The fact that we all have our own unique way of speaking is a beautiful thing. It's at the core of personal expression and contributes to the wonderful tapestry of language. But it also means that no form of expression can be 100%...

In some ways, colors are the ultimate example of language's power. The earliest humans didn't have words for colors. They had words for objects and actions, and it took tens of thousands of years for those words to evolve into the names...

Language is really more related to the brain than any other part of the body. It's where language "happens." Whether you're shaping words with your mouth, signing them with your hands, or writing them on paper, the bulk of the work is...

Across the globe, queer communities have relied on secret lexicons known as "argots" to communicate safely, which have developed over the years into what some call "verbal jazz."

Can you really invent a language? These people sure tried! But does anyone actually speak them?

English is the most widely spoken language on the planet. But, how did English become the most widely spoken language in the world? And why are there so many different kinds of Englishes?

There are no shortage of wacky names for alcoholic beverages, from Fuzzy Navels, to Sex on the Beaches, to the NSFW AMF. Humans have been enjoying alcoholic beverages since the dawn of civilization so there's plenty of linguistic...

Have you ever stressed out about sending an email, rereading it to see if it sounds okay, or wondering if you added too many exclamation points? Or maybe you feel confident when expressing yourself via text message, but you just can’t...

From the Brands Saying Bae in the 2010s, to the “wassup” ads of the 90s, advertisers are always trying to find ways to sound cool. But when brands on social media use a slang word in their marketing, that basically guarantees it's over....

Sign Languages are just as linguistically valid and vibrant as spoken languages, and beneficial to learn for Deaf and hearing people. So why for decades was it illegal to teach them in American schools?

It shouldn't matter what a food is called as long as it tastes good, right? Well, maybe not.

New advancements in technology are making it harder than ever to tell the difference between a computer and a human speaker... but what's going on under the hood? Is it really "language," or just a digital illusion?

Where do place names come from? Well, toponymy reveals a lot about the culture and history of a place, including the people who lived there, the nature of the settlements, and the geographic landscape. So that’s your short answer. For...

There's a good argument that the letter R is, at least sometimes, not a consonant at all, but a vowel. Does that mean your 1st grade teacher was lying to you? Not exactly. R is an incredibly weird letter, with so many different sounds...

Besides being annoying, what if the grammar police are actually... wrong?

English has more words than most other languages, but there are still so many familiar things and experiences that we don't have a word for... but other languages do! Here are some of our faves!

Gossip is an integral part of human social structure... and maybe the reason language evolved in the first place!

Pronouns may be little, but they say a lot, and they're always changing!

The English spelling system is a MESS... arguably more than any other language. How did it get this way?

Adaptable clichés called "snowclones" are EVERYWHERE on the internet. We use them for memes, inside jokes, to show our membership of the group. But they weren't invented online. In fact, they're way older than you think!

Does swearing get a bad rap? There's evidence that the shouting obscenities has an evolutionary purpose... and may be good for your psyche!

No topic is as universally avoided--yet universally unavoidable--as DEATH. So, it's got a lot of euphemisms in virtually every language.

It's one of the most studied — and most controversial — varieties of English. But many people still hold deep misconceptions about African-American English (AAE).

Before we decide from a long list of contenders, we'll have to figure out what the word "word" really means...