> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://linguisticdiscovery.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # The sad passing of Kanzi, penguin etymology, and what “fixin’ to” / “finna” mean - URL: https://linguisticdiscovery.com/posts/2025-13/ - Published: 2025-04-05T19:19:19.000Z - Updated: 2026-03-11T11:35:44.000Z - Description: Here’s what happened this week in language and linguistics. - Author: Daniel W. Hieber, Ph.D. - Tags: Current Linguistics, animal communication, etymology, zeugma, syllepsis Happy weekend! Enjoy one of my favorite silly comics to kick off this week’s digest: ![A comic of a superhero in a suit, with a giant letter F on his chest. Above, in bold font like the old superhero comics, it says, “Phonetic Man”.](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F535329ca-b567-42ba-bd2d-82706cabdb7d_859x900.png "A comic of a superhero in a suit, with a giant letter F on his chest. Above, in bold font like the old superhero comics, it says, “Phonetic Man”.") Welcome to this week’s edition of *Discovery Dispatch*, a weekly roundup of the latest language-related news, research in linguistics, interesting reads from the week, and newest books and other media dealing with language and linguistics. Apologies that this issue of the digest comes late this week. I’m discovering that breaking news relating to language (Trump’s official English order, Kanzi’s death, semantic confusion about tariffed penguins, etc.) has a dilatory effect on my writing schedule for other content! I’ll continue to aim for a consistent Thursday morning release for now, but I may adjust the schedule in the future. I’m only 3 months in to writing this weekly digest, so I’m still learning what works best! Thanks for your patience with my somewhat erratic posting schedule as I find my rhythm with my research and writing process. On the upside, I produced a ton of content for you to explore this week! Hope you enjoy! ## 🆕 New from Linguistic Discovery *This week's content from Linguistic Discovery.* ### two pronunciations of ⟨w⟩ I saw a fun post about the pronunciation of ⟨w⟩ on Threads and decided to reply: ![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb7c772df-d82b-4eba-9285-4cc8ab701427_551x303.png) [Anne (@anne\_shesfancy) on ThreadsA hill I will die on is that American English has two pronunciations of the letter w: a hard w as in wow and a breathier w as in whisper. To indicate the breathier pronunciation, we spell words with a wh- instead of just a w-. This is why the ONLY acceptable spelling of whoa is W-H-O-A.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c7/75/c775a216-7ca2-4c5f-96a7-f2defe0fd756/content/images/icon/Pcnemah90K8-3.png)Threads![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c7/75/c775a216-7ca2-4c5f-96a7-f2defe0fd756/content/images/thumbnail/466007598_434741726060722_99714556167039222_n-1.jpg)](https://www.threads.net/@anne%5Fshesfancy/post/DHpZfHzsMvV?xmt=AQGzC7EWfUtfefUsZJvBVJczj2hJZPNuX0lWau0Bj-RPcTk&ref=linguisticdiscovery.com) My response on Threads is [here](https://www.threads.net/@linguisticdiscovery/post/DHqserjxpQG?xmt=AQGzy6BZ1xJVo6sM8-HFz7k-twwxlbIYJIc4yrmlzJOEyw&ref=linguisticdiscovery.com), but here’s a more detailed explanation: English does have two pronunciations of the letter ⟨w⟩! One is /w/, the voiced labiovelar approximant. This is the sound most people think of when they think of /w/, and is the first sound in the word *witch*. The other is /ʍ/, the voiceless labiovelar fricative, which is more or less just the voiceless version of /w/, meaning your vocal folds aren't vibrating. This is why /ʍ/ is described as "breathy" or "whispered”. For the people that use this sound, it’s the first sound in the word *which*. Stewie Griffin famously uses the /ʍ/ pronunciation in the phrase *Cool Whip*: Historically, the majority of English speakers made this distinction, and the two sounds were even written differently: ⟨w⟩ vs. ⟨wh⟩ in Middle English. (Old English used ⟨hw⟩ instead, like the first word of Beowulf, *hwæt*, which became Modern English *what*.) Many words spelled with ⟨wh⟩ today were once pronounced with the voiceless /ʍ/. Today however most American English speakers just use /w/. /ʍ/ has been lost except for in the speech of some older speakers, especially in the South. Most varieties of British English, however, retain the distinction. ### fixin’ to / finna ![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb3403805-4beb-4c6b-bc9f-a7fa302442bc_551x304.png) [. (@theweirdnessofbeing) on ThreadsUS people, please tell me understand this word usage. I just saw someone say “that’s what I was fixing to recommend”. Do you use fixing to mean going in the US? I’ve seen it used in a similar way before. I’ve also seen it as “fixing a dish” to mean preparing or dishing up a meal. Does fixing have multiple meanings? In the UK fixing means mending.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c7/75/c775a216-7ca2-4c5f-96a7-f2defe0fd756/content/images/icon/Pcnemah90K8-4.png)Threads![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c7/75/c775a216-7ca2-4c5f-96a7-f2defe0fd756/content/images/thumbnail/486081959_1663109631080058_2136059873433809499_n.jpg)](https://www.threads.net/@theweirdnessofbeing/post/DHf5Y9XsQtH?xmt=AQGzJW5apFYecLsK96yd09d8wcp5GtrWM1vl3y5XK5lzdLw&ref=linguisticdiscovery.com) The phrase *fixin' to* means that the event will happen in the near future. Think of it as parallel to *going to*, but with a slightly more restricted meaning. ![A t-shirt that says “I’m fixin’ to cry y’all”.](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2d4e3bc3-1735-4d7d-8bb5-4044a8da0793_900x1200.png "A t-shirt that says “I’m fixin’ to cry y’all”.") And just like *going to* can be pronounced as *gonna* whenever it's functioning as a type of grammatical aspect, *fixin' to* is pronounced by many people as *finna*, especially in African American English. ![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb0655d15-7593-4c3c-bc44-c21fbf377933_1427x760.png) This first map shows that *fixin’ to* is used primarily by speakers in the southeastern United States. It shows the average acceptability of fixin’ to sentences on a scale of 1–5 among survey participants. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c7/75/c775a216-7ca2-4c5f-96a7-f2defe0fd756/content/images/2025/04/3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c7/75/c775a216-7ca2-4c5f-96a7-f2defe0fd756/content/images/2025/04/2.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c7/75/c775a216-7ca2-4c5f-96a7-f2defe0fd756/content/images/2025/04/1.png) The second map shows the ratio of people who pronounce it as *fixin’ to* (purple) and *finna* (green). The other maps show the uncombined frequencies. The first map is from the Yale Grammatical Diversity Project, and the others from linguist Jack Grieve. Read all about the *fixin’ to* construction at the Yale Grammatical Diversity Project: [Fixin’ to | Yale Grammatical Diversity Project: English in North America![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c7/75/c775a216-7ca2-4c5f-96a7-f2defe0fd756/content/images/icon/touch-icon-228.png)Yale Grammatical Diversity Project: English in North Americasemantic properties![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c7/75/c775a216-7ca2-4c5f-96a7-f2defe0fd756/content/images/thumbnail/cry.jpg)](https://ygdp.yale.edu/phenomena/fixin-to?ref=linguisticdiscovery.com) 💝 Enjoying this post? Consider becoming a supporter to get even more! ****🌟** ****Perks** **🌟** 📝 early access to chapters of my book, **Universal: The diversity of language and the unity of the human mind* ➕ bonus articles/videos 👀 early access to articles/videos 💝 support my mission to educate the public about the science and diversity of language! ****Price:** $5/month (USD) **You can also subscribe on* [**Patreon*](https://www.patreon.com/linguisticdiscovery?ref=linguisticdiscovery.com) *or* [**Substack*](https://linguisticdiscovery.substack.com/) *if you prefer to use those platforms instead. You'll get all the same content and extras.* [💝 Become a supporter!](#/portal/signup) ## 📰 In the News *Language and linguistics in the news.* ### Kanzi the bonobo dies ![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd26c8355-78cc-490f-9107-b9ddb29c826d_900x1200.png) Kanzi the bonobo. Image from the [Ape Initiative](https://www.apeinitiative.org/kanzi?ref=linguisticdiscovery.com). Kanzi the bonobo, who researchers taught to use symbols to communicate and stone tools, has died at the age of 44. I wrote a long tribute to Kanzi, explaining his contribution to the field of linguistics and why his incredible linguistic abilities matter to the field: [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?![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c7/75/c775a216-7ca2-4c5f-96a7-f2defe0fd756/content/images/icon/languages-bordered-26.png)Linguistic DiscoveryDaniel W. Hieber, Ph.D.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c7/75/c775a216-7ca2-4c5f-96a7-f2defe0fd756/content/images/thumbnail/Kanzi.webp)](https://linguisticdiscovery.com/posts/kanzi/) Here are some interesting YouTube videos demonstrating Kanzi’s abilities: #### Press Coverage [Kanzi the Bonobo, Who Learned Language and Made Stone Tools, Dies at Age 44What we learned about ape and human cognition from Kanzi the bonobo, who died this week![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c7/75/c775a216-7ca2-4c5f-96a7-f2defe0fd756/content/images/icon/favicon-46.ico)Scientific AmericanKate Wong![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c7/75/c775a216-7ca2-4c5f-96a7-f2defe0fd756/content/images/thumbnail/Kanzi-the-bonobo-1.jpg)](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/kanzi-the-bonobo-who-learned-language-and-made-stone-tools-dies-at-age-44/?ref=linguisticdiscovery.com) [RIP Kanzi, the Bonobo Who Mastered Language and MinecraftThe famous ape reportedly knew thousands of words, loved Clint Eastwood movies, and was a big fan of video games.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c7/75/c775a216-7ca2-4c5f-96a7-f2defe0fd756/content/images/icon/apple-touch-icon-8.png)GizmodoGeorge Dvorsky![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c7/75/c775a216-7ca2-4c5f-96a7-f2defe0fd756/content/images/thumbnail/Kanzi-bonobo-1.jpg)](https://gizmodo.com/rip-kanzi-the-bonobo-who-mastered-language-and-minecraft-2000579072?ref=linguisticdiscovery.com) [Remembering Kanzi, the bonobo who helped us understand humanityKanzi, a bonobo with a famously incredible understanding of language, passed away at age 44\. Then, ways Iowans can contribute to scientific research.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c7/75/c775a216-7ca2-4c5f-96a7-f2defe0fd756/content/images/icon/apple-touch-icon-9.png)Iowa Public RadioCharity Nebbe![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c7/75/c775a216-7ca2-4c5f-96a7-f2defe0fd756/content/images/thumbnail/90-1)](https://www.iowapublicradio.org/podcast/talk-of-iowa/2025-03-27/remembering-kanzi-the-bonobo-who?ref=linguisticdiscovery.com) ### penguins A recurring theme on the internet this week was to joke about how the penguins of Heard Island & McDonald Islands, Australian territories near Antarctica, were hit with a 10% tariff by Trump. (No people live on these islands, just penguins.) This apparently caused some confusion among French speakers because a *pingouin* in French is not technically the same animal as a *penguin* in English. A follower called upon me to explain, so I indulged: ![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0df2e039-aba5-4541-953f-5aec3630db54_547x346.png) It turns out the semantics and etymology of *penguin* is actually rather surprising! You can read all about it here: [The etymology of “penguin”Where does the word “penguin” come from? French, Welsh, or Latin?![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c7/75/c775a216-7ca2-4c5f-96a7-f2defe0fd756/content/images/icon/languages-bordered-27.png)Linguistic DiscoveryDaniel W. Hieber, Ph.D.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c7/75/c775a216-7ca2-4c5f-96a7-f2defe0fd756/content/images/thumbnail/carousel-2.png)](https://linguisticdiscovery.com/posts/penguin/) ### zeugma / syllepsis The New York Times had a great example of **zeugma** / **syllepsis** in [one of its headlines](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/28/us/politics/greenland-jd-vance-usha.html?searchResultPosition=2&ref=linguisticdiscovery.com) this week: ![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd98ab577-78be-43ae-92b6-2fac47901f18_1290x2017.png) Screenshot from the New York Times website. The headline reads, “Visiting Greenland, JD Vance finds the weather and the reception chilly”. A **zeugma** is when two different parts of a sentence utilize two different meanings of one word in the sentence (without repeating that word). The most repeated example is “He took his hat and his leave”. In that sentence, two different senses of *take* are being evoked. What I love about zeugma is that they demonstrate how contextualized the meanings of words are. Every word has a web of interconnected meanings, some of them only distantly related after centuries of semantic shift, but different linguistic contexts will highlight different senses of the word. *zeugma* comes from the Ancient Greek ζεῦγμα *zeûgma*, literally ‘a yoking together’, whereas *syllepsis* is from the Ancient Greek σύλληψις *súllēpsis* ‘a taking together’. (Hat tip to my dear friend and medieval scholar George Greenia for teaching me this fun construction many years ago.) ### iOS 19 to support live translation Bloomberg reports that iOS 19 on iPhone will enable live translation using Apple AirPods. From *Apple Insider:* > If an English speaker with AirPods is listening to a person speaking in another language, such as Spanish, the iPhone will detect the audio of the Spanish speaker and translate it into English. The English translation will then be played via the AirPods. > > The English speaker's response is said to be translated and played in Spanish via the iPhone speakers. The process allegedly utilizes the Translate app and is tied to the iOS 19 update. [Apple Plans AirPods Feature That Can Live-Translate ConversationsApple Inc. is planning a new AirPods feature that allows the earbuds to live-translate an in-person conversation into another language, according to people with knowledge of the matter.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c7/75/c775a216-7ca2-4c5f-96a7-f2defe0fd756/content/images/icon/favicon-black.png)BloombergMark Gurman![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c7/75/c775a216-7ca2-4c5f-96a7-f2defe0fd756/content/images/thumbnail/1200x800.jpg)](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-03-13/apple-plans-ios-19-feature-that-lets-airpods-live-translate-conversations?ref=linguisticdiscovery.com) [AirPods could gain live translation feature with iOS 19Apple’s iconic AirPods are rumored to receive an entirely new feature that translates in-person conversations from one language to another.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c7/75/c775a216-7ca2-4c5f-96a7-f2defe0fd756/content/images/icon/favicon-ai-144.png)AppleInsiderMarko Zivkovic![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c7/75/c775a216-7ca2-4c5f-96a7-f2defe0fd756/content/images/thumbnail/62965-130712-62801-130316-62417-129368-61404-126856-60788-125128-60675-124869-AirPods-Pro-2-stems-xl-xl--1--xl--1--xl-xl-xl.jpg)](https://appleinsider.com/articles/25/03/13/your-existing-airpods-could-gain-a-new-live-translation-feature-in-ios-19?ref=linguisticdiscovery.com) It’s worth noting that Apple’s Translate app only has 7.6k reviews, with an average rating of 2.3/5, as opposed to the Microsoft Translator app, which has 159k reviews and an average rating of 4.8/5\. So while I personally think this is a cool idea with a lot of potential utility, I’m not going to hold my breath hoping it’ll be very good. ## 🗞️ Current Linguistics *Recently published research in linguistics.* ### Dialect diversity in birdsong ![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F22f23d95-1a06-46b9-9390-eaa7d19c3e50_657x646.png) (A) Cultural variables measured at the neighborhood level. Higher values of cultural diversity indicate that there are more distinct song types in the neighborhood relative to the total song output. Higher cultural uniqueness indicates that the songs in the neighborhood are, on average, less common in the population, and higher cultural turnover indicates that the neighborhood’s song repertoire has changed more from 1 year to the next. See definitions for full definitions. (B) Variation in the demographic properties and composition of neighborhoods across the population. See demographic variables for full definitions. (C) Cartoon representation of the pairwise continuous repertoire similarity network used in our individual-level analyses. Each node represents an individual bird, and the edges represent the similarity between their song repertoires. The network is based on the similarity of the songs produced by each bird during the dawn chorus and is used to estimate the cultural similarity between individuals. (D) 3D render of our study site, Wytham Woods, seen from the east. Image based on first return LiDAR data and made with rayshader. Elevation is exaggerated. Aquamarine (darker) arrows represent natal dispersal within the population, and the yellow (lighter) arrow represents immigration into the population, two of the variables used in this work. Age and bird (individual) turnover are not depicted. Some types of birds have local dialects of birdsong, and those dialects are influenced by long-range interaction with birds of other regions, according to [a paper in ](https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822%2825%2900150-2?ref=linguisticdiscovery.com)[*Current Biology*](https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822%2825%2900150-2?ref=linguisticdiscovery.com) this month. Here’s a key quote from the Washington Post article: > Results showed that dispersal within the population — referring to how far the birds traveled from where they were born to where they settled down to breed — “homogenises song culture” over time and slows down the pace of change. Immigrant birds also were shown to adopt local songs and learn more songs overall, helping to enrich the “musical scene,” researchers said. > > By contrast, “homegrown” songs in areas where birds stay close to their birthplace tend to stay unique, similar to the way in which isolated human communities can develop distinct local dialects over time, the team found. - [Birds can change their tunes as their populations evolve, researchers find](https://www.npr.org/2025/03/10/nx-s1-5323124/birds-can-change-their-tunes-as-their-populations-evolve-researchers-find?ref=linguisticdiscovery.com) (NPR: All Things Considered) - [Turns out birdsongs evolve with time and age—just like human music](https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025/03/07/bird-song-oxford-study-great-tit/?ref=linguisticdiscovery.com) (Washington Post) - Merino Recalde et al. 2025\. The demographic drivers of cultural evolution in bird song. *Current Biology* 35: 1–10\. DOI: [10.1016/j.cub.2025.02.016](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2025.02.016?ref=linguisticdiscovery.com) ### Bonobos point more for ignorant than knowledgeable social partners ![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F510b602b-14dc-4114-b9c5-bd747d7e1ddf_560x377.png) Kanzi the bonobo pointing at one of three upside-down cups in front of him for a researcher. I referenced this in my article about Kanzi, but it’s worth mentioning separately too because the study was only just published in February. (It may have been the last research study Kanzi participated in. 😢) Here’s an excerpt from my article: > One experiment demonstrates Kanzi’s grasp of theory of mind well: Researchers would hide a grape under a cup, then ask Kanzi (or the other bonobos in the experiment), “Where’s the grape?” If the researcher was present when the grape was being hidden, the bonobo often didn’t respond to the request. But if the researcher had been absent for the grape-hiding, the bonobo would more often quickly point to the right cup. The results suggest that the bonobos had some understanding of the researcher’s state of knowledge about the location of the grape. - **Reporting:** Bonobos realize when humans miss information and communicate accordingly ([Phys.org](http://phys.org/?ref=linguisticdiscovery.com)) - **Original Research Study:** Townrow, Luke A. & Christopher Krupenye. 2025\. Bonobos point more for ignorant than knowledgeable social partners. *PNAS* 122(6). DOI: [10.1073/pnas.2412450122](https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2412450122?ref=linguisticdiscovery.com) ## 📃 This Week’s Reads *Interesting articles I've come across this week.* ![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fed0a0a15-7b7c-4539-9b15-2f91040fe2d6_1200x582.png) Screenshot of the completed Strands puzzle for March 17. Because I posted about Spoonerisms the other week, many people messaged me about the New York Times’ Strands puzzle for March 17\. The theme for the day’s puzzle was “Sounds switching”, the spangram was “Spoonerisms”, and, hilariously, the puzzle actually included some real Spoonerisms: - blushing crow ← crushing blow - bedding wells ← wedding bells - stricken chips ← chicken strips I got a kick out of that 😅 CNET explains the puzzle in more depth: [Explaining That Confusing NYT Strands Spoonerism Puzzle - CNETHere’s today’s Strands answers and hints. These clues will help you solve The New York Times’ popular puzzle game, Strands, every day.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c7/75/c775a216-7ca2-4c5f-96a7-f2defe0fd756/content/images/icon/apple-touch-icon-v3.png)CNETSee full bio![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c7/75/c775a216-7ca2-4c5f-96a7-f2defe0fd756/content/images/thumbnail/nyt-new-york-times-strands-2043.jpg)](https://www.cnet.com/tech/gaming/lets-explain-that-tough-nyt-strands-puzzle-for-march-17-379/?ref=linguisticdiscovery.com) --- Other articles from the week: - [Imperfect sounds: Cochlear implants give deaf kids unprecedented access to sound. But insisting they avoid using sign language may be risky](https://www.science.org/content/article/implants-can-help-deaf-kids-hear-many-still-struggle-spoken-language?ref=linguisticdiscovery.com) (Science) [Donald Trump thinks some accents are ‘beautiful,’ but what makes them so?Opinions on language are not based in any objective standards of beauty or aesthetics, but rather on our attitudes about the people speaking them.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c7/75/c775a216-7ca2-4c5f-96a7-f2defe0fd756/content/images/icon/web-app-logo-192x192-2d05bdd6de6328146de80245d4685946-13.png)The ConversationNicole Rosen![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c7/75/c775a216-7ca2-4c5f-96a7-f2defe0fd756/content/images/thumbnail/file-20250307-56-66sai4.jpg)](https://theconversation.com/donald-trump-thinks-some-accents-are-beautiful-but-what-makes-them-so-251458?ref=linguisticdiscovery.com) ## 📚 Books & Media *New (and old) books and media touching on language and linguistics.* I watched the first season of *Wolf King* last week, and their use of *were-* as a prefix struck me as really interesting! So I recorded a short video about it. (I’ll probably have a written version of this soon too.) --- While doing research about Kanzi I found this great kids book about him! ![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2838eb63-e58f-4fb5-b76c-99cd4a60c4f5_730x1000.png) [Amazon](https://amzn.to/3DT7fXI?ref=linguisticdiscovery.com) | [Bookshop](https://bookshop.org/a/110785/9798885095525?ref=linguisticdiscovery.com) ## 🗃️ Resources *Maps, databases, lists, etc. on language and linguistics.* For language lovers like me, I think it’s really helpful to know how to pronounce words in other languages, even if you aren’t learning to speak them. Plus I’m sure speakers appreciate it when I don’t butcher their language. So it was nice to see this guide to French pronunciation from the Rosetta Stone blog recently: [Your Ultimate French Pronunciation Guide - Rosetta StoneOur French pronunciation guide explains uniquely French sounds, nasal vowels, silent letters, and more with examples, so you’ll sound like a native speaker in no time.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c7/75/c775a216-7ca2-4c5f-96a7-f2defe0fd756/content/images/icon/cropped-RS-logo-2.png)Rosetta StoneJamie Edwards![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c7/75/c775a216-7ca2-4c5f-96a7-f2defe0fd756/content/images/thumbnail/french-pronunciation-girl.jpg)](https://blog.rosettastone.com/french-pronunciation/?ref=linguisticdiscovery.com) Another excellent resource for French pronunciation is the little book *Exercises in French phonics*. It was published in 1981 but I still found it helpful 45 years later. ![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcfaf54de-7d19-4686-a754-eed459b7ed6c_293x466.png) [Amazon](https://amzn.to/4i4JNVc?ref=linguisticdiscovery.com) --- Thanks for reading! Let me know how I’m doing with the newsletter and how I can improve by emailing me [here](mailto:contact@linguisticdiscovery.com)! \~ Danny 💝 If you enjoyed this post, consider becoming a supporter! ****🌟** ****Perks** **🌟** 📝 early access to chapters of my book, **Universal: The diversity of language and the unity of the human mind* ➕ bonus articles/videos 👀 early access to articles/videos 💝 support my mission to educate the public about the science and diversity of language! ****Price:** $5/month (USD) **You can also subscribe on* [**Patreon*](https://www.patreon.com/linguisticdiscovery?ref=linguisticdiscovery.com) *or* [**Substack*](https://linguisticdiscovery.substack.com/) *if you prefer to use those platforms instead. You'll get all the same content and extras.* [💝 Become a supporter!](#/portal/signup) 💡 The Amazon and Bookshop.org links on this site are affiliate links, which means that I earn a small commission from those companies for purchases made through them (at no extra cost to you). If you'd like to support Linguistic Discovery, purchasing through these links is a great way to do so! I greatly appreciate your support! [Check out my entire Amazon storefront here.](https://www.amazon.com/shop/linguisticdiscovery?ref=linguisticdiscovery.com)