

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.


The Tiny Island Where Men Have Their Own Language

‘Tis and 10 Other Fun Proclitic Words

What’s the Difference Between a Gift and a Present?
26 of Noah Webster’s Spelling Changes That Didn’t Catch On
Some of Webster's suggested reforms caught on and still mark a difference between American and British writing. But you won't beleev how many of his reforms went nowhere.
10 Fun Facts About the Valyrian Language of 'Game of Thrones' and 'House of the Dragon'
The upcoming Targaryen-focused prequel 'House of the Dragon' promises to have much more Valyrian dialogue than 'Game of Thrones' did. Here are eight fun facts about the language for you to ponder before 'House of the Dragon' debuts on August 21.
106 of the Least Popular Baby Names in American History
If you’re looking for a baby name and want something truly original, but with historical precedent, here’s your list
9 Common Terms That Come From Words for Heat
From ink to calm, you might be surprised to learn how many words come back to scorching temperatures.
8 Brand Names With Punctuation Problems
Punctuation can be a headache, even when it's just inside a name. Here are eight brand names with problems caused by those important little marks.
25 Fancy Medical Terms for Mundane Problems
It might not be a big deal, but you can make it sound like one.
The Story of American Sign Language
The story of American Sign Language goes back hundreds of years, to a time before America was even a nation.
Horrible Jargon We've Totally Gotten Used To
Everybody hates management-speak and corporate jargon, but here are some terms that people used to think of as horrible jargon that we all got used to. Maybe one day we'll all be leveraging deliverables without a second thought.
French Phrases Hidden in English Words
Even if you speak French you may never have noticed them.
The Story of the Umlaut
We know the umlaut as that heavy metal pair of scary looking Gothic-Viking-Teutonic dots, but it is so much more. Here is the story of the umlaut.
Why Does Germany Have So Many Different Names?
Germany. Deutschland, Allemagne, Niemcy, Saksa, Vokietija...
Word Origins Hiding in Plain Sight
Sometimes the etymology of a word is right in front of us, and we don't even see it.