Exploring the science and diversity of language!

Kanzi (1980–2025)

Kanzi the bonobo, who learned language, made stone tools, and played Minecraft, dies at age 44. What can his remarkable linguistic abilities teach us about language?

How hypothetical are protolanguages?

How hypothetical are protolanguages? How did the Indo-Europeans spread? What does conversation look like in the brain? Here’s what happened this week in language and linguistics.

Gestures can counteract subtle stereotypes introduced by language

This week I discuss the growth of science communication in linguistics, plus how simple gestures can counteract subtle linguistic biases.

guacamole

Where do the words “avocado” and “guacamole” come from?

Babies can learn multiple languages from birth—and they’ll slow the onset of dementia if they do

Babies can learn multiple languages from birth—and they’ll slow the onset of dementia if they do. Here’s what happened this week in language and linguistics.

The linguistics of Trump’s official English policy

Trump issued an executive order making English the official language of the U.S.—sort of. Here’s what that order does, and what language in the U.S. looks like today.

gen z loves lowercase, but they’re losing their southern drawl

gen z loves lowercase, but they’re losing their southern drawl. meanwhile trump makes english the official language (sort of).

1,000 subscribers! 🎉 And did Proto-Indo-European have SOV word order?

The Linguistic Discovery newsletter just reached 1,000 subscribers! 🎉 And linguist Danny L. Bate suggests that Proto-Indo-European didn’t have Subject-Object-Verb word order after all.

Is AI changing language? Plus new evidence for a “language protein”

A recent article argues that AI is wrecking language, and new research has found a "language protein". Here's what happened this week in language and linguistics.

Hawaiian only has 8 consonants—What happens when it borrows words with other sounds?

The Hawaiian language only has 8 consonants. So how does it deal with sounds in words borrowed from other languages?

love

The etymology of the word "love" and all its related words in English.

The quest for the first Indo-Europeans, and whales communicating like humans

New DNA evidence emerges in the hunt for the first speakers of Indo-European, and researchers discover that whalesong shares a property of human language never before found in the animal kingdom.