Linguistic Discovery
@linguisticdiscovery.com
🗣️ Teaching you about the science and diversity of language
📰 Sign up for the newsletter at LinguisticDiscovery.Substack.com or LinguisticDiscovery.com!
📰 Sign up for the newsletter at LinguisticDiscovery.Substack.com or LinguisticDiscovery.com!
Pinned
Hi! 👋 Linguistic Discovery teaches you all about the science and diversity of language—a field known as linguistics.
I (Danny Hieber, Ph.D.) post daily about how language works, the latest news and research in linguistics, and the incredible diversity of language.
I (Danny Hieber, Ph.D.) post daily about how language works, the latest news and research in linguistics, and the incredible diversity of language.
“Predator: Badlands” is the first film in the franchise where much of the dialogue is in the alien hunters’ language.
Director Dan Trachtenberg wanted to make sure the Yautja and their culture felt authentic in the film.
Director Dan Trachtenberg wanted to make sure the Yautja and their culture felt authentic in the film.
December 9, 2025 at 7:03 PM
“Predator: Badlands” is the first film in the franchise where much of the dialogue is in the alien hunters’ language.
Director Dan Trachtenberg wanted to make sure the Yautja and their culture felt authentic in the film.
Director Dan Trachtenberg wanted to make sure the Yautja and their culture felt authentic in the film.
A young Anishinaabe roboticist has created a new language teaching robot, SkoBot, designed to be an interactive way for children to learn and preserve their indigenous languages.
www.cnn.com/2025/09/02/t...
www.cnn.com/2025/09/02/t...
This new tech could save old languages from dying out | CNN Business
Like many of the young people in her Indigenous Anishinaabe community in the upper peninsula of Michigan, Danielle Boyer grew up speaking only a little of her people’s native language,…
www.cnn.com
December 7, 2025 at 8:35 PM
A young Anishinaabe roboticist has created a new language teaching robot, SkoBot, designed to be an interactive way for children to learn and preserve their indigenous languages.
www.cnn.com/2025/09/02/t...
www.cnn.com/2025/09/02/t...
Oh you’re a linguaphile? Then let’s see your 12th Edition Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, cuz otherwise wyd
@merriam-webster.com
@merriam-webster.com
December 6, 2025 at 3:15 PM
Oh you’re a linguaphile? Then let’s see your 12th Edition Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, cuz otherwise wyd
@merriam-webster.com
@merriam-webster.com
As a refresher, **Gaelic** is a Celtic language (related to Irish, Welsh, and others) also known as Scottish Gaelic or Scots Gaelic. It is typically pronounced /ˈɡælɪk/ (whereas Irish Gaelic is typically pronounced /ˈɡeɪlɪk/, although in the U.S. you’ll often just hear /ˈɡeɪlɪk/ for both). 1/
The Scottish Gaelic and Scots languages are now recognized as official languages in the UK.
“The Scottish Languages Act also empowers parents to ask for a Gaelic school to be established in their area and aims to ensure that more qualifications are available in Gaelic.
“The Scottish Languages Act also empowers parents to ask for a Gaelic school to be established in their area and aims to ensure that more qualifications are available in Gaelic.
December 5, 2025 at 11:08 PM
As a refresher, **Gaelic** is a Celtic language (related to Irish, Welsh, and others) also known as Scottish Gaelic or Scots Gaelic. It is typically pronounced /ˈɡælɪk/ (whereas Irish Gaelic is typically pronounced /ˈɡeɪlɪk/, although in the U.S. you’ll often just hear /ˈɡeɪlɪk/ for both). 1/
The Scottish Gaelic and Scots languages are now recognized as official languages in the UK.
“The Scottish Languages Act also empowers parents to ask for a Gaelic school to be established in their area and aims to ensure that more qualifications are available in Gaelic.
“The Scottish Languages Act also empowers parents to ask for a Gaelic school to be established in their area and aims to ensure that more qualifications are available in Gaelic.
December 5, 2025 at 8:35 PM
The Scottish Gaelic and Scots languages are now recognized as official languages in the UK.
“The Scottish Languages Act also empowers parents to ask for a Gaelic school to be established in their area and aims to ensure that more qualifications are available in Gaelic.
“The Scottish Languages Act also empowers parents to ask for a Gaelic school to be established in their area and aims to ensure that more qualifications are available in Gaelic.
🦌
📸 Helen Cherry (Instagram: @HelenJCherry)
📸 Helen Cherry (Instagram: @HelenJCherry)
December 5, 2025 at 5:25 PM
🦌
📸 Helen Cherry (Instagram: @HelenJCherry)
📸 Helen Cherry (Instagram: @HelenJCherry)
Both @academic.oup.com and @dictionarycom.bsky.social chose ragebait as their word of the year I guess:
December 4, 2025 at 5:25 PM
Both @academic.oup.com and @dictionarycom.bsky.social chose ragebait as their word of the year I guess:
“ragebait” is Oxford’s 2025 Word of the Year @academic.oup.com
I wonder if this makes “ragebait” autological…
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/30/a...
I wonder if this makes “ragebait” autological…
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/30/a...
December 4, 2025 at 3:15 PM
“ragebait” is Oxford’s 2025 Word of the Year @academic.oup.com
I wonder if this makes “ragebait” autological…
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/30/a...
I wonder if this makes “ragebait” autological…
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/30/a...
Here's what happened this week in language and linguistics! 📰
Website: linguisticdiscovery.com/posts/2025-48/
Substack: open.substack.com/pub/linguist...
Website: linguisticdiscovery.com/posts/2025-48/
Substack: open.substack.com/pub/linguist...
Oxford chooses “ragebait” as the 2025 Word of the Year
Also this week: Whales are found to use “vowels” + 6,000-year-old Mesopotamian seals linked to the dawn of writing
linguisticdiscovery.com
December 4, 2025 at 1:06 PM
Here's what happened this week in language and linguistics! 📰
Website: linguisticdiscovery.com/posts/2025-48/
Substack: open.substack.com/pub/linguist...
Website: linguisticdiscovery.com/posts/2025-48/
Substack: open.substack.com/pub/linguist...
How do you define “language”?
Linguist Charles F. Hockett proposed 16 design features of language—and one of them is the ability to lie!
But what if your language didn’t allow you to lie? What would language be like?
Linguist Charles F. Hockett proposed 16 design features of language—and one of them is the ability to lie!
But what if your language didn’t allow you to lie? What would language be like?
December 3, 2025 at 5:30 PM
How do you define “language”?
Linguist Charles F. Hockett proposed 16 design features of language—and one of them is the ability to lie!
But what if your language didn’t allow you to lie? What would language be like?
Linguist Charles F. Hockett proposed 16 design features of language—and one of them is the ability to lie!
But what if your language didn’t allow you to lie? What would language be like?
We’re @lingthusiasm.bsky.social stans around here
December 3, 2025 at 2:11 PM
We’re @lingthusiasm.bsky.social stans around here
The Mapping Black Language project is working to document how Black Americans speak, and how their language shifts and varies—and they’re looking for people to interview
December 2, 2025 at 8:35 PM
The Mapping Black Language project is working to document how Black Americans speak, and how their language shifts and varies—and they’re looking for people to interview
The word “hibernate” derives from the Latin word “hiems” ‘winter’, which would seem to imply that there’s a Latin-derived word for ‘summering’ as well—and there is!
May I present “estivate” (or “aestivate”), ‘to spend the summer in a certain place or doing a certain activity’. 😎
May I present “estivate” (or “aestivate”), ‘to spend the summer in a certain place or doing a certain activity’. 😎
December 2, 2025 at 3:15 PM
The word “hibernate” derives from the Latin word “hiems” ‘winter’, which would seem to imply that there’s a Latin-derived word for ‘summering’ as well—and there is!
May I present “estivate” (or “aestivate”), ‘to spend the summer in a certain place or doing a certain activity’. 😎
May I present “estivate” (or “aestivate”), ‘to spend the summer in a certain place or doing a certain activity’. 😎
Here’s an article with 9 fun Christmas etymologies from @dannybate.bsky.social
The etymologies are:
Carol
Hark
Reindeer
Icicle
Sleigh
Tinsel
Mistletoe
Antler
Snow
dannybate.com/2024/12/23/a...
#Christmas #etymology #linguistics #language #history #winter
The etymologies are:
Carol
Hark
Reindeer
Icicle
Sleigh
Tinsel
Mistletoe
Antler
Snow
dannybate.com/2024/12/23/a...
#Christmas #etymology #linguistics #language #history #winter
A CHRISTMAS Full of Etymology
Reading time: 5 minutes It’s December now, the month when the calendar helpfully provides me with a topic for the monthly article. So, here’s a short and sweet linguistic post with a fe…
dannybate.com
December 1, 2025 at 8:35 PM
Here’s an article with 9 fun Christmas etymologies from @dannybate.bsky.social
The etymologies are:
Carol
Hark
Reindeer
Icicle
Sleigh
Tinsel
Mistletoe
Antler
Snow
dannybate.com/2024/12/23/a...
#Christmas #etymology #linguistics #language #history #winter
The etymologies are:
Carol
Hark
Reindeer
Icicle
Sleigh
Tinsel
Mistletoe
Antler
Snow
dannybate.com/2024/12/23/a...
#Christmas #etymology #linguistics #language #history #winter
The earliest form of writing wasn’t used to write language at all—it was used to count! And the way they did it still influences our mathematics today.
Here’s a look at how the ancient Sumerians and Babylonians counted and how it gave rising to cuneiform, the world’s first writing system. 🧵
Here’s a look at how the ancient Sumerians and Babylonians counted and how it gave rising to cuneiform, the world’s first writing system. 🧵
December 1, 2025 at 5:25 PM
The earliest form of writing wasn’t used to write language at all—it was used to count! And the way they did it still influences our mathematics today.
Here’s a look at how the ancient Sumerians and Babylonians counted and how it gave rising to cuneiform, the world’s first writing system. 🧵
Here’s a look at how the ancient Sumerians and Babylonians counted and how it gave rising to cuneiform, the world’s first writing system. 🧵
“Mele Kalikimaka” is the Hawaiian pronunciation of the phrase “Merry Christmas”. But why is the Hawaiian pronunciation so different from the English?
Find out how Hawaiian restructures borrowed words to fit its own sound system in this issue of the Linguistic Discovery newsletter ⬇️
Find out how Hawaiian restructures borrowed words to fit its own sound system in this issue of the Linguistic Discovery newsletter ⬇️
December 1, 2025 at 3:15 PM
“Mele Kalikimaka” is the Hawaiian pronunciation of the phrase “Merry Christmas”. But why is the Hawaiian pronunciation so different from the English?
Find out how Hawaiian restructures borrowed words to fit its own sound system in this issue of the Linguistic Discovery newsletter ⬇️
Find out how Hawaiian restructures borrowed words to fit its own sound system in this issue of the Linguistic Discovery newsletter ⬇️
Reposted by Linguistic Discovery
The word explode literally means “to clap outward” (ex “out, away from” + the Latin plaudere “to clap,” same root verb as “applaud”).
Its original meaning in English, c. 1500s, was to reject something. “Not that I wholly Explode Astrology; I believe there is something in it.” — Francis Bacon, 1696
Its original meaning in English, c. 1500s, was to reject something. “Not that I wholly Explode Astrology; I believe there is something in it.” — Francis Bacon, 1696
November 30, 2025 at 2:59 PM
The word explode literally means “to clap outward” (ex “out, away from” + the Latin plaudere “to clap,” same root verb as “applaud”).
Its original meaning in English, c. 1500s, was to reject something. “Not that I wholly Explode Astrology; I believe there is something in it.” — Francis Bacon, 1696
Its original meaning in English, c. 1500s, was to reject something. “Not that I wholly Explode Astrology; I believe there is something in it.” — Francis Bacon, 1696
Skobot: A robot designed to help preserve indigenous languages
www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...
www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...
Can A.I. Help Revitalize Indigenous Languages?
Indigenous researchers and roboticists are crafting innovative tools to help save endangered dialects
www.smithsonianmag.com
November 30, 2025 at 8:35 PM
Skobot: A robot designed to help preserve indigenous languages
www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...
www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...
November 30, 2025 at 3:57 PM
linguistics, n. — the scientific study of language
Today is World Linguistics Day! Here’s what linguistics is all about.
#WorldLinguisticsDay #linguistics #science #language #dialect #accent #phonetics #syntax #words #grammar
Today is World Linguistics Day! Here’s what linguistics is all about.
#WorldLinguisticsDay #linguistics #science #language #dialect #accent #phonetics #syntax #words #grammar
November 26, 2025 at 1:42 PM
linguistics, n. — the scientific study of language
Today is World Linguistics Day! Here’s what linguistics is all about.
#WorldLinguisticsDay #linguistics #science #language #dialect #accent #phonetics #syntax #words #grammar
Today is World Linguistics Day! Here’s what linguistics is all about.
#WorldLinguisticsDay #linguistics #science #language #dialect #accent #phonetics #syntax #words #grammar
What’s turkey got to do with the country of Turkey?
Why doesn’t the bird have a Native American name since it’s indigenous to the Americas?
@robwords.bsky.social has your answers in this deep dive into the etymology of the word “turkey”.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJJs...
Why doesn’t the bird have a Native American name since it’s indigenous to the Americas?
@robwords.bsky.social has your answers in this deep dive into the etymology of the word “turkey”.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJJs...
Why is a turkey called a turkey?
YouTube video by RobWords
www.youtube.com
November 26, 2025 at 1:42 AM
What’s turkey got to do with the country of Turkey?
Why doesn’t the bird have a Native American name since it’s indigenous to the Americas?
@robwords.bsky.social has your answers in this deep dive into the etymology of the word “turkey”.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJJs...
Why doesn’t the bird have a Native American name since it’s indigenous to the Americas?
@robwords.bsky.social has your answers in this deep dive into the etymology of the word “turkey”.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJJs...
Why do so many football coaches emphasize Southern accents? Linguistics experts explain
www.nytimes.com/athletic/661...
www.nytimes.com/athletic/661...
Why do so many football coaches emphasize Southern accents? Linguistics experts explain
LSU coach Brian Kelly went viral for his attempt at a southern accent. But experts say there's a reason leaders lean into regional dialects.
www.nytimes.com
November 24, 2025 at 5:25 PM
Why do so many football coaches emphasize Southern accents? Linguistics experts explain
www.nytimes.com/athletic/661...
www.nytimes.com/athletic/661...
‘Algospeak’ says we’re living through a linguistic revolution
Adam Aleksic, known to his many online followers as @etymologynerd.bsky.social, writes about the ways social media is changing language.
www.washingtonpost.com/books/2025/0...
Adam Aleksic, known to his many online followers as @etymologynerd.bsky.social, writes about the ways social media is changing language.
www.washingtonpost.com/books/2025/0...
Review | ‘Algospeak’ says we’re living through a linguistic revolution
Adam Aleksic, known to his many online followers as Etymology Nerd, writes about the ways social media is changing language.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 23, 2025 at 11:17 PM
‘Algospeak’ says we’re living through a linguistic revolution
Adam Aleksic, known to his many online followers as @etymologynerd.bsky.social, writes about the ways social media is changing language.
www.washingtonpost.com/books/2025/0...
Adam Aleksic, known to his many online followers as @etymologynerd.bsky.social, writes about the ways social media is changing language.
www.washingtonpost.com/books/2025/0...
“6-7” belongs in the dictionary, actually
In defense of @dictionarycom.bsky.social's Word of the Year
Website: linguisticdiscovery.com/posts/67/
Substack: linguisticdiscovery.substack.com/p/67
In defense of @dictionarycom.bsky.social's Word of the Year
Website: linguisticdiscovery.com/posts/67/
Substack: linguisticdiscovery.substack.com/p/67
November 22, 2025 at 8:54 PM
“6-7” belongs in the dictionary, actually
In defense of @dictionarycom.bsky.social's Word of the Year
Website: linguisticdiscovery.com/posts/67/
Substack: linguisticdiscovery.substack.com/p/67
In defense of @dictionarycom.bsky.social's Word of the Year
Website: linguisticdiscovery.com/posts/67/
Substack: linguisticdiscovery.substack.com/p/67