

Arika Okrent
Joined: Nov 21, 2012
Linguist, author of In the Land of Invented Languages, living in Chicago, doing her part to fight off the cot-caught merger and keep "gym shoes" alive.


7 Sentences That Sound Bizarre But Are Still Grammatical

11 Weirdly Spelled Words—And How They Got That Way

What Is Vocal Fry?
How to Write the Sound of a Kiss
In English we have a few different ways to write the sound of a kiss: muah, smack, xxx. They get the idea across, but none of them imitate the actual sound of a kiss.
Singing the ABCs in 7 Different Languages
English isn’t the only alphabet, and not every alphabet will fit into “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.” Here are some other songs from around the world to help them learn their ABCs.
7 Book Dedications that Basically Say “Screw You”
Not all authors’ dedications are nice. Some—like these—are just plain mean.
Is It Possible To Think Without Language?
Language is so deeply embedded in almost every aspect of the way we interact with the world. What would our thoughts be like without it?
10 Words With Difficult-to-Remember Meanings
Sometimes there are words that you've seen, read, and maybe even used in conversation whose meaning you can never keep straight.
8 Fun Facts About the Irish Language
You may hear an "Erin go bragh" or two, but even on the most Irish of holidays, we don't hear much of the Irish language—which is a shame.
11 Naughty-Sounding Scientific Names (and What They Really Mean)
Perfectly innocent Latin or Greekisms that just happen to sound like something else.
15 Words Plagued by Unusual Silent Letters
Silent letters are the scourge of spellers and a stumbling block when learning how to write in English—but they're often hidden remnants of how the words passed through different languages on their way to English.
How to Tell Whether You've Got Angst, Ennui, or Weltschmerz
English never hesitates to borrow words that would lose certain subtleties in translation, and angst, ennui, and weltschmerz have made their way into English by offering a little something extra.
What Does "The" Mean?
It’s the most frequent word in the English language, accounting for around 4 percent of all the words we write or speak. But what the word 'the' means is surprisingly complicated.
The Tiny Island Where Men Have Their Own Language
Alternatively called Ngatikese Men’s Language, Ngatik Men’s Creole, or Ngatikese Pidgin, it’s primarily used among men engaged in activities like fishing and boat-building.
‘Tis and 10 Other Fun Proclitic Words
Why let 'tis have all the fun? This season, get in the proclitic spirit with these 10 other charming word-beginning contractions.