William Labov (1927–2024)
William Labov was the father of sociolinguistics who pioneered the study of dialectology.
Latest
Chitimacha
Chitimacha is a language isolate once spoken in the bayous of Louisiana west of New Orleans that is now being actively revitalized.
The linguistics behind Biden's "garbage" gaffe
Why an apostrophe might determine the outcome of the U.S. presidential election.
Where do writing systems come from?
Where do the world's writing systems come from?
3 things people get wrong about language
Here are 3 things people get wrong about language.
East Ambae
The East Ambae language is spoken on the Ambae island of Vanuatu by about 5,000 speakers.
linguistic relativity
Linguistic relativity is the idea that the language(s) a person speaks influences the way they think, their worldview, their cognition, or how they categorize things in the world.
Welcome to Linguistic Discovery!
This newsletter explores the science and diversity of language—a field known as linguistics. The purpose of this newsletter is simple: to teach the world how language works, and why language is the way it is. This focus on the how and why makes this newsletter (and all my social
fruition
Does "fruition" come from the word "fruit"?
'dog' vs. 'horse' in Native American languages
Why are dogs called 'little horses' in some Native American languages?
language isolate
A language isolate is a language that is unrelated to any other known language.
retronym
A retronym is a new term for an old concept that is created because the word for the old concept has shifted in meaning and no longer uniquely refers to the original idea.
Languages
English
English is a Germanic language from England that is used as a global lingua franca.
Blog
Welcome to the new LinguisticDiscovery.com!
Welcome to the new LinguisticDiscovery.com!
Encyclopedia
language family
A language family is a group of languages that descend from a common ancestor.
Encyclopedia
linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of language.
Reviews
Speaking American: How y'all, youse, and you guys talk
A beautiful and engaging coffee table book of 122 dialect maps showing how different regions of the U.S. say different things. A wonderful illustration of dialect diversity in the United States, this book is sure to spark great conversations. A must-have for any language lover.