A blog about all things linguistic by Gretchen McCulloch. I cohost Lingthusiasm, a podcast that’s enthusiastic about linguistics. I’m the author of Because Internet, a book about internet language!
lukittuhhh : it’s not that unusual, in translation, to come across something that has a dedicated word or expression in the source language but requires a lengthier explication in the target text. sometimes, however, it’s the other way around! not so much found in the process of translation as found waiting for you in translation. a very satisfying case, in the very first chapter I…
lingthusiasm : lingthusiasm : 101 places to get enthusiastic about linguistics In honour of Lingthusiasm’s 100th episodiversary , we’ve compiled this list of 101 public-facing places where linguists and linguistics nerds hang out and learn things! 17 podcasts about linguistics Lingthusiasm — A podcast that’s enthusiastic about linguistics! The Vocal Fries — Language…
superlinguo : ALT ALT ALT ALT ALT La Trobe Linguistics Program Zine at University Open Day 2026 I have been enjoying making Lingthusiasm zines, so when we started making plans for our University Open Day this year, I realised that a zine was the perfect format for introducing linguistics, our team, and subjects available. I found they were well suited to this kind of event and wanted to share the…
lingthusiasm : Bonus 114: How poetry reveals the structure of languages | Lingthusiasm Roses are red Violets are blue English poems are stress-based This is not a haiku In this bonus episode, Gretchen and Lauren get enthusiastic about how the structure of a language influences what forms of poetry are possible in the language. We talk about why so much English poetry depends on not putting the…
nudityandnerdery : So, there’s a post about how Bertie Wooster’s “what ho!” is a corruption of Beowulf’s “Hwaet!” And @fremedon and @oldshrewsburyian wrote up some things I decided to voice.
lingthusiasm : ALT Lingthusiasm gets into zines! We hear from people a lot who are enthusiastic about linguistics, and many of you have been trying to get other people in your life also into linguistics, which is amazing! Whether it’s linguistics fans trying to articulate their (our) excitement to family and friends, linguistics academics trying to spread the word to future students who…
lingthusiasm : ALT ALT ALT ALT ALT Why does “ie” turn “dog” into itty bitty “doggie”? In this Lingthusiasm zine , Leah Velleman gets enthusiastic about diminutives. Yes, this one is extra tiny, it’s a diminutive zine about diminutives! A zinelet? Or zineling? Print and fold your own copies 8½ x 11 paper A4 paper How to cut and fold a minizine (for this…
sufficientlylargen : sufficientlylargen : millionsknives : millionsknives : can you curry anything else or is it just favor tim So “currying” a furry animal means grooming or brushing it with a currycomb, which in turn comes from the Old French correier meaning “to prepare [something]”, because you prepare a horse for riding by brushing it; it’s most commonly applied…
lingthusiasm : ALT ALT ALT ALT ALT The same gesture can mean different things, or have different names in different languages. In this Lingthusiasm zine , Lauren Gawne gets enthusiastic about these “emblem gestures." Print and fold your own copies 8½ x 11 paper: colou r , b&w A4 paper: colour , b&w How to cut and fold a minizin e Learn more Why do we gesture when we talk? (Lingthusiasm…
lingthusiasm : ALT ALT ALT ALT ALT Here are two shapes. If you had to assign the name “bouba” to one of them and “kiki” to the other, which name would you give to which? If you think about it, you probably have a guess… In this Lingthusiasm zine , Gretchen McCulloch gets enthusiastic about these two linguistically famous shapes. Print and fold your own copies for free! 8½ x…
lingthusiasm : 118: Using tech to chat with bonobos, dogs, and whales Can we teach dogs to express their needs better by pressing buttons? What about the studies trying to teach bonobos and other primates to communicate through buttons or signs? What have we learned about whale communication from the first-ever recording of a sperm whale birth? In this episode, your hosts Lauren Gawne and Gretchen…
berlynn-wohl : allaark : berlynn-wohl : Me in 2006: I’m still bitter about that Me in 2016: I’m still salty about that Me in 2026, probably: I’m still umami about that Well, are you?. We’re waiting. There’s a lot to be umami about these days.
fansplaining : How Fans Make Fictional Languages Real Our latest is live! ✨ Maria Temming reports on the worlds of fictional constructed language (aka conglang) speakers. For fans gathering around Na'vi, Elvish, Klingon, Dothraki, or High Valyrian, it’s about more than a connection to canon—it’s about community. Conlang aficionados will also note that the definition of a “useful”…
lingthusiasm : Bonus 113: Czeching out…the Voynich Manuscript? Deleted scenes from Danny Bate & Claire Bowern | Lingthusiasm Learning languages and solving linguistic puzzles: two great topics that we’re always interested in a new angle on! In this bonus episode, Lauren and Gretchen get enthusiastic about some of our favourite deleted bits from recent interviews that we didn’t…
lingthusiasm : Lingthusiasm Episode 117: What makes for beautiful writing, scientifically speaking Sometimes, a phrase seems to leap off the page and lodge into your mind, crisp and shining like a precious jewel. Other times, you’re reading something and it just won’t stick, your eyes wandering away no matter how hard you try. In this bonus episode, Gretchen gets enthusiastic about…
ipa-tournament : Sexiest IPA Symbol: Pulmonic Consonants Round 5 match 1: [ɸ] v [β] v [ɬ] Which IPA symbol is sexier? [ɸ] [β] [ɬ] See Results [ɸ] Voiceless bilabial fricative [β] Voiced bilabial fricative [ɬ] Voiceless Alveolar Lateral Fricative To hear what these sound like, you can use an interactive IPA chart