Etymology

The recent media frenzy surrounding Sarah Palin’s coinage of the non-word “refudiate” has put the topic of word invention in the news. A look at how words go from the streets to the dictionary shows that word invention is ultimately a popularity contest.

» Read More of Can’t Refudiate that Word Invention Is a Popularity Contest

Foreign language games are sort of like soccer – it seems like you can find them being played in pretty much every country in the world. While some games seem to translate into any tongue, others are uniquely suited to certain languages.

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In the great soccer vs. football terminology debate, it seems that Americans are the only ones on the soccer side of the line – but who’s right? And while we’re at it, where did the term “soccer” come from, anyway?

» Read More of Soccer vs. Football: Naming the International Game

Translating language is a delicate job that falls somewhere between the realms of art and science, requiring both technical attention to detail and a touch of imagination.

In fact, it’s not uncommon for resourceful translators to get creative and add new words to a language’s lexicon when a term in the source language doesn’t exist in the target language.

» Read More of How Translating a Language Can Create New Words

A side effect of globalization is the way that languages influence one another and evolve thanks to increased foreign exposure.

Languages can be enriched by such cross-linguistic contact. But is there also a chance that unique languages will lose their purity — and even become threatened with endangerment?

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Unfriend, staycation, locavore and frenemy are all invented words that have recently been added to the dictionary. The English language is generating new words all the time.

Find out who invented these 10 words — and the works in which they first appeared!

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You might know some fun facts about the presidents. But did you know that one had a Japanese word named after him? Or that one was a translator before he became a US president?

Learning another language is a useful skill — especially for national leaders! This Presidents Day, learn some unusual language facts about the presidents you won’t have learned in history class.

» Read More of Language Facts About the Presidents

Looking for a way to show you care this Valentine’s Day? Say it in another language with an international love idiom!

There are dozens of idiomatic expressions about love in English, and many countries have similar love idioms — with some slight variations. Try out these love idioms for any romantic situation!

» Read More of Love Idioms in Any Language

Schools in Manchester, England banned slang in schools last month, as professors claiming the slang language is hampering students’ abilities to decide what language is appropriate for certain environments.

But how can we tell when language is slang? Many words that used to be considered slang language have now become accepted as a common addition to English lexicon, and would be considered acceptable on any occasion.

» Read More of Banning Slang?: Language in Transition

California, Canada, The Bronx. Between cities, states, countries and continents, we know hundreds of place names like the back of our hand. But have you ever stopped to think about origins of those place names?

Check out some of these places to discover the linguistic origin behind the names. Some of them might surprise you!

» Read More of 10 Unusual Origins of Place Names