Few things can stress parents out like the belief, however fleeting, that their child is falling behind in some crucial stage of development and is therefore doomed to a life of anguish. Even before they are born, children are inspected, examined, and compared to their millions of peers in an effort to discover and head off any potential issues. [...]
When you think about how people speak in the Big Easy, you’re likely picturing a Southern drawl with a chic French flair, but the New Orleans accent and Cajun accent are actually two very distinct things. The biggest shocker for visitors to N’awlins is that a real New Orleans accent can sound quite similar to the accent in… New [...]
As computer programmers, graphic designers, and really nearly everyone starts to fret over AI making their jobs obsolete, it’s a good idea to remember that sometimes change is a very good thing. A quick peek through history will reveal some now-extinct jobs that were once considered normal, but today seem extraordinarily perilous, eccentric, or downright disgusting. Some of these [...]
If asked to give an example of a Native American word, the average American today would likely struggle to provide much more than “tee-pee” or maybe “moccasin,” but the United States holds a secret about Native American language, namely that over half of our states were originally named by Native Americans. From Alabama to Wyoming, the names of 26 [...]
Gone are the days of the milkman and chimney sweep, as technological advancements have sent a multitude of once-common jobs the way of the dodo. In their stead, however, are different jobs with shiny new titles like Chief Happiness Officer and Digital Overlord, names that would have baffled people just a few decades before. These unusual new job names [...]
Hawaii is known for good vibes, good waves, and a good deal of confusion over its language. It is one of the US’s few officially bilingual states, with English and Hawaiian of course being the official languages, but neither of those is the common language that actual Hawaiians and Hawaiian residents speak. The daily language is locally known as [...]
One of the core tenets of language and linguistics is that sometimes, things just don’t make sense. Anyone who has ever tried to learn a new language, whether mashing buttons on their Duolingo app or bumbling about in a foreign country, has felt that insight – “But why? That makes no sense.” Language is famous (and usually charming) for [...]
The Midwest is a BIG part of the country, and depending on who you ask, the region generally includes from North Dakota down to the bottom of Missouri, then east as far as Ohio. That means a lot of land mass and a lot of people, which is part of the reason the traditional Midwestern accent is generally considered [...]
Onomatopoeias are the delightful “sound words” that different languages use to describe what we hear in an informal way. Though they are informal (and often sound a bit silly), they are no less important and in fact may be some of our very first words. As infants, we may refer to a dog as a “woof-woof” (English) or a [...]
Are you familiar with the US’s oldest accent? If you’ve ever read a Stephen King novel or seen a movie adaptation like Carrie or It, you can proudly answer “Ayuh.” If your answer is no and you’re worried about being a chowderhead, read on to learn more about the New England accent and all its Yankee sophistication. New England [...]
