conquistadors

The First Words: Cebuano and Magellan’s Voyage

Discover the fascinating linguistic history of the first European-recorded word list in the Philippines, compiled by Antonio Pigafetta during Magellan's…

1 week ago

Jaguar & Tapioca: Everyday English Words from Guarani

Did you know that when you order tapioca or talk about jaguars, you are speaking a bit of Tupi-Guarani? Explore…

1 week ago

Paraguay’s Paradox: Where Non-Natives Speak Guarani

Explore the fascinating sociolinguistic anomaly of Paraguay, the only nation in the Americas where a vast majority of the non-indigenous…

1 week ago

Hollywood’s Ancient Tongue: The Language of Apocalypto

Mel Gibson’s *Apocalypto* did more than deliver high-octane action; it immersed global audiences in the sounds of Màaya t'àan (Yucatec…

2 weeks ago

Guaraní: The Indigenous Language That Won

Unlike almost everywhere else in the Americas, the indigenous language of Paraguay, Guaraní, is spoken by the vast majority of…

2 weeks ago

How a Priest’s Lisp Changed a Language

The famous ‘th’ sound in Castilian Spanish is often attributed to a lisping king whose court mimicked his speech. This…

2 months ago

The Forbidden Language of the Inca Court

The Inca emperors, divine rulers of a vast Andean empire, held a powerful secret—a language spoken only among themselves. This…

6 months ago

The Future Subjunctive: A Fossil in Peru?

The future subjunctive, a verb tense dead in almost all spoken Spanish, is a ghost from the Golden Age. Yet,…

6 months ago

The Glottal Stop in Yucatecan Spanish

Travel to Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula and you might hear a secret sound hiding within the local Spanish. This subtle ‘pop’…

6 months ago

The ‘J’ for ‘S’ Swap in Rural Andes

In the rural highlands of the Andes, you might hear Spanish spoken with a curious twist, where the 's' sound…

6 months ago

This website uses cookies.