Archive - Q&A of Lexicon Valley from Booksmart Studios

Was Batman a Linguist?

Also, are some languages more idiomatic than others?

Apr 16 •

January 2024

Did Every Language Evolve from Just One?

Also, does John have a favorite extinct language?

Jan 26 •

October 2023

Sheriff, Plaintiff, Bailiff,

Why are there so many -iff words in law enforcement? Plus, the evolution of Word!

Oct 17, 2023 •

August 2023

Arigatō/Obrigado ... Coincidence?

Are the words for "thank you" in Japanese and Portuguese related?

Aug 30, 2023 •

July 2023

Why Did People "Ejaculate" in Old Books?

Also, is our 's for possessives just a shortened form of "his"?

Jul 26, 2023 •

How Stripped Down Can a Language Get?

Do we need thousands of words — or even verb tenses — to communicate?

Jul 1, 2023 •

May 2023

Does "Grandfathered" Trace to Slavery?

Also, does Russian have regional accents, like English or Italian?

May 19, 2023 •

Awesome! Fearsome! Why "Some"?

Also, what are the easiest languages to learn?

May 8, 2023 •

April 2023

He/She/It ... Is

Is there something special about the third person singular that would make it a more likely candidate to be borrowed?

Apr 13, 2023 •

February 2023

The Cultural Shades of "Disrespect"

Also, are redundancies like "also ... too" more common nowadays?

Feb 28, 2023 •

Why Do I Say "Frankly" So Much?

Plus: one, two, three ... but first, second, third. Are all languages weird like that?

Feb 16, 2023 •

January 2023

Why Does Gaelic Look That Way?

Also, the existential angst of THERE.

Jan 17, 2023 •

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