french

The Verlan of French Rap

Verlan, the French back-slang born in the suburbs, found its ultimate expression in hip-hop. More than just street talk, it…

1 week ago

The ‘Sh’ of Buenos Aires: Yeísmo Rehilado

Ever wondered why Argentinians and Uruguayans pronounce 'calle' as 'cashe'? This unique 'sh' sound, known as *yeísmo rehilado*, is more…

2 weeks ago

Mandarin vs. Cantonese: Can They Really Not Understand Each Other?

Mandarin and Cantonese are often mistakenly called "dialects" of the same language, but can their speakers actually understand each other?…

2 weeks ago

The 10 Portuguese Words You’re Already Using

Did you know that every time you spread marmalade on your toast or watch a documentary about cobras, you're speaking…

2 weeks ago

More Than a Suffix: The World of Clitics

What do 'll in "we'll" and 's in "cat's" have in common? They are clitics—phonologically weak words that can't stand…

2 weeks 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…

2 weeks ago

Why French Sounds So Weird (Even to Italians)

Ever wondered why French, a Romance language, sounds nothing like its siblings Spanish or Italian? The secret lies in a…

2 weeks ago

Why Your Language Learning Has Plateaued

Feeling stuck in your language learning journey? You're not alone. The intermediate plateau is a common hurdle where progress seems…

2 weeks ago

Swahili’s 18 Noun Classes

Forget the simple "he" or "she" of European languages. Swahili categorizes its nouns into at least 18 different classes, a…

2 weeks ago

Speaking Up, Speaking Down: Java’s Speech Levels

In the Javanese language, 'please' and 'thank you' are just the beginning. The entire vocabulary—from pronouns to verbs—changes based on…

2 weeks ago

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