It Took Researchers Twenty Years To Figure Out The Rosetta Stone
The Rosetta Stone unlocked a huge amount of knowledge about the ancient world. Or at least it would after scholars spent like two decades figuring out what it said.
Some American Hockey Players Develop Canadian-Ish Accents
There’s some linguistic research that suggests that American hockey players sometimes start to sound more like Canadians as their hockey careers continue.
If Humans Start Living On Other Worlds, They Might End Up Creating New Accents
Scientists and technicians are trying to figure out the logistics of off-Earth human bases. If that happens, there's some research that suggests the communities could end up developing their own accents.
The Letter Z Once Looked Like A Fancy Capital I
This is our very last episode of 2023, so we’re telling the story of the final stop in our 26 letter alphabet: here’s where Z came from.
Teddy Roosevelt Tried To Change How We Spell Words
Today in 1906 a vote in Congress put an end to one of President Theodore Roosevelt’s top priorities: simplifying the way we spell words. Or, as he would have preferred, spel wurds.
How “Hello” Became The English Language’s Way Of Saying Hello
Today is World Hello Day, so we explain how and when English speakers started using the word "hello" to say hello.
Some Of The World’s Languages Are Whistled
It's National Mother Language Day. Many of the world's thousands of languages are spoken, written and/or signed... and at least a few are whistled.
A Delicious Cookie With A Bad Name Won’t Taste As Sweet
Research from the Ohio State University just found that the words we use to describe food can affect how we perceive its taste.
An Email Mixup Led To A Very Strange Welsh Road Sign
This week in 2008, local officials in Swanzey tried to get English-to-Welsh translation for a road sign they wanted to put up. They got a Welsh sentence in response, but it wasn't what they thought.
Babies Babble, And So Do Baby Bats
If you’ve ever been around a baby you probably heard some cooing, gurgling and babbling, as the babies try to make the sounds adults make. Some new research finds if you spend time with baby bats, you might hear them doing essentially the same thing.