Imagine learning a language with no alphabet, no dictionary, and no textbooks. This is the challenge for field linguists who…
Journey to the coast of British Columbia to discover X̱aad Kíl, the Haida language. A true linguistic isolate with a…
This dense, evasive prose, known as gobbledygook, is more than just bad writing; it's a sophisticated "anti-language" designed to obscure…
From hostage negotiation to customer service, specific linguistic choices can calm a volatile situation. This article explores the grammar of…
Long before Silicon Valley, a different kind of code was being written—not in silicon, but in cardboard and thread. The…
We’ve all heard of "false friends"—words that look the same in different languages but mean different things. But what about…
Why do Japanese arigatō and Portuguese obrigado sound so similar? While it's tempting to invent a story of ancient contact,…
We've all heard humorous tales of language mix-ups, but so-called "false friends" can have consequences far beyond embarrassment. From derailing…
Stylometry is the statistical analysis of literary style, a fascinating field that uncovers a writer's unique "fingerprint" hidden within their…
The male/female silhouette on a bathroom door and the Wi-Fi symbol on a café window are part of a global,…
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