Learn about the science and diversity of language 🗣️

Your cryptogram is lying to you—/t/ isn’t the most frequent sound in English

What are the most frequent sounds across languages (and why)?

Birdsong exhibits a hidden feature of human language

Also this week: Bilingualism is possible for people with a rare genetic condition that normally limits speech + Talk Like a Pirate Day is coming up! 🏴‍☠️ Here’s what happened this week in language and linguistics.

New DNA data reveals the origins of the Slavic peoples

Also this week: How our DNA holds the history of our language + The Cambridge dictionary adds 6,000 new words—and not everybody’s happy about it. Here’s what happened this week in language and linguistics.

Pumpkin Spice Linguistics

What the words “pumpkin spice” teach us about language change and indigenous history

Learning a second language can teach you to distinguish colors you don’t have in your first language

Also this week: Gesture may have been the origin of language + A new mind-reading AI can turn imagined speech into words. Here’s what happened this week in language and linguistics.

An experiment with the Aboriginal language Murrinhpatha suggests language influences perception

Also this week: Why all languages have words for ‘this’ and ‘that’ + Antarctic leopard seal ‘songs’ are surprisingly similar to nursey rhymes. Here’s what happened this week in language and linguistics.

Researchers uncover the origins of the Uralic language family

Also this week: Today is National Navajo Code Talkers Day! And the K-pop band is making Korean Sign Language famous

Revitalizing a dormant language from 80-year-old manuscripts

How archival manuscripts are helping revitalize the Chitimacha language of Louisiana

A mysterious pre-Islamic script from Oman has been deciphered, while AI helps historians complete damaged Latin texts

Also this week: Does your native language affect how you feel pain? And did language evolve because of tools or baby talk? Here’s what happened this week in language and linguistics.

What to do when someone corrects your pronunciation

Some strategies for educating people about linguistics

The last native speaker of Caddo dies at age 95

Also this week: The long-lost Chinese typewriter that changed modern computing, plus why AI doesn’t work in bars. Here’s what happened this week in language and linguistics.

How are new languages created? The linguistics of “The Iron Dreamers”, Part 4

Pidgins, creoles, and mixed languages