language history

The Rebirth of Cornish

Once officially declared extinct after the death of its last native speaker in the 18th century, the Cornish language (Kernewek)…

3 weeks 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 weeks ago

Proving Languages Are Related

How can linguists be so certain that English and ancient Sanskrit are cousins, while neighboring Finnish is a total stranger?…

3 weeks ago

How Vietnam Got Its Latin Script

The Vietnamese alphabet, Quốc Ngữ, presents a fascinating paradox with its Latin letters used for a tonal, Austroasiatic language. Originally…

3 weeks ago

The Making of a Nation’s Voice: How Italy Chose Its Language

When Italy became a nation in 1861, a famous statesman declared, "We have made Italy. Now we must make Italians."…

3 weeks ago

The Great Germanic Sound Shift

Long before English vowels did their famous shuffle, a far more ancient and dramatic event rocked its linguistic family tree.…

3 weeks ago

Georgia’s Living Alphabet

At first glance, the Georgian alphabet, Mkhedruli, appears less like a set of letters and more like a collection of…

3 weeks ago

The Ghost Vowels of French: How Silent Letters Shape Pronunciation

Why does French have so many letters that aren't pronounced? Far from being useless spelling relics, these "ghost" letters are…

3 weeks ago

Herein, Aforesaid, Notwithstanding: Why Legal Language Is a Language of Its Own

Have you ever felt lost reading a contract full of words like "aforesaid" and "notwithstanding"? This is "legalese," a unique…

3 weeks ago

The Last Words of Old Prussian: How a Language Was Erased by the Sword

The death of a language is usually a slow fade, but Old Prussian was not so lucky. It was systematically…

3 weeks ago

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