old english

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…

1 week ago

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…

1 week ago

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…

1 week ago

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…

1 week ago

Linguistic Taphonomy: Word Decay

Just as paleontologists study fossils to understand ancient life, we can explore the fossils in our own language. Linguistic taphonomy…

1 week ago

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…

3 months ago

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…

4 months ago

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…

4 months ago

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