In English, we are familiar with a twenty-six letter alphabet. However, languages feature many different kinds of vowels, alphabets, and character systems. One especially unique alphabet belongs to the Rotokas language from Papua New Guinea. It is spoken on the coast of an island named Bougainville and has three main
How a Language Preserved People Through Empire and Erasure Tamil is not merely an ancient language; it is a living heritage and legacy. While many classical languages survive only through archives, translation, or ritual, Tamil is continuously spoken, sung, and written by over seventy million people in today’s world.
Today, the Baltic language family is fairly small, consisting of only Latvian and Lithuanian. However, this current reality hides a far richer linguistic history. Centuries ago, there were multiple Baltic languages spoken across Northeastern Europe. Over time, though, factors like conquest, cultural assimilation, and the absence of institution support have
For most people, Irish culture brings to mind leprechauns, Saint Patrick's day, and the potato famine—greatly important elements, but they do not encapsulate the entirety of Ireland's heritage. A lesser known but still prominent aspect of Irish culture is Gaeilge: the country's native
In today’s society, writing is seen as the criterion of linguistic authenticity. Many believe a language becomes real only when it is written down: when it has an alphabet, a dictionary, or some form of legitimized print. However, this notion ignores a rudimentary truth: for most of human history,
The Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) is the world’s longest-running annual TV music competition, but did you know it’s also a linguistic powerhouse? With an impressive impact of over a hundred million viewers, the contest presents itself as a hub of national identity—and language is a key part
The Xhosa language is a prominent Bantu language with significant cultural and historical importance among the Xhosa people, one of the largest ethnic groups in South Africa. This language not only serves as a means of communication but also embodies the rich traditions and identity of its speakers. Xhosa is
Translation is usually envisioned as a simple process: a word in one language directly matches the definition of a word in another. Although this is often true, it is important to understand that language is not a group of containers holding anchored meanings. Language embodies the sense of a real,
Many countries are known for having one dominant language: Japan speaks Japanese and Portugal speaks Portuguese. But there are even more nations where multiple languages share the spotlight. Whether there are two, ten, or even hundreds of commonly spoken languages, multilingualism can shape everything from culture to daily communication. These
Every two weeks, another language gradually fades away. As society turns to global lingua francas, speaking primarily bridging languages like English, French, Spanish, and Mandarin, the world’s linguistic diversity depletes at an alarming rate that linguists have never experienced before. There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that
Walking down the streets of Wales, located on the southwest of Great Britain, you naturally hear a lot of English being spoken. However, the more you listen to your surroundings, the more “helo”, “bore da”, and “diolch” you start to hear. Suddenly, you realize that these phrases are in fact
“With mirth in funeral and with dirge in marriage / In equal scale weighing delight and dole.” — Hamlet, William Shakespeare Over the past five centuries, we have transitioned from layered, metaphor-rich expressions, such as Shakespeare’s above quote, to brief, almost skeletal forms, like “sup bro” or “TBH.” How did this