Putting Words in Your Mouth: The Whimsical Language of Food
Many whimsically named regional foods focus instead on telling a story that often sounds neither delicious nor sophisticated. How do such odd names stick?
Mele Kalikimaka! How To Say “Merry Christmas” In Hawaiian
Translating "Merry Christmas" into Hawaiian offers insight into the language's modest inventory of consonants.
More Hipster Than Thou: Is Vintage Language Back in Vogue?
A look at the recent boon in archaic terms and its relationship to "hipster" culture.
Hearing Harriet Smith
In the University of Texas library, our writer found a previously unknown audiotape of an interview with a woman who'd been born into slavery.
Yas Queen! It’s the Spelling Reform School for Wayward Words
Debates over English spelling reform have existed for centuries.
Dear Pedants: Your Fave Grammar Rule is Probably Fake
What constitutes ‘correct’ grammar in English seems to have a cyclical life, aided and abetted by new generations of enthusiastic grammarians.
All About That Taboo: When Good Words Go Bad
The phenomenon of sacres, or taboo words that start from fairly innocuous beginnings.