Linguistic Discovery (Page 2)

Latest

How your brain separates sounds into words

Also this week: How toddlers in Finland are saving an endangered Sámi language + Language learning can help lower dementia risk by 40%

The Wug Test: How children learn grammar

What can a simple word game teach us about how language works?

Bilingualism affects your moral decision-making

Also this week: Did Kanzi the bonobo have imagination? + A better English alphabet

Is baby talk good for your child?

Does using baby talk make language learning easier, or does it hinder your child’s language development?

Swearing could give you a physical edge

Also this week: How the theory of the humors shaped English + New research uncovers the cerebellum’s crucial role in human language

The etymology of “love”

“love” and its many related words in English

The science of libfixes

How libfixes work, where they come from, and what they teach us about language and the mind

Language may not be so hierarchical after all: A new study challenges 70 years of linguistic theory

Also this week: Some dogs learn words like children + “How to kill a language”, a new book by Sophia Smith Galer

What’s the point of baby talk?

How caregivers instinctively simplify their speech for children—and how it helps

Honeyguide birds learn regional human dialects

Also this week: People with personality disorders use language differently + Decoding the lost scripts of the ancient world. Here’s what happened this week in language and linguistics.

Why is “February” spelled with two ⟨r⟩’s?

Why is “February” spelled with two ⟨r⟩’s even though most people only pronounce one of them?

Is the dictionary dead? Or merely changing?

Also in this week’s digest: Why Morse Code didn’t work for Chinese + Words affect us based on how they sound + Your brain processes language more alike to AI than we previously thought

Newsletter

Libfixes: When word parts go rogue

What happens when parts of words declare independence

Current Linguistics

World’s oldest alphabet discovered

Also this week: Researchers determine that bees understand morse code + ⅓ of grammatical universals stand up to rigorous testing

Newsletter

Why you should be talking to your infant

Early exposure to language is crucial for your child’s long-term linguistic development

Newsletter

Why is the ⟨g⟩ in “longevity” pronounced twice?

How the spelling of “longevity” is playing a mental trick on you

Current Linguistics

The way we read in our first language influences how we read in other languages

Also this week: AI models can now analyze language as well as humans + The first monolingual Irish dictionary is published

Announcements

One year of Linguistic Discovery

A look back at the first year of the newsletter, and what’s changing in 2026

Current Linguistics

Men speak with vocal fry just as much as women

Also in the news this week: Merriam-Webster chooses “slop” as the 2025 Word of the Year; Gaelic and Scots now recognized as official languages in the UK; and Canada’s prime minister called out for using British spellings

Current Linguistics

Some dogs learn word categories like human toddlers do

Also this week: The California Language Archives receives a treasure trove of new materials on Pomoan languages. Here's what happened this week in language and linguistics.