Unlocking the Universe of Languages
Alphabetical order feels as natural as breathing, but this rigid system is a historical accident that silently shapes how we find and interpret knowledge. From dictionaries that separate 'apple' from…
Ever wonder why 'knight' has a 'k' or 'island' has an 's'? The answer isn't that English is illogical, but that its spelling is a fossil record of its turbulent…
What do you get when you combine a question mark and an exclamation point? In the 1960s, frustrated ad man Martin K. Speckter answered that question by inventing the interrobang…
In the early days of the internet, a mysterious language called Sadesan appeared, promising a lost branch of the Indo-European family tree. But this convincing tongue, complete with a complex…
Ever wonder why it's 'chai' in Moscow but 'tea' in London? The answer lies not in a dictionary, but on a map of ancient trade. Discover how the overland Silk…
Deep in a remote California valley, a community invented its own secret lingo called Boontling to gossip and joke in plain sight. This unique American argot, with colorful phrases like…
Ever wonder who decides when a word like 'rizz' is official? This post delves into the surprisingly political world of dictionaries, exploring how lexicographers navigate cultural debates, from internet slang…
Have you ever felt a longing for a place you've never been, or the bittersweetness of a fleeting moment you couldn't describe? This post explores "The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows,"…
Ever wonder how words like "rizz" become official while others fade away into obscurity? This post goes behind the scenes of lexicography, revealing the data-driven process that determines when a…
Ever wonder how new words like 'rizz' make it into the dictionary or why grammar rules seem to change over time? The answer lies in corpus linguistics, a fascinating field…
For nearly 400 years, the forty "immortals" of the Académie Française have stood as the official guardians of the French language. But in a modern world dominated by English loanwords…
The creation of the Oxford English Dictionary relied on thousands of volunteers, but none were as brilliant or enigmatic as Dr. W.C. Minor. From his cell in the Broadmoor Asylum…