The Language Nerds

36 Classical Art Pieces Turned Into Hilarious Memes.

Art is by far the most fitting tool that we, as a species, have used to express our human condition. Since the dawn of human history, we have managed to come up with all sorts of art to express what we feel, what we love, and what we hate the most. But not all forms of art are accessible to everyone, I’m talking about the sort you find in museums and art galleries. Without intensive schooling and art classes, a layperson staring at the Mona Lisa painting will wonder why it is such a big deal.

20 Alternative Ways Of Pronouncing Common Words And It’s Hilarious.

We all know that English pronunciation is really confusing. It’s every learner’s nightmare. The spelling and phonetic inconsistencies of the English language make it so difficult to get a hold of how words are pronounced. If you’re language savvy you’d notice that even native speakers still make pronunciation blunders when it comes to words as basic as “espresso” or “niche”. We have written about this in Words You’ve Probably Been Mispronouncing Your Whole Life. While you might think that this can be embarrassing, most people don’t really care.

Jokes and Puns You Can Only Understand if You Know Some Arabic.

Humor is a very important component in any language, and understanding humor is a huge leap to understanding the subtle nuances of a language. Sometimes, it can be so subtle and can require a certain level of language proficiency to completely understand. If you are reading this, chances are you are one of those people who find language humor stimulating.

15 Food Names You’re Probably Mispronouncing.

There is nothing more embarrassing and hurting to the title of a language savvy than mispronouncing words. A lot of people pick a certain pronunciation of a word and just go with it, mindless of the fact that that pronunciation is incorrect. Pronunciation of food names is especially important. Would’t you hate if a waiter asks you for your order and you’re not sure how to pronounce a word on the menu? But rest assured you’re not alone. We have a list of food down below that are commonly mispronounced by most people. This pronunciation guid was people over at DigToKnow.

40 Perfect Handwriting Examples That Will Leave You In Awe.

Everyone has their own unique handwring. Some are good, some are okay, and some are just so terrible that no one can read them. (doctors, ahem). Although nowadays people don’t feel the need to write down stuff, but instead type on their devices, some people still choose to handwrite their groceries lists and their to-do lists.

Funny Literal Illustrations Of English Idioms And Their Meanings.

When we use language we don’t often notice what some words mean if taken literally, but when you actually pause for a second and think about what some expressions literally mean, you’d be surprised how you didn’t notice that before. The words that we use every day are so full of joy and wonder and a lot of fun if taken out of context and played with.

That’s what Roisin Hahessy did. Roisin loves to play with words and put them in humorous illustrations to show their double meanings. For her last project, she went after idioms and everyday expressions to illustrate their literal meanings and the result is a funny batch of witty and funny illustrations that make you both laugh and wonder about the craziness of the English language.

15 Untranslatable Love Words That Simply Don’t Have English Equivalents.

No language has all of the words, and English is no exception. While you can express the complex feeling of “insecurity, fear, concern, and envy over relative lack of possessions, status or something of great personal value, particularly in reference to a comparator, a rival, or a competitor.” with one word (i.e. jealousy), some other very simple concepts need to be expressed with more than one word, like the day after tomorrow.

30 Of The Funniest Menu Translation Fails Ever.

When you hand a translation job to someone who is not a translator, don’t expect the results to be good. Expect hilariously bad results. We’ve got very hard laughs from translation fails before but we’ve never had ones that are dedicated just to menus translation. They can be very hilarious especially when the translations go way off. So here is a list of some of the most hilarious menu fails spotted online.

28 Comics That Show The Differences And Similarities Between Eastern And Western Cultures.

Cultural and linguistic diversity is very interesting. The melting-pot of different cultures and languages in the world defines the genius ways that humans came up with to express their thoughts and identities. These differences become staggering when one travels to different places. You get to understand that the way you live is not the only way and that there are countless other ways worth exploring.

24 Hilarious Reasons Why The English Language Is The Worst.

English is such a zany language. It confuses the heck out of everyone, natives and non-natives alike. If you can speak English, then kudos. It’s not easy to speak a language whose madness knows no bounds. To demonstrate what a crazy language English can be, we have put together a compilation of how people were often confused by English. Don’t forget to share your favorite or add more to the list. Have a good read 🙂