Was it William or Guillaume?
The Language of the Norman Conquest and Beyond The answer to our title question is not straightforward. For most speakers of French, the Conquérant’s name is Guillaume whereas for English speakers, the Conqueror’s given name is obviously William. Who’s right then? I would say that both are right because it is a question of perspective. […]
Silly Linguistics Issue #66 Preview
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Language – tree or machine?
Are languages like trees? Did they grow and evolve slowly over time? Or did they get invented by some clever person and require knowledge and skill to operate and will break down if not kept working by skilled professionals? The answer is a bit complicated. But let’s start with a clarification. What is a language? […]
Linguistics 101 – Part 1
Linguistics is the scientific study of language. It looks at all parts of the phenomenon of language including how sounds are made, how they are processed and decoded, how words are put together and how they are used to create meaning. Language has fascinated humanity since it was invented and it is a fundamental part […]
What do words that start with the letter “p” tell us about English
Languages change over time. Here is the Lord’s Prayer from the King Jame’s Bible Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread.And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine […]
Why do “busy” and “bury” have U’s in them?
Languages are messy. They borrow words from each other, have irregular verbs and their spelling systems can sometimes do with a bit of work. Writing is a technology. It is something that we use to convert the sounds we make when speaking into characters that can be put down on the page (or screen in […]
