How did language first evolve?
It is a question that has intrigued us for as long as humanity has been around. Some ancient myths talk about gods bestowing the gift of words upon us. We are fascinated by this very complex thing that we do pretty much effortlessly. It is so effortless for us that we often don’t even realise […]
How online culture is continuing to affect the language we use every day
Symbols initially start out quite straight forward, like an arrow or a picture of a buffalo. Over time they can become more abstract, like a save disk icon or a thumbs up which require a bit more cultural background. Sometimes symbols can ascend to truly independent ideas that have taken on a life of their […]
How are “frog” and “spring” related?
Proto Indo European is the grandfather or great grandfather of English (depending on how you count). This means that we can trace elements of Modern English all the way back to Proto Indo European which was spoken about 4000 BC. Proto Indo European, like any language, had its own peculiarities. One of them was the […]
What is the Japanese word for sushi?
How are “boon”, “ban”, “prophet” and “fame” related?
“boon” meaning “blessing, benefit” come from Old Norse “bón” where it meant “prayer” or “petition”. This word ultimately comes Proto Indo European *bʰeh₂- where it meant “to say”. “ban” comes from Proto Germanic *bannaną where it meant “curse” or “forbid” and it too came from Proto Indo European *bʰeh₂- “fame” comes from Old French “fame” […]
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You can receive an update every time Silly Linguistics posts an article Here are some highlights of the Silly Linguistics magazine Translation and analysis of Iditguovssu (Dawn Light), a song in Northern SamiMe, myself and I – An exploration of a weird phenomenon in Modern EnglishAn overview of Northern SamiUntranslateable?History of “-y” in EnglishAn exploration […]
