Language Curiosities

What do the names of countries mean?

What do the names of countries mean?

What is in a name? Well, actually, quite a lot sometimes. We often take the names of the things surrounding us — including the countries of the world — for granted. However, country names can have a rich history and often interesting facts behind them.  Toponymy,...

The business of translation

The business of translation

We know our business What is the difference between Traditional and Simplified Chinese? Should a translation into English follow UK or US spelling rules? Does Korean use ideograms or an alphabet? What are the differences between European and American Spanish or...

Religiolects: Beyond Yiddish

Religiolects: Beyond Yiddish

The language vs. dialect debate is a well-worn one. But did you know that sociolinguists are also researching the concept of religiolects? Religiolect is a term, coined by linguist Benjamin Hary, that refers to a language variant specific to a...

The Strange Case of the Chivalric Romance

The Strange Case of the Chivalric Romance

How a Chivalric Romance from Valencia altered the course of Literature What do you think of when you hear “the Middle Ages”? If you’re imagining knights and quests, dragons and damsels, you’ve been influenced by the chivalric romance. Today, novels are just as much...

The Homeric Question

The Homeric Question

The Homeric Question Ancient history is a fascinating topic. Partly because, the further back we go in history the fewer written records, and the less evidence there is. When it comes to events that occurred BCE — before the common era — a lot of heavily debated...

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