shakespeare

The Ghost of a Verb: How Words Become Grammar

Ever wonder how the word "will" came to signal the future? This linguistic magic trick is called grammaticalization, a process…

3 months ago

Can AI Understand a Poem?

An AI can write a surprisingly convincing poem, but can it truly understand one? We explore the immense linguistic and…

3 months ago

Why is ‘You Guys’ a Pronoun Now?

Ever wonder how 'you guys' became the go-to way to address a group, even a group of women? This phrase…

3 months ago

“Correcting” a Language: A Brief History

Ever wonder why we have "correct" spelling and grammar? These rules aren't timeless truths but were forged by powerful forces…

3 months ago

The Death of ‘Thou’: A Social Revolution

The disappearance of 'thou' from common usage wasn't just a linguistic spring-cleaning; it was a quiet revolution. This shift from…

3 months ago

The One-Letter Word: The Story of ‘O’

Did you know one of the most powerful words in the English language is just a single letter? From ancient…

3 months ago

The Forger’s Bane: Stylometry’s Secret Formula

Stylometry is the statistical analysis of literary style, a fascinating field that uncovers a writer's unique "fingerprint" hidden within their…

3 months ago

The Copyright That Wasn’t: The Klingon Language Lawsuit

Can you own a language? This very question was at the heart of a high-stakes lawsuit when Paramount sued the…

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

The Chinese Room: Can a Machine Ever Understand?

John Searle's famous "Chinese Room" thought experiment poses a timeless challenge to the idea of a truly thinking machine. By…

3 months ago

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