Discovery Dispatch
Honest aliens and yet another attempt at Proto-Australian
An analysis of the linguistics of The Three-Body Problem, and new research claiming to reconstruct Proto-Australian.
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February
Why is "February" spelled with an ⟨r⟩?
Discovery Dispatch
Welcome to Discovery Dispatch!
Discovery Dispatch is a weekly roundup of the latest language-related news, research in linguistics, interesting reads from the week, and newest books and media!
Blog
Why do the British pronounce “herb” with an /h/?
Why don’t Americans pronounce herb with an /h/?
World of Words
Renaissance on the bayou: Revitalizing the Chitimacha language
The Chitimacha language was once thought to be extinct, but today is undergoing a renaissance as young people learn the language again.
World of Words
From counting to language: How writing evolved
The earliest version of cuneiform wasn't used to write language at all—it was used to count! And that Sumerian system of counting still influences our counting systems today. Here's the story of Sumerian numerals.
Blog
William Labov (1927–2024)
William Labov was the father of sociolinguistics who pioneered the study of dialectology.
Blog
The linguistics behind Biden's "garbage" gaffe
Why an apostrophe might determine the outcome of the U.S. presidential election.
World of Words
Where do writing systems come from?
Where do the world's writing systems come from?
Blog
3 things people get wrong about language
Here are 3 things people get wrong about language.