etymology

The Hyperforeignism Trap

Ever wondered why some people say "mojito" with a French 'zh' sound or put on a fake accent for "foyer"?…

1 week ago

The World’s Quietest Shift: The Great Silence of French

Move beyond the Great Vowel Shift and explore French's "Great Silence"—the massive, historical loss of final consonants. This single change…

1 week ago

Why Is Polish So Different From Other Slavic Languages?

Ever wondered why Polish sounds and looks so different from its Slavic cousins like Russian or Czech? From its unique…

1 week ago

When Did Slavic Languages Separate?

Ever wonder how Polish and Russian, while related, became so different? The story begins with a single language, Proto-Slavic, and…

1 week ago

The Origins of Slavic: A Journey Back in Time

Ever wondered how Russian, Polish, and Croatian can be so different yet so similar? We journey back 1500 years to…

1 week ago

The Boontling Lingo of Boonville

Deep in a remote California valley, a community invented its own secret lingo called Boontling to gossip and joke in…

3 months ago

From Rome to Romania: A History of Romance

Ever wonder how the Latin of Roman soldiers evolved into languages as diverse as French, Spanish, and Romanian? We trace…

3 months ago

The Best Language Learning Subreddits

Reddit can be a powerful ally on your language learning journey, but only if you know where to look. We've…

3 months ago

The Un-Googleable Name: A Branding Nightmare

Ever wondered why brands like 'Flickr' and 'Lyft' intentionally misspelled their names? This move is part of a high-stakes linguistic…

3 months ago

The Language of the Stars: Decoding Astronomy

Have you ever wondered why the star Betelgeuse has an Arabic name but sits in a Greek constellation? The night…

3 months ago

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