Unlocking the Universe of Languages
Ever wondered why English says "eleven" and "twelve" instead of "oneteen" and "twoteen"? These irregular numbers are linguistic fossils from an ancient Germanic counting system meaning "one left over" and…
Why do we say fourth, fifth, and sixth—but never oneth, twoth, or threeth? This deep dive into suppletive ordinals reveals that "first" originally meant "foremost" and "second" meant "following", a…
Discover the linguistics behind Thaana, the unique writing system of the Maldives, where the alphabet is literally built from numbers. This article explores how Maldivian scholars engineered a script using…
You’ve diligently memorized 'ichi, ni, san', but ordering 'two beers' in Tokyo isn't as simple as 'biiru ni'. Welcome to the wild, weird, and wonderful world of Japanese counters, a…
What if '27' wasn't an abstract number, but a specific place on your body like 'the other-side little finger'? Journey to New Guinea to explore the fascinating logic of body-part…
The concept of zero is more than just a number; it’s a profound linguistic and philosophical idea that had to be invented. This journey traces the word and symbol for…
What if writing wasn't flat on a page, but a three-dimensional web of information you could hold in your hands? The Inca Empire's Quipu, an intricate system of knotted, colorful…