All Things Linguistic

Are there linguistics things in your life that you would like advice about? In honour of our 100th bonus episode of Lingthusiasm, and because our first advice episode was so …

Occasionally what I read informs me what to discuss. Various other times the tips come from what I view. This time it’s both. First I review a line in Richard …

Zach Helfand’s “The History of The New Yorker’s Vaunted Fact-Checking Department” (archived) is an excellent read and scratches an itch I’ve had for years (“how does that work, anyhow?”); it …

Q: Your recent post about “repair” refers to guests who “repaired to the drawing room.” That made me wonder about the origin of “drawing room.” I doubt it was ever …

When people ask me if learning a language gets easier, I think of Zhuangzi’s Parable of the Crooked Tree. In short, a man deems a tree useless because it can’t …

We asked you if a burrito was a sandwich, and you said ‘no’. We asked you if ravioli was a sandwich and you said ‘heck no’. We asked you if …

TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts are an evolving genre of media: short-form, vertical videos that take up your whole screen and are served to you from an algorithm rather …

A round-up of linguistic items – essays, news, blog posts, papers, and podcasts on language – for your enjoyment and diversion: Learning Na’vi. On plurals of hapax. Birds in English …

Q: Why do we say “roof of the mouth” rather than “ceiling”? A friend asked me this and I had no idea but I thought maybe you would. A: The …

Language learning can seem daunting. However, with the right approach, learning a language can be an enjoyable and fulfilling experience. I may not be the best language learner, but I’ve …