grammar

The Middle Voice: Neither Active nor Passive

We're all familiar with the active voice ("I wash the car") and the passive voice ("The car is washed"). But…

2 weeks ago

The Language of Algorithms: A Pseudocode Primer

Before programmers write code, they often think in a unique hybrid language. Pseudocode acts as a linguistic bridge, translating the…

2 weeks ago

The Dravidian Language Family: A South Indian Enigma

Venture beyond the familiar Indo-European languages and discover the ancient Dravidian family of Southern India and Sri Lanka. From the…

2 weeks ago

Writing Silence: The Quest for a Sign Language Script

How do you write a language that isn't spoken, but seen? This post explores the fascinating quest to create a…

2 weeks ago

Why You ‘Talk’ to Your Pet: The Grammar of Anthro-Speak

Ever wonder why you talk to your pet in a high-pitched, sing-song voice? This unique way of communicating, known as…

2 weeks ago

The Ghost of a Verb: How Words Become Grammar

Ever wonder how the word "will" came to signal the future? This linguistic magic trick is called grammaticalization, a process…

2 weeks ago

The Sentence That Attacks Itself: Center-Embedding

The sentence "The rat the cat the dog chased ate died" is perfectly grammatical, yet it feels like a cognitive…

2 weeks ago

The Language of Loss: Linguistic Patterns in Dementia

Dementia does more than steal memories; it systematically unravels the very fabric of language. This post explores the specific linguistic…

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

Can You Learn Two Romance Languages at Once?

It’s a tempting thought for any language enthusiast: why not learn Spanish and Italian at the same time? Their shared…

2 weeks ago

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