The ‘We’ of Two vs. The ‘We’ of All
Most languages count one and many, but what about a number for precisely two? Discover the "grammatical dual", a lost feature of Old English that survives in languages like Slovene…
Tag: old english
Why Is English Spelling So Crazy?
Why do 'through', 'tough', and 'though' sound so different? The answer isn't random chaos but a journey through history, from the Norman Conquest to the invention of the printing press.…
A Time Traveler’s Guide to Old English
Forget Shakespeare. If you traveled back to 1000 AD, you'd find a language that sounds more like German and has more in common with Viking sagas than a sonnet. This…
The ‘Defective’ Verb: When Grammar Has Gaps
Ever wondered why you can say 'I am running' but not 'I am musting'? These grammatical black holes are the work of 'defective verbs', fascinating linguistic fossils that lack a…
Linguistic Taphonomy: Word Decay
Just as paleontologists study fossils to understand ancient life, we can explore the fossils in our own language. Linguistic taphonomy reveals how words and grammar decay over centuries, leaving behind…
The Invisible Plural: Zero-Marking in Language
One sheep, two sheep. One fish, two fish. Ever wonder why some English nouns refuse to add an '-s' for their plural? This linguistic quirk, known as zero-marking, isn't a…
When English Met French
The Norman Conquest of 1066 wasn't just a military victory; it was a linguistic collision that created a centuries-long class divide in England. This pivotal event forced the Germanic tongue…
English Doublets: Words That Deceive
** Have you ever wondered why *shirt* and *skirt* sound so similar? They are "etymological doublets"—words from the same root that entered English via different paths, diverging in form and…