The sad passing of Kanzi, penguin etymology, and what “fixin’ to” / “finna” mean
Here’s what happened this week in language and linguistics.

Here’s what happened this week in language and linguistics.
Also this week: Smart dogs have a humanlike knack for naming new objects + Birds all over the world use the same sound to warn of threats + The Language-Lover’s Lexipedia
Also this week: The Linguistics of a Showgirl: How Taylor Swift’s accent has changed over time + We will soon be able to talk with other species—but which one will be first?
A sneak peek at Jess Zafarris’ new book, “Useless etymology: Word origins for curious minds”
Also this week: Jane Goodall dies at 91 + Merriam-Webster adds 5,000 words to the dictionary