neologism

The Logic of Back-Formation: From ‘Editor’ to ‘Edit’

Which came first: the editor or the edit? The answer reveals a fascinating linguistic process called back-formation, where we reverse-engineer…

8 hours ago

Grammatical Viruses: The Spread of ‘-gate’

The suffix '-gate' has become a linguistic shorthand for scandal, but where did it come from? We trace its journey…

8 hours ago

The Denali Name War: A Mountain’s Identity

For over a century, North America's tallest peak was at the center of a linguistic and cultural war. This is…

3 months ago

The Interrobang’s Brief, Glorious Life

What do you get when you combine a question mark and an exclamation point? In the 1960s, frustrated ad man…

3 months ago

The Brontës’ Secret Language of Gondal

Before the world knew them as the authors of *Jane Eyre* and *Wuthering Heights*, the Brontë siblings were rulers of…

3 months ago

The Boontling Lingo of Boonville

Deep in a remote California valley, a community invented its own secret lingo called Boontling to gossip and joke in…

3 months ago

The Un-Googleable Name: A Branding Nightmare

Ever wondered why brands like 'Flickr' and 'Lyft' intentionally misspelled their names? This move is part of a high-stakes linguistic…

3 months ago

The Politics of Dictionaries

Ever wonder who decides when a word like 'rizz' is official? This post delves into the surprisingly political world of…

3 months ago

Lost in the Supermarket: Brand Name Linguistics

Why did the Chevy Nova supposedly fail in Spanish-speaking markets? This cautionary tale, though likely a myth, highlights the high-stakes…

3 months ago

The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

Have you ever felt a longing for a place you've never been, or the bittersweetness of a fleeting moment you…

3 months ago

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