Before every World Cup match, youโll see the entire stadium rise for the national anthems of the countries taking part. What you might notice is the differences in approach: South Africaโs national anthem switches languages mid-song (from Xhosa to Zulu, Sesotho, Afrikaans, and then English). Conversely, Spanish people fall silent during their anthem (because it has no [...]
English is an ever-changing language, and the words we choose are far from the only elements that are added or dropped over time. Punctuation is just as integral to written communication, and it too has been invented, temporarily adopted, and then phased out (to be replaced, or not). Have you ever heard of an interrobang or a [...]
Have you ever wondered why going to a football game is more exciting than watching one at home? Thereโs the energy of the crowd, sure, but thereโs something else, too: the feeling of wearing your teamโs colors loud and proud among so many others just like you. Football jerseys are symbolic and immediately recognizable, and this is [...]
If you have been following along with our selfie series, you already know that selfies have changed significantly over time, and the word itself has seen changes over many years, too. Nowadays, a โselfieโ is an image taken of at least the head and shoulders, typically with the arm extended in frame as the person captures themselves. This [...]
If you read our previous article on Leendert Hasenboschโs life, you likely know that things went poorly after his โtrialโ onboard the Dutch East India Companyโs ship. In fact, his punishment was so severe that he perished, stranded on an inhospitable island. So why would he confess in the first place? The reality is that people give false [...]
In our previous article on the history of the selfie, we traced humanity's journey from its first unconscious self-representation to the modern concept of self-portraiture. But the form of the selfie is not the only thing that has changed over that time. In fact, the word โselfieโ itself is a very modern adjustment, and it reflects how language [...]
If you read an autobiography or a personal journal, you likely assume that you are reading the words as the author intended them. If the work has been translated, surely the content sticks as close as possible to the original, right? You may be surprised. Translation comes with risks, and one of the most salient is the threat [...]
Selfies are a nearly ubiquitous part of modern society. Even if you spend time in tiny coffee shops and less-used public streets, you likely wonโt have to go far to find someone in that characteristic pose: arm stretched in front of them, smiling for the camera in their hand. Images of ourselves have always been a way [...]
The terms used for money (and counting in general) are shaped by deep cultural, historical, and value-based influences across many regions of the world. We discussed this further in this seriesโ first entry on the linguistic origins of money terms. But did you know that the language of money goes even deeper? Think of the difference between ten [...]
If you have ever paid for something from another country or used currency conversion at the airport, you probably saw some terms youโre not familiar with. Lakh. Man. Yรฌ. You have a concept of how big a million is, but what about these other terms? They all describe a large quantity, but not in the same way. Even [...]
