Sam Quillen – Medium

Sam Quillen

Sam Quillen

·

Jun 17

What Language Did Cavemen Speak?

The Ancient Egyptians credited the god Thoth with the creation of language. Their cosmos first existed as the nebulous feelings of the…

What Language Did Cavemen Speak?

Sam Quillen

·

May 22

One Ring, Many Tongues: The Linguistic Genius of J. R. R. Tolkien

One Ring, Many Tongues: The Linguistic Genius of J. R. R. Tolkien

Sam Quillen

·

Mar 19

Does Getting Drunk Make You Speak More Fluently?

Anyone who has studied a foreign language knows that one of the biggest hurdles, perhaps higher than vocabulary or accent or even grammar…

Does Getting Drunk Make You Speak More Fluently?

Sam Quillen

·

Dec 21, 2025

What’s in a Font?

A bit less than three years ago, American diplomats and civil servants around the world received an email from the State Department’s…

What’s in a Font?

Sam Quillen

·

Aug 21, 2025

Is Donald Trump Changing American English?

When was the last time you heard someone quip that something was “Fake news,” likely in a context unrelated to politics? Or use “Sad!” as…

Is Donald Trump Changing American English?

Sam Quillen

·

Aug 5, 2025

Foreign Languages and New York’s Changing Politics

José Serrano was born in Puerto Rico in 1943, and as a child moved with his family to New York, as part of a wave of migration from one…

Foreign Languages and New York’s Changing Politics

Sam Quillen

·

Jun 14, 2025

How Should the New Pope Address the Faithful?

There are numerous reasons why no one should ask me for spiritual advice. But when it comes to what language to offer it in, the Catholic…

How Should the New Pope Address the Faithful?

Sam Quillen

·

Apr 28, 2025

Does Linguistic Diversity Unite South Africans, or Divide Them?

In 1994, after decades of Apartheid, South Africans rebranded themselves a “rainbow nation.” Paradoxically, though, racial unity came…

Does Linguistic Diversity Unite South Africans, or Divide Them?

Sam Quillen

·

Mar 23, 2025

How Linguistics Shapes Freedom of Speech

Photo credit: Metro News

How Linguistics Shapes Freedom of Speech

Sam Quillen

·

Mar 19, 2025

Why Do So Few Japanese People Speak English?

Why Do So Few Japanese People Speak English?

Sam Quillen

Sam Quillen

Former linguistics student; current investment bank analyst who sometimes thinks about something other than spreadsheets

Following

Help

Status

About

Careers

Press

Blog

Store

Privacy

Rules

Terms

Text to speech