In our ongoing series discussing the impact of metaphors, we examined how language of war is used for debates and arguments. The use of war metaphors in the English language extends beyond arguments. Metaphors help us link abstract concepts and...
In our last post on metaphors, we discovered that much of our daily language contains metaphors we’re unaware of – like spending time or falling into a coma. In this post, we are going to explore war metaphors as applied...
Sinhalese, also known as Sinhala, is the native language of the Sinhala people. Over 16 million Sinhala people live in Sri Lanka, making them the island’s largest ethnic group. Sinhala people can trace their origins from Indians who traveled to...
English speakers have it relatively easy when it comes to traveling abroad – it’s the most popular second language in the world, commonly studied in 55 countries. And in most major international cities, even in the countries on this list,...
The animal kingdom brings us a wealth of fascinating, unusual, and enlightening etymologies from around the world. In this article, we explore ten of them. Camel This beast of burden traces its linguistic heritage from the Latin camelus and Greek...
Many people are bilingual. They might have grown up in another country, had relatives who spoke another language, or they have studied for years to become an expert. They might even sound like a native in either language. However, having...
Cultures around the globe have rejoiced in the bounty of summer since ancient times. Although many of these celebrations have changed shape in our contemporary era, the original sense of appreciation for nature’s offerings continues. Festive days and action-packed evenings...
Linguistically, “f,” “v,” and related sounds are thought to be relatively new. As recently as 20,000 to 100,000 years ago, humans may not have been able to produce these unique sounds. A recent study published in Science Magazine seeks to...
Our country has an incredibly rich linguistic and cultural history, a fact that becomes readily apparent by examining place names across the nation. Drawing from Latin, Spanish, French, and a host of Native languages, the names of the states paint...
Anyone who has seen a Shakespearean play or historical drama is probably familiar with the differences between American and British accents. The British accent seems so formal and historical, while the American accent can seem like a casual upstart in...
Hansel and Gretel, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, The Emperor’s New Clothes, Pippi Longstocking: although you may not have realized at the time, some of the first stories you remember reading or hearing were translations. In the US, until relatively recently, it...
Planning a trip outside of your own country can be an involved process. On top of the usual tasks of purchasing airline tickets, booking a hotel, deciding what to see, and making reservations, you may also need to obtain a...
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