Lexicon Valley

The Invisible Complexities of Translation

13 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Examining the nuances of translation through the single word self. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com...

English Is Plain Weird

30 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Don't be fooled into thinking that English is a typical language. It's not. Twitter: @lexiconvalley Facebook: facebook.com/LexiconValley Website:...

English Is Plain Weird

30 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

There's nothing run-of-the-mill about this language called English. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.co...

Subject-Verb-Object. Right?

16 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

For many languages, the idea that the subject belongs up front is plain backwards. Twitter: @lexiconvalley Facebook: facebook.com/LexiconValley W...

Subject-Verb-Object, Right?

16 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Our way of putting together sentences is far from universal. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/Lexic...

Parting Company

02 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

How did a word meaning "with bread" come to sprout its corporate connotation? Twitter: @lexiconvalley Facebook: facebook.com/LexiconValley Website:...

Parting Company

02 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

How did a word that literally means with bread come to sprout it corporate connotations? X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite...

Wallowing in Negativity

16 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

From the evolution of ain't to double negatives, simply saying no is wonderfully complex. Twitter: @lexiconvalley Facebook: facebook.com/LexiconVa...

Wallowing in Negativity

16 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

When a simple no will not suffice. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley Learn more about ...

Fossil Hunting in English

02 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Our language contains a trove of buried clues, petrified remnants of its past. But you have to know where to dig. Twitter: @lexiconvalley Facebook...

Fossil Hunting in English

02 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Knowing where to dig is the key to uncovering our linguistic past. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com...

Why Do Languages Have Gender?

19 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Lots of languages divide words into categories, like male and female. How does that happen? Twitter: @lexiconvalley Facebook: facebook.com/Lexicon...

Why Do Languages Have Gender?

19 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Why do so many languages divvy up nouns into seemingly arbitrary categories? X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmarts...

Forgetting Your Roots

05 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Words have a way of rebelling against their etymological parents, acquiring meanings of their own. Twitter: @lexiconvalley Facebook: facebook.com/Le...

Forgetting Your Roots

05 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

When the apple falls far from the tree. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley Learn more a...

Future English Speaker, Can You Read Me?

22 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

That language changes is certain. How quickly or slowly is another matter. Twitter: @lexiconvalley Facebook: facebook.com/LexiconValley Website: ...

Future English Speaker, Can You Read Me?

22 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

At what point will the language we speak now be incomprehensible to our progeny? X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksm...

Getting Got

08 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The story of how one little verb developed a seemingly endless capacity to absorb new meanings. Twitter: @lexiconvalley Facebook: facebook.com/Lex...

Getting Got

08 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The many subtle nuances of one of our most common verbs. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconVa...

On the Origin of English

24 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A controversial theory holds that English, along with other Germanic languages, was profoundly influenced early on by Phoenician. The evidence is intr...

On the Origin of English

24 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A fringe theory about English for which the evidence is intriguing. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.co...

White Author, Black English. Problem?

10 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Twain famously depicted what he called the "Missouri Negro dialect" of Jim. Would that be acceptable today? Twitter: @lexiconvalley Facebook:...

White Author, Black English. Problem?

10 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Is it appropriation for a white novelist to render Black speech? X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/L...

Do Cats Have Language?

27 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Animals bark, sing, purr and even gesture, all fascinating but a far cry from human communication. Twitter: @lexiconvalley Facebook: facebook.com/...

Do Cats Have Language?

27 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The way that animals communicate is fascinating, yes, but a far cry from human speech. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: ...

Sergeant, Corporal, Colonel!

13 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Peculiar linguistic tales of America's soldiers. Twitter: @lexiconvalley Facebook: facebook.com/LexiconValley Website: booksmartstudios.com/Lexic...

Sergeant, Corporal, Colonel

13 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The peculiar language of our military ranks. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley Learn m...

To Reason Why

29 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

There's more than one way to ask why. How come? What for? Twitter: @lexiconvalley Facebook: facebook.com/LexiconValley Website: booksmartstudios....

To Reason Why

29 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

How come? What for? The many ways to ask why. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley Learn ...

When Talking to Your Mother-In-Law Is a Minefield

15 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

From baby talk to formal varieties, languages around the world offer—or even require—different ways of speaking for different situations. Twitt...

When Talking to Your Mother-in-Law Is a Minefield

15 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

On codeswitching among family members and relations. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley...

The Incredible Story of the Traveling Creole

01 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Enslaved people developed a hybrid language that sailed from Africa to the Caribbean and—unbelievably—back again. Twitter: @lexiconvalley Face...

The Incredible Story of the Traveling Creole

01 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A creole language that boomeranged between two continents. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/Lexicon...

This Am a Minstrel Stereotype, Right?

18 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A longstanding mystery of Black English may finally be solved. Twitter: @lexiconvalley Facebook: facebook.com/LexiconValley Website: booksmartstu...

This Am a Minstrel Stereotype, Right?

18 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

On Black English and the verb to be. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley Learn more abou...

When Jews Adapted Spanish

04 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Languages of the Ottoman Empire, inspired by historian Alan Mikhail's new book, God's Shadow. Twitter: @lexiconvalley Facebook: facebook.com/Lexic...

When Jews Adapted Spanish

04 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Linguistic inspiration from historian Alan Mikhail’s new book God’s Shadow: Sultan Selim, His Ottoman Empire, and the Making of the Modern World. ...

Does English Have a Future?

21 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Lots of languages have no dedicated way to indicate later-ness. Somehow life goes on. Twitter: @lexiconvalley Facebook: facebook.com/LexiconValley...

Does English Have a Future?

21 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Do languages even need a future tense, or can we get along just fine without it? X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: books...

Defund Karen

07 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

On the insults, acronyms and sloganeering of America's racial reckoning. Twitter: @lexiconvalley Facebook: facebook.com/LexiconValley Website: bo...

Defund Karen

07 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Social justice movements yield a trove of new catchphrases and words. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios....

Beyond the Five Ws

23 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The curious grammar of questions in languages around the world. Twitter: @lexiconvalley Facebook: facebook.com/LexiconValley Website: booksmartst...

Beyond the Five Ws

23 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Inquiring around the world. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley Learn more about your ad...

Tweety Bird and Toddlerspeak

09 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Language acquisition is like magic—how do children do it?! Twitter: @lexiconvalley Facebook: facebook.com/LexiconValley Website: booksmartstudi...

Tweety Bird and Toddlerspeak

09 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

How do children pick up language so readily? X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley Learn m...

Coronavirus: Isolation and Aspiration

26 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Can strongly aspirated consonants increase transmission of COVID-19? Twitter: @lexiconvalley Facebook: facebook.com/LexiconValley Website: booksm...

Coronavirus: Isolation and Aspiration

26 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Are certain consonants to blame for spreading germs? X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley...

Our Indigenous Languages

20 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The wonderfully complex Native American tongues. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley Lea...

Our Indigenous Languages

12 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A luxuriance of long words, baroque case endings and irregular everything—the Native American tongues! Twitter: @lexiconvalley Facebook: faceboo...

I Just Can't!

28 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Host John McWhorter shares some of his longstanding language peeves—yes, linguists have them too! Twitter: @lexiconvalley Facebook: facebook.com...

I Just Can't!

28 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Yes, linguists have language peeves too. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley Learn more ...

The Many Meanings of Too

14 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Host John McWhorter finds linguistic inspiration in an 80-year-old musical performance of Rubber Dolly. Twitter: @lexiconvalley Facebook: facebook...

The Many Meanings of Too

14 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The word too is far more versatile than you think. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley L...

Sicko, Whacko, Weirdo

31 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The -o suffix traces back to old comic strip characters with names like Knocko and Groucho. Neato! Twitter: @lexiconvalley Facebook: facebook.com/...

Sicko, Whacko, Weirdo

31 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What's with that long o sound we stick on the ends of words like neato and, yes, fatso? X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite:...

Chinese Has No Grammar, Right? Wrong!

17 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Mandarin might not have gender or case endings but there's more to grammar than conjugations. Twitter: @lexiconvalley Facebook: facebook.com/Lexic...

A Myth Surrounding Mandarin

17 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Chinese has no grammar, right? Wrong! X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley Learn more abo...

From Uptalk to Vocal Fry, Women Are Prolific Language Innovators

04 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Want to hear what English will sound like in the future? Talk to a woman. Twitter: @lexiconvalley Facebook: facebook.com/LexiconValley Website: b...

From Uptalk to Vocal Fry

03 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Women are the most prolific language innovators. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley Lea...

In What Order Did Languages Arrive in Europe?

18 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

DNA analysis is revealing which speakers traveled where and when. Twitter: @lexiconvalley Facebook: facebook.com/LexiconValley Website: booksmart...

In What Order Did Languages Arrive in Europe?

18 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Cutting edge research gives linguists new insight. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley L...

Digging Up the Past

04 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Let's talk about how we talk about that which already occurred. Twitter: @lexiconvalley Facebook: facebook.com/LexiconValley Website: booksmartst...

Digging Up the Past

04 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

It may be ancient history, but we need a way to talk about it. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/Lex...

Verbs on the Move

21 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Coming and going in languages around the world. Twitter: @lexiconvalley Facebook: facebook.com/LexiconValley Website: booksmartstudios.com/Lexico...

Verbs on the Move

21 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Like the boy said in that song: you come and go, you come and go. We all do. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmarts...

Does PROCESSES Rhyme with KNEES?

07 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

How our idea of formality can affect the way we say certain words. Twitter: @lexiconvalley Facebook: facebook.com/LexiconValley Website: booksmar...

Does Processes Rhyme With Knees?

07 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Is our pretentiousness causing us to pronounce words wrong? X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/Lexico...

A Bisl Yiddish

24 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Add to German a large helping of Hebrew and a dollop of Slavic. Stir. Let marinate. Enjoy! Twitter: @lexiconvalley Facebook: facebook.com/LexiconV...

A Bisl Yiddish

24 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Yiddish is the gefilte fish of Germanic languages. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley L...

Private Parts

10 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

What does a rooster have to do with male genitalia anyway? Twitter: @lexiconvalley Facebook: facebook.com/LexiconValley Website: booksmartstudios...

Private Parts

10 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

How did cock come to mean a male chicken and a penis? X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValle...

The Soft Power of Like

26 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Terms such as "like" and "sort of" are ways for English speakers to sound more polite. Twitter: @lexiconvalley Facebook: facebook.com/LexiconValle...

The Soft Power of Like

26 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Words and phrases that are often dismissed as filler are actually conveying politeness. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite:...

Men, Women and Children

12 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

What is it with people and animals and irregular plurals? Twitter: @lexiconvalley Facebook: facebook.com/LexiconValley Website: booksmartstudios....

Men, Women and Children

12 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The weird plurals of sentient beings. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley Learn more abo...

Zombie English

29 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Long-dead elements of the language still haunt our everyday speech. Twitter: @lexiconvalley Facebook: facebook.com/LexiconValley Website: booksma...

Zombie English

29 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Dead parts of our language have a way of sticking around. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconV...

Let's Do Lunch

16 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Come table-hopping as we discuss the linguistic quirks of some mealtime terms. Twitter: @lexiconvalley Facebook: facebook.com/LexiconValley Websi...

Let's Do Lunch

16 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Come table-hopping as we discuss the linguistic quirks of mealtime terms. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstud...

How to Think Like a Linguist

01 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Never mind those 26 letters — the English language has 44 unique sounds. Twitter: @lexiconvalley Facebook: facebook.com/LexiconValley Website: bo...

How to Think Like a Linguist

01 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The alphabet doesn't quite capture the many sounds we make. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/Lexico...

Has English Gotten Less Complex?

17 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

English has shed many of its nuances over the centuries. Take pronouns, for example. Twitter: @lexiconvalley Facebook: facebook.com/LexiconValley W...

Has English Gotten Less Complex?

17 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

English pronouns in particular have simplified over time. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconV...

S#!t, Hell and Darn

03 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Curse words can reveal a lot about language. S#!t, hell and darn, to name three, contain countless linguistic lessons. Twitter: @lexiconvalley Fa...

S#!t, Hell, and Darn

03 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Dissecting three common curse words. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley Learn more abou...

This Family Speaks 1,200 Languages

20 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

From Javanese to Tagalog, the wonderful Austronesian languages. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/Le...

This Family Speaks 1,200 Languages

19 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

From Madagascar to Easter Island, Austronesian tongues traveled far and wide with early seafarers. Twitter: @lexiconvalley Facebook: facebook.com/...

Language vs. Dialect

06 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The difference between a language and a dialect is mostly meaningless and entirely political. Twitter: @lexiconvalley Facebook: facebook.com/Lexi...

Language vs. Dialect

06 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

A language is a dialect with an army, to paraphrase a renowned linguist. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudi...

The Internet Loves the Exclamation Point!!

23 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

A conversation with linguist Gretchen McCulloch about her new book, Because Internet. Twitter: @lexiconvalley Facebook: facebook.com/LexiconValle...

The Internet Loves the Exclamation Point!!

23 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

On some of the deep forces that shape human language. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValle...

Why Is "Ph" Pronounced That Way?

09 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Why is ph pronounced that way? The answer is positively phantastic. Twitter: @lexiconvalley Facebook: facebook.com/LexiconValley Website: booksm...

Why Is “Ph” Pronounced That Way?

09 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

We have two F sounds in English but only one is spelled with the letter F. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstu...

Does Language Affect Thought?

25 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

We revisit the popular notion that our language helps shapes our worldview. Twitter: @lexiconvalley Facebook: facebook.com/LexiconValley Website...

Does Language Affect Thought?

25 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Another look at the so-called Whorf Hypothesis, the idea that the language you speak affects your perception of the world. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook:...

A Fleeting Glance

11 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The word transient reveals some enduring patterns in English pronunciation and etymology. Twitter: @lexiconvalley Facebook: facebook.com/LexiconV...

A Fleeting Glance

11 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Reflections on transience. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios.com/LexiconValley Learn more about your ad ...

The Romance Languages

28 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

What an ancient, undecipherable manuscript says—and doesn't say—about Latin and its spawn. Twitter: @lexiconvalley Facebook: facebook.com/Lex...

The Romance Languages

28 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

On French, Spanish, Italian, etc. — otherwise known as the Romances. X: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyWebsite: booksmartstudios...

Why Do Some Americans Say Warshed?

14 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The letter R has a habit of intruding on spoken English. How come? Twitter: @lexiconvalley Facebook: facebook.com/LexiconValley Website: booksma...