ir

The Three Genders of Dyirbal

Ever heard of a language that groups women, fire, and dangerous things into a single grammatical category? Dive into the…

1 week ago

The Grammar of Reality: Realis vs. Irrealis Moods

Every time we speak, we make a choice about how we relate to reality. This fundamental distinction is captured in…

1 week ago

The Un-Passive Voice: The Antipassive Construction

You know the passive voice, but have you ever heard of its bizarre mirror image? The antipassive construction, found in…

1 week ago

The Echo Vowel: Parasitic Vowels in Irish and Japanese

Have you ever heard a vowel that wasn't spelled, like the "a" in the Irish word *uisce* (ish-ka)? This phenomenon,…

1 week ago

The Men Who Invented an Alphabet: Cyril & Methodius

Did you know the Cyrillic alphabet wasn't invented by a man named Cyril, or even by a Russian? The script…

1 week ago

The Pirate Shibboleth: A ‘Yo Ho Ho’ Myth

The classic "pirate accent" is a complete myth, a linguistic invention with surprisingly specific roots in culture, not history. This…

3 months ago

Cheshirization: The Vanishing Vowel

Named after the Cheshire Cat, Cheshirization is a fascinating phonological process where a vowel vanishes but leaves a ghostly trace…

3 months ago

The Many Faces of ‘Ir’ in Spanish: More Than Just ‘To Go’

Think you know the Spanish verb 'ir'? While 'to go' is its primary meaning, this versatile verb is the key…

3 months ago

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