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From Army Camps to Poetry: The Surprising Origins of Urdu

Discover the fascinating linguistic evolution of Urdu, a language that began as a practical means of communication in Mughal army…

4 weeks ago

Kalmyk: The Only Native Mongolic Language in Europe

Nestled near the Caspian Sea, the Republic of Kalmykia is home to the only native Mongolic language spoken in Europe.…

4 weeks ago

From Maykop to Kfar Kama: The Global Journey of Adyghe

Discover the fascinating linguistic journey of Adyghe, a complex Northwest Caucasian language that traveled from the Russian city of Maykop…

4 weeks ago

From Chutzpah to Glitch: The Yiddish Words You Already Speak

While everyone knows "bagel", few realize that technical terms like "glitch" and emotive words like "schlep" are Yiddish loanwords that…

4 weeks ago

Crimean Gothic: The Dialect That Cheated Death

Discover the fascinating story of Crimean Gothic, a Germanic dialect that survived in isolation on the Black Sea coast for…

4 weeks ago

Relay Translation: When Languages Don’t Touch

When direct translation between two languages isn't possible, the world relies on a "pivot" language to bridge the gap. This…

4 weeks ago

The Dragoman: Polyglot Diplomats of the Ottoman Empire

Explore the fascinating history of the Dragoman, the polyglot intermediaries who held the keys to communication between the Ottoman Empire…

4 weeks ago

The Slavic Oddity: Why Bulgarian Has No Cases

While most Slavic languages are infamous for their complex systems of noun cases, Bulgarian stands out as a unique linguistic…

4 weeks ago

Running Amok: Surprising English Words of Malay Origin

Did you know that "ketchup" isn't an American invention, but a word borrowed from the Spice Islands? In this deep…

4 weeks ago

One Language, 17,000 Islands: The Rise of Indonesian

Discover the fascinating linguistic history behind the world's fourth most populous nation. We explore how the 1928 "Youth Pledge" united…

4 weeks ago

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