Nidhi is a HS student and LWI Magazine writer, passionate about linguistics and storytelling. She highlights obscure yet fascinating linguistic topics, and outside of writing, enjoys singing, performing, trivia, and exploring whatever fascinates her.
Stretching across the Arctic, a very cold and remote area of the world, Inuit languages carry centuries of history and culture. Spoken across Alaska, Canada, and Greenland, these languages are living evidence of survival and resilience in the Arctic. Inuit languages belong to the Eskimo-Aleut family, which developed thousands
In northern Japan, there lies an island called Hokkaido where a language lurks through the villages and forests. For centuries, the Ainu people passed down stories and traditions through a unique language unrelated to Japanese, the main language of Japan, or to any other language, in fact. Today, however, the
Over the past two decades, K-pop has transformed from a domestic, Korean genre into a global phenomenon. Groups like BTS and BLACKPINK have topped charts around the world and gained massive international fanbases. However, listeners have noticed a linguistic shift. There is currently a growing amount of English lyrics
When people think of Romance languages, the branch of languages derived from Vulgar Latin, their minds normally go to the ones found in Southwestern Europe: Spanish, Portuguese, French, and Italian. They’re nicely grouped together from a geographic point of view as well as historic, since they share a similar
Basque Icelandic Pidgin. It’s not just three random words lumped together. It’s actually a striking example of how languages adapt under pressure when understanding becomes a necessity. With an unexpectedly rich history of Basque whalers and Icelandic communities coming together, this short-lived language reveals how human communication
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
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
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
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