Sometimes you would see two dots above some vowels, like Joyeux Noël (French for Merry Christmas), or naïve in, curiously, English. This diacritic can be found in alphabets from Albanian to Swedish. Normally represented by two dots above the letter where the sound is modified, or some other things, we also find a similar-looking sort … Continue reading Diaresis, tréma, Umlaut. Which is it?
Month: May 2023
Why do these place names have prepositions in them?
Look around place names in the United Kingdom and you will find many places with three or more words in their names, often with a preposition somewhere in the middle. Consider cities like Stoke-on-Trent, Southend-on-Sea, Newcastle upon Tyne, Barton-upon-Humber, Barton on Sea, and perhaps more famously, Stratford-upon-Avon. Each of these places has either an "on", … Continue reading Why do these place names have prepositions in them?
Guinea — 4 Countries, 1 Former Currency
Guinea. Guinea-Bissau. Equatorial Guinea. Papua New Guinea. Other than the words "and", "the", "of", and "Islands", Guinea is one of the names more commonly shared among multiple nations. It definitely piques the curiosity of people, who might wonder, why are there so many countries with Guinea in its name? Are they all in the same … Continue reading Guinea — 4 Countries, 1 Former Currency
The Language in the Hottest Place on Earth
If I ask you what the hottest place on Earth is, your answer might probably be either Death Valley, or somewhere in the Middle East or North Africa. After all, these are the regions that have recorded the highest ever temperatures on the planet, with 56.7 degrees Celsius in Death Valley, and 54 degrees Celsius … Continue reading The Language in the Hottest Place on Earth
The Language Closet 