Time-Travel, Subtitles, and the Great Linguistic Plot Hole
Why Shakespeare would sound like a stranger, and a Tang scholar might ask you to write instead.
Time-Travel, Subtitles, and the Great Linguistic Plot Hole Read More »
Language
The Evolution of Language III: Borrowed Tongues
A tale of theft, misappropriation, cheese graters, and consent. How words are borrowed, used, and abused
The Evolution of Language III: Borrowed Tongues Read More »
Separated at Birth: Welsh & Breton
Separated at Birth — Welsh & Breton “Cymraeg” and “Brezhoneg” may live on opposite shores of the Channel, but they share ancient DNA. And headwear. Welsh and Breton are the only surviving daughters of Brittonic, the Celtic language once spoken across much of Roman and post-Roman Britain. As Anglo-Saxon pressure mounted in the 5th and
Separated at Birth: Welsh & Breton Read More »
The Evolution of Language II: Mother Tongues and Family Trees
Have you tasted the delightful chaos of linguistic diversity? What is this obsession with Indo-European? Why is Korea furry? Why are platypuses Sui?
The Evolution of Language II: Mother Tongues and Family Trees Read More »
The Evolution of Language I: From Grunts to Grammar
Language is the crown jewel of human evolution — or at least the loudest one. From Neanderthal grunts to diplomatic double-speak, it’s the tool we use to share dreams, issue threats, tell jokes, invent gods, and argue about dinner.
The Evolution of Language I: From Grunts to Grammar Read More »
Potato: A Deep-Rooted Word
The humble potato – knobbly, versatile, and sometimes suspiciously shaped like a politician – is far more than just something to mash, fry, or boil. Whores, vodka, and influencers, this tale has it all
Potato: A Deep-Rooted Word Read More »
Mummy? Maman? 媽媽?
Mummy? Maman? 媽媽? What better place to start our exploration of language than with our mothers? In Vanity Fair (1848), William Makepeace Thackeray wrote “Mother is the name for God in the lips and hearts of little children”. This line, which is possibly more famous for being quoted by Eric Draven (played by Brandon Lee)