lexicon

The Red Squiggle: Linguistics of Spell Check

That familiar red squiggle under a misspelled word isn't magic; it's a marvel of computational linguistics. This post explores the…

3 weeks ago

Media Lengua: The Split-Brain Language

Journey to the highlands of Ecuador to discover Media Lengua, a remarkable "split-brain" language that combines the grammar of indigenous…

3 weeks ago

When a Community Has No Language

Before established sign languages, how did deaf children in isolation communicate? This post explores "home sign," the remarkable gestural systems…

3 weeks ago

The Gestural Lexicon: When Hand Signs Become Words

We do it without thinking: a thumbs-up for a job well done, a wave to say hello. But these hand…

3 weeks ago

From ‘GG’ to ‘Griefing’: The Rapid Evolution of Gamerlect and Its Unwritten Rules

Online gaming communities are massive linguistic laboratories where "Gamerlect," a distinct digital dialect, evolves at lightning speed. This sociolect is…

3 weeks ago

From “Flinty” to “Foxy”: How the World of Wine Invented Its Own Language

From "tannic" to "terroir," the world of wine has invented a specialized language to describe complex sensory experiences that are…

3 weeks ago

A Heckin’ Good Syntax: The Surprisingly Complex Grammar of DoggoLingo

Beyond the cute misspellings of "doggo" and "pupper," the internet phenomenon of DoggoLingo has developed its own surprisingly consistent grammatical…

3 weeks ago

The Syntax of Scent: Can We Ever Truly Describe Smells with Words?

Why can we describe a shade of blue with a dozen words, but struggle to articulate the scent of rain?…

3 weeks ago

The Language of the Sea: How Maritime Pidgin Shaped Global Communication

Long before English dominated global communication, the world's oceans were a linguistic laboratory where sailors, merchants, and pirates forged simplified…

3 weeks ago

Shakespeare: The Master of Inventing Words

Few writers have left as indelible a mark on the English language as William Shakespeare. Beyond the unforgettable characters and…

2 years ago

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