Sapir-Whorf hypothesis

One Slice, One Loaf: The Logic of Measure Words

Ever wondered why you can't say "one rice" in English or "one bread" in Chinese? This post dives into the…

3 weeks ago

The Two ‘Haves’ of Irish: Possession as a State

Unlike English, the Irish language doesn't have a single verb for "to have." Instead, to say "I have a book",…

3 weeks ago

The Fourth Person: Obviation Explained

Ever get confused when a sentence has too many "he"s or "they"s? Some languages have a brilliant built-in solution for…

4 weeks ago

The Grammar of Your Thoughts

Did you know the way you structure a sentence can reveal your deepest cognitive patterns? Our language isn't just for…

4 weeks ago

5 Tips to Beat Writer’s Block

Stuck staring at a blank screen? Writer's block isn't a failure of imagination—it's a linguistic puzzle waiting to be solved.…

4 weeks ago

The Three Genders of Dyirbal

Ever heard of a language that groups women, fire, and dangerous things into a single grammatical category? Dive into the…

4 weeks ago

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…

4 weeks ago

The Inuktitut “Word-Sentences”

Imagine a language where "I don't hear very well" isn't a sentence, but a single, perfectly grammatical word. Welcome to…

4 weeks ago

The Grammar of Evidentials in Quechua

In Quechua, it’s grammatically impossible to state a fact without also specifying how you know it. This fascinating system of…

4 weeks ago

The Grammar of Reality: Realis vs. Irrealis Moods

Every time we speak, we make a choice about how we relate to reality. This fundamental distinction is captured in…

4 weeks ago

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