Category Archives: Language

The Somali language is fascinating!

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Lingthusiasm Episode 110: The history of the history of Indo-European – Interview with Danny Bate

Before there was English, or Latin, or Czech, or Hindi, there was a language that they all have in common, which we call Proto-Indo-European. Linguists have long been fascinated by the quest to get a glimpse into what Proto-Indo-European must … Continue reading →

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When Does a Dialect Become a Language?

In this episode, we unpack one of linguistics’ biggest controversies: When does a dialect become a language? It sounds simple if people understand each other, it’s a language; if they don’t, it’s a different one. From Arabic’s vast dialect continuum … Continue reading →

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When you can read Chinese

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Why is the Nile River called that?

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The Bizarre Origins of the Word “Turkey”

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Making an alphabet from scratch

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Why is it called a recorder?

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The most convoluted etymology…

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Why Chinese words didn’t “exist” until the 20th century

[…] It may sound crazy, but the concept of “word” is very new to Chinese speakers – in fact, even today, Chinese people don’t exactly agree on what is or isn’t a “word.” [Timeline] [00:00] What’s an English word [01:19] … Continue reading →

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