linguistic relativity

When Did English Lose Its Grammatical Gender?

Old English once had a complex system of masculine, feminine, and neuter nouns, much like modern German. This all changed…

3 weeks ago

Why Are There So Many Words for Snow in Sámi?

The old "Eskimo words for snow" trope is a well-known but misleading linguistic myth. A far more accurate and fascinating…

3 weeks ago

The Un-Diplomatic Turn

The coded language of traditional diplomacy, built on strategic ambiguity and nuance, is being replaced by a more direct and…

3 weeks ago

5 Languages You’ve Never Heard Of

Journey beyond the familiar and discover languages that defy expectations, from a whistled language that echoes through Canary Island valleys…

3 weeks ago

The Name You Cannot Speak: Taboo Words

Move beyond profanity to a world where a person's name is the most forbidden word you can speak. This article…

3 weeks ago

The Ket Language: Siberia’s Last Echo

Deep in the Siberian wilderness, the Ket language is the last of its kind, a linguistic island with a mind-bendingly…

3 weeks ago

The Haida Language: A World of Its Own

Journey to the coast of British Columbia to discover X̱aad Kíl, the Haida language. A true linguistic isolate with a…

3 weeks ago

The Body’s Betrayal: When Gestures Are False Friends

You know about 'false friends' in language, but what about in gestures? That innocent 'thumbs-up' or 'A-OK' sign could be…

3 weeks ago

The Million-Dollar Mistake: When False Friends Cause Chaos

We've all heard humorous tales of language mix-ups, but so-called "false friends" can have consequences far beyond embarrassment. From derailing…

3 weeks ago

The Mountain of Tongues: The Caucasus Sprachbund

The Caucasus region, a "Mountain of Tongues", is home to a dizzying array of unrelated languages. Yet, through centuries of…

3 weeks ago

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