Newsletter
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)?
Daniel W. Hieber, Ph.D.
Hi! I'm Danny! 👋🏼 I am a linguist. 🗣️ I work to document and revitalize endangered languages, while studying the crosslinguistic patterns we see across the world’s languages.
Current Linguistics
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.
Current 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.
Newsletter
Pumpkin Spice Linguistics
What the words “pumpkin spice” teach us about language change and indigenous history
Current Linguistics
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.
Newsletter
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.
Current 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
Newsletter
Revitalizing a dormant language from 80-year-old manuscripts
How archival manuscripts are helping revitalize the Chitimacha language of Louisiana
Current Linguistics
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.
Newsletter
What to do when someone corrects your pronunciation
Some strategies for educating people about linguistics
Current 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.
Newsletter
How are new languages created? The linguistics of “The Iron Dreamers”, Part 4
Pidgins, creoles, and mixed languages