Atlantic
Ever wonder why Spanish in Mexico sounds so different from Spanish in Madrid? The story begins not in the capital, but in the southern ports of Andalusia, where the ships…
The Ghost of Spanish in the Philippines
For over 300 years, Spanish was the official language of the Philippines, but today it is a linguistic ghost. Its spirit survives not in widespread fluency, but in the unique…
The Lisp That Isn’t a Lisp: Spain’s Seseo
Ever wondered why some Spanish speakers seem to have a lisp when they pronounce 'c' or 'z'? It's not a speech impediment, but a fascinating historical feature called *distinciΓ³n*, born…
Sardinian: The Living Echo of Latin
Often called the most conservative Romance language, Sardinian is a true linguistic time capsule. Journey to this Mediterranean island to discover how it preserves ancient sounds and words from Latin…
Romanian: A Latin Island in a Slavic Sea
While its heart beats with the rhythm of Latin, the Romanian language wears a coat woven from Slavic threads. Geographically separated from its Romance cousins, it developed unique features, from…
The Language of North Sentinel Island
On a remote island lives a people who have rejected all contact with the modern world. Their language, Sentinelese, is the ultimate linguistic black box, a complete mystery to science.…
Linguistic Fossils: Spain’s History in Idioms
Ever wondered why Spaniards say "there are no Moors on the coast" to mean the coast is clear? Many Spanish idioms are time capsules, preserving pivotal moments like the Reconquista…
The Rebirth of Cornish
Once officially declared extinct after the death of its last native speaker in the 18th century, the Cornish language (Kernewek) has experienced a remarkable revival against all odds. This is…
Media Lengua: The Split-Brain Language
Journey to the highlands of Ecuador to discover Media Lengua, a remarkable "split-brain" language that combines the grammar of indigenous Quechua with the vocabulary of Spanish. This process of relexification…
When English Met French
The Norman Conquest of 1066 wasn't just a military victory; it was a linguistic collision that created a centuries-long class divide in England. This pivotal event forced the Germanic tongue…
The Greek Language War: A Nation’s Identity Crisis
For over a century, Greece was torn apart by a linguistic civil war, a battle fought not with weapons but with words. This post delves into the intense conflict between…
The Alphabet Wars: Central Asia’s Script Politics
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,"…
How Vietnam Got Its Latin Script
The Vietnamese alphabet, Quα»c Ngα»―, 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…
Naming the Enemy: The Linguistics of Disease
The names we give diseases, from the ancient 'malaria' (bad air) to the clinical 'COVID-19,' are never just labels. They are linguistic artifacts that reveal our scientific understanding, our cultural…
Herein, Aforesaid, Notwithstanding: Why Legal Language Is a Language of Its Own
Have you ever felt lost reading a contract full of words like "aforesaid" and "notwithstanding"? This is "legalese," a unique linguistic fossil born from a historical mixture of Law French,…
“Je me souviens”: How the Fight for French Forged Modern Quebec
The motto on every Quebec license plate, "Je me souviens" (I remember), is the key to understanding the province's modern identity. It recalls a history where French was sidelined and…