You probably know words like “tick-tock” and “wishy-washy,” but have you ever tried to use “tock-tick” or “washy-wishy” instead? Your brain instinctively knows that these aren’t right, and the reason why comes down to an unwritten rule about the English language called ablaut reduplication. You didn’t need to be taught this principle; rather, you absorbed it as part of your [...]
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 [...]
If you’re familiar with the story of Robin Hood, you’ve probably heard of Nottingham. Likewise, sports fans will recognize Manchester, home of the Manchester United Football Club. While these town names may seem unrelated, they share one thing in common: an English suffix that reveals something about the place’s history. In fact, many English town and city names [...]
You’ve probably heard the old trope that uncultured people don’t like watching films with subtitles. Or that only seasoned film aficionados can truly enjoy celebrated foreign films like the 1960s Italian classic La Dolce Vita or Japan’s 1954 epic Seven Samurai. It’s no secret that films made in American English culturally dominate the global film industry, with over [...]
Though you may not recognize the name, you’re almost certainly familiar with it. The NATO Phonetic Alphabet is a historically established set of 26 words, each assigned to a letter of the English alphabet. The purpose of these words is to eliminate confusion when people are trying to spell words aloud over the telephone or radio. The alphabet [...]
For centuries, immigrant communities have significantly influenced mainstream American culture, whether through culinary practices, art, media, and even the American English dialect through vocabulary, pronunciation, and slang. Jewish communities introduced Yiddish words such as "nosh," "schmuck," and "schlep," while Spanish-speaking communities contributed vocabulary related to the landscape and culture of the Southwest and Latin America. At the [...]
English is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world, with over half a billion people using it as their first language and nearly two billion more who consider themselves fluent speakers. This can make it surprisingly easy for Americans to pinpoint a destination where learning a new language isn’t a must. Still, not every country or [...]
If one thing is certain about language, it’s that it changes. As people develop new ways of expressing themselves, explaining phenomena, and crafting ideas, language must be malleable enough to adapt to these needs. Within this microcosm of change sits slang—often informal linguistic niches that are primarily constrained to specific groups or contexts. Believe it or not, the kitchen [...]
In this three-part series, we have been exploring how politicians can use language to sway support for their causes, devalue the stances of the opposition, and change voter perception surrounding key issues. While strategies ranging from metaphor to simplification are effective at turning the tide of voter turnout, few linguistic moves are as potent as “us vs. them” rhetoric. [...]
In last week’s post, we explored the linguistic figures of speech that political candidates may use to change public perception. However, these are not the only strategies at their disposal. Politicians use strategic language to frame issues to their advantage. From how economic policies are often branded in ways that make them more appealing to the need to distill [...]
