Why Don’t Egyptians Speak Egyptian?Three years ago, I published an article asking whether Arabic is truly one language, or a family of related dialects artificially joined…Nov 171Nov 171
Why Simple Rhetoric WorksThis is not a political blog. But, throughout this year, which has held more elections worldwide than any in human history, it has stricken…Nov 8Nov 8
The Importance of Accent in American PoliticsOver Labor Day weekend, Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris gave speeches in the two key swing states of Michigan and…Oct 1923Oct 1923
Trade Names: How Geographic Mistakes Shaped Our VocabularyIt is easy to forget, in our age of global trade and intercontinental flights, that the world was once a vast and mysterious place. Leaving…Sep 1914Sep 1914
When Does a Dialect Become a Language?A popular linguistics quip observes that a language is a dialect with an army and a navy. It is tragically common for national disputes (by…Aug 213Aug 213
Common Speech: How China Invented Their National LanguageDo you speak Chinese? If you asked this question to the average person living in Beijing, Hong Kong, Fujian Province, or on the banks of…Aug 81Aug 81
Chillaxed Syntax: Is Language Becoming More Informal?I recently visited Paris, to enjoy some athletic events and a lot of polyglot crowds, and stayed in an area that is still known as the…Aug 512Aug 512
Will Technology Make Our Language Skills Worse?Two years ago, I wrote an article arguing that translation apps were no substitute for learning a language. My ultimate case was social —…Jul 2912Jul 2912
Is the United States a Latin American Country?If you have spent time in many parts of the United States, you have probably noticed that a lot of people have a language background other…May 105May 105
Polyglot Politicians: How Many World Leaders Speak English?At a joint press conference in 2019, US President Donald Trump declared, as he often does on such occasions, that his Indian counterpart…Mar 3130Mar 3130