What language do deaf people think in? This is a tough question to answer. Aside from the science behind what language deaf people think in and whether this question can be answered or not, there is a better way we can gain a clear insight into this. Why not ask deaf people themselves? Michele Westfall is our best candidate. […]
What deaf people say about the language they think in. Read More »
Language evolves whether we like it or not. Language always gains words and features that are incredibly useful but down the road, it also loses equally important features. Below you will find 20 awesome English words that have long been forgotten which we should bring back to daily use.
20 Awesome Historical Words We Should Bring Back Read More »
There are beautiful stories and meanings behind every country’s name. Well, there should be! Etymology is an interesting subject of its own, add some geography to it and you will be amazed to find out how astonishing and weird the meanings of some countries’ names are.
Map Shows The Literal Meaning Of Every Country’s Name. Read More »
A hugely popular Reddit thread reveals the words non-native (and sometimes even native) English speakers struggle to say. The thread has been going on for more than two weeks in which users submitted what they considered the hardest words to pronounce in the English language. Thousands of people responded and below are their Top 10.
10 Of The Hardest Words to Pronounce In English For Both Natives And Non-natives. Read More »
“When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less.” —Through the Looking Glass. Mr. Dumpty led down the most linguistic explanation of how words get their meanings. We, the people, assign what combinations of sounds we want to the
Made-up Words That Sound So Cool They Should Actually Exist. Read More »
An oxymoron is a figure of speech in which two or more words side by side contradict each other. Their use in speech often leads to humor, irony, and sarcasm. We’ve asked our followers at The Language Nerds to share their favorite funny oxymorons and the result has been nothing short of hilarious. Funny oxymorons are always
The Alphabet of the English language and most of the European languages was not thought of at the spur of the moment. Like the case with most language phenomena, it naturally evolved through centuries of accumulating changes that gave us the Alphabet as we know it today. The evolution of the alphabet is a fascinating journey. In what follows,
The Evolution of The Alphabet: From 1750 BC to Today. Read More »
People so often assume that a linguist’s job is to learn as many languages as possible when it is not anything near that. In fact, linguistics jobs encompass a wide range of activities beyond learning languages. So, let us put an end to this incorrect assumption once and for all.
Here is What You Can Do With A Degree in Linguistics. Read More »
Arabic is one of the most ancient, varied, and beautifully scripted languages. It is spoken by nearly 400 million users, placing it among the most 5 spoken languages in the world. Its influence on Spanish since the time of the Moors is well known, but what’s less well known is how many commonly used English
Linguists, led by Chomsky, did a wonderful job in describing how language works. By thoroughly studying a handful of human languages, not including the Piraha language, they devised a theory, i.e. Universal Grammar, which could explain all possible human languages with all their hidden features and peculiarities. Every single language fits in there nicely. They could account
Piraha, The language That Disproves Universal Grammar. Read More »
