loanwords

The Failed Phoneme: When a Sound Dies at Birth

Ever wonder why you can say 'cheese' with ease but stumble over the 'ch' in the Scottish 'loch'? This isn't…

23 hours ago

Hawaiian and the Phonemic Principle

With only eight consonants and five vowels, the Hawaiian alphabet is a perfect example of the phonemic principle, where each…

1 week ago

The Hyperforeignism Trap

Ever wondered why some people say "mojito" with a French 'zh' sound or put on a fake accent for "foyer"?…

1 week ago

The Echo Vowel: Parasitic Vowels in Irish and Japanese

Have you ever heard a vowel that wasn't spelled, like the "a" in the Irish word *uisce* (ish-ka)? This phenomenon,…

1 week ago

The Surprising Slavic Words in English

Did you know that when you talk about 'vampires' or 'robots', you're actually speaking Slavic? English is full of surprising…

1 week ago

The Surprising Story Behind Katakana

To the budding Japanese learner, the existence of three separate writing systems can feel like a cruel joke. While Hiragana…

1 week ago

Silent Letters: English’s Most Annoying Feature

Ever wondered why there's a 'k' in 'knife' or a 'b' in 'doubt'? These aren't mistakes; they're echoes of linguistic…

1 week ago

You’re Already Speaking Japanese! 15 Loanwords

** Did you know that when you talk about a business 'tycoon' or ask for 'just a skosh' more, you're…

1 week ago

The Great Tea Divide: Cha vs. Te

Ever wonder why it's 'chai' in Moscow but 'tea' in London? The answer lies not in a dictionary, but on…

3 months ago

The Dutch Door: Japan’s Hidden Language Bridge

For over two centuries, Japan was sealed from the world. Yet, on the tiny island of Dejima, a single language—Dutch—became…

3 months ago

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