LANGUAGE

screencap from the Lule-Sami website samedigge.no

How Social Media Is Helping to Save Endangered Languages

From Sami to Ayapaneco, dying languages are getting a second life thanks to social media.

19 Cromulent Words You Can Still Adopt for a Good Cause

Wordnik is an online interactive dictionary with a mission to include every English word—and for $25, you can adopt a word.

Where Did the Phrase "Goody Two-Shoes" Come From?

“Goody Two-Shoes” was a real person—or at least, a real fictional character. It was the nickname of the title character in a nursery tale called "The History of Little Goody Two-Shoes," published anonymously around 1765 by John Newbery.

A Chart That Diagrams Closing Sentences From Classic Novels

The closing lines of novels are grammatically different than their opening lines. Here's how.

An 1884 illustration of spectators in the theater

30 Words and Phrases From Victorian Theatrical Slang

Nicknames for noisy babies? Just because these terms from Victorian theater have dropped out of use doesn't mean they're any less applicable today.

This Pop Song is What English Sounds Like to Italians

Prisencolinensinainciusol, alright

What English Sounds Like to Non-English Speakers

A new short film illustrates the difficulty of understanding English if you don't understand English!

50 Famous Misquotations (and What Was Really Said)

Sorry Tumblr: Marilyn Monroe probably didn't say that.

When Did We Stop Using 'O'?

What was once literature's favorite exclamation is now as dead as the Romantic poets who used it.

There are Two Kinds of Hashtags—Which One Do You Use Most?

How is language evolving on the Internet? In this series on internet linguistics, Gretchen McCulloch breaks down the latest innovations in online communication.

Why is Seinfeld So Hard to Translate?

The show about nothing never gained more than a small cult following outside the U.S. One translator explains why.

Short Stories Created With Example Sentences From Dictionaries

Designer Jez Burrows strings together example sentences from dictionaries to create beautiful short stories.

The World’s Top 20 Languages—And The Words English Has Borrowed From Them

The most-spoken languages and their influences on English.

16 Little Words and Phrases for Describing Small Amounts

When we’re looking to describe an amount that’s teensy-weensy, the words aren’t precise, but they are folksy and charming.

Ancient Whistling Language Uses Both Brain Hemispheres

15 Neologisms From 'That Should Be a Word'

Lizzie Skurnick has a word for that.

London Stereoscopic Company/Getty Images

15 Ripsniptious Faux-Educated Words of the 19th Century

Most of the terms came and went in the way that slang does, but a few were so melodious and apt that they became a part of our permanent vocabulary.

172 Words to Describe Coffee From the Official Taster’s Flavor Wheel

Describe tomorrow morning's warmer-upper just like a 'coffee sommelier.'

21 Words From David Foster Wallace's Vocabulary List

He was always on the lookout for new words, which he kept in a growing file on his computer.

18 Most Relevant Words (By Candidate) from the GOP Debates

Text analysis reveals the most relevant words for each candidate from the GOP debates

47 More Words That Sound Rude (But Actually Aren’t)

These words sound a lot more suspect than their fairly mundane meanings might suggest.

Sarcasm Is Good for Creativity

A new study finds that sarcasm promotes creative thinking for both the expresser and recipient. No, really?

Another victim of Murphy's Law (via iStock)

The Murphy Behind Murphy's Law

The Subtle Genius of Minion Language

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