139 Items Tagged

Linguistics

An engraving showing the Thieve's Kitchen in Charles Dickens' <em>Oliver Twist</em>.

How a Secret Criminal Language Emerged From the Underworld

Dictionaries made Thieves' Cant accessible for the masses in the 16th through 19th centuries.

Natalie Zarrelli June 28, 2017

The opening pages of an 1869 copy of <em>The Book of Mormon</em>, printed in Deseret.

The Deseret Alphabet, a 38-Letter Writing System Developed by Mormons

It was intended to spell English words in a more phonetically accurate way.

Beau Stucki June 21, 2017

Vintage photo of the Tigris River, flowing through Iraq. The cradle of civilization and of <em>shaku maku</em>.

The Iraqi Version of 'What's Up?' Is an Existential Riddle

The phrase "shaku maku" offers a question, a playful paradox, and an invitation to share.

Rob Kunzig April 14, 2017

Welcome to Miami Beach.

'Miami English' and the Linguistic Oddness of South Florida

South Beach speech is like no other.

Dan Nosowitz April 4, 2017

1829 map of former Indochina, Vietnam along the east coast of the peninsula. Inset is the 1821 seal of the Nguyen Dynasty.

Why 40% of Vietnamese People Have the Same Last Name

Everyone knows a Nguyen, but how did that come to be?

Dan Nosowitz March 28, 2017

Valts Ernštreits, a professor at Tartu University in Estonia, writes poetry in Livonian.

These Passionate Latvian Linguists Refuse to Lose Their Language

Livonian may be extinct as a native tongue, but it's still being used to write poetry.

Rob Kunzig March 28, 2017

A sculpture of the Tower of Babel, by Alan Baughman, from the Introductory Room of the Museum of the Alphabet

Waxhaw, North Carolina

The Museum of the Alphabet

Trace the history of writing at this unusual North Carolina destination.

Da kine travels across Hawaiian culture.

'Da Kine,' Hawaii's Fantastically Flexible All-Purpose Noun

It means everything and nothing at the same time.

Dan Nosowitz March 2, 2017

Tokyo at night.

The Mystery and Occasional Poetry of, Uh, Filled Pauses

They are especially unusual in Japanese.

Dan Nosowitz January 27, 2017

Canada Day items on sale in Nova Scotia.

Why Do Canadians Say 'Eh'?

The story behind Canada’s most distinctive verbal tic.

Dan Nosowitz January 10, 2017

Dr. Evil's one wish: "..sharks with frickin laser beams attached".

Whether You Say Freakin', Friggin', Or Frickin' Depends On Where You’re From

F-word substitutes vary by region.

Dan Nosowitz December 15, 2016

Madonna, who has been known to adopt a British accent.

Are 'Semester Abroad Accents' Real or Fake?

That suspicious new London lilt may not be as put-on as it seems.

Dan Nosowitz November 29, 2016

Justin Timberlake performs with N'Sync in 2000.

Why Justin Timberlake Sings 'May' Instead of 'Me'

Linguistics and vocal styling converge in this late '90s pop trend.

Dan Nosowitz November 10, 2016

Korean War aces in 1950, probably razzing each other.

The First People to Push the Panic Button Were Korean War Pilots

What started as a last-ditch safety tool became a way for soldiers to make fun of each other.

Cara Giaimo November 4, 2016

Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant in the film <em>The Philadelphia Story</em>.

How a Fake British Accent Took Old Hollywood By Storm

The story behind the strange way Katharine Hepburn (and others) spoke.

Dan Nosowitz October 27, 2016

Abraham Russell's schoolboy navigation notebook, illustrated with a woggin.

What’s A Woggin? A Bird, a Word, and a Linguistic Mystery

Whalers wrote about woggins all the time. What in the world were they?

Cara Giaimo October 26, 2016

Y’all, You’uns, Yinz, Youse: How Regional Dialects Are Fixing Standard English

The real enemy? "You guys."

Dan Nosowitz October 13, 2016

Why Linguists Are Fascinated by the American Jewish Accent

The linguistic field of prosody, the story of melody, pitch, and other hard-to-study verbal traits, is suddenly hot.

Dan Nosowitz September 26, 2016