Is “guys” truly gender-neutral, or does its history tell a more complicated story? This article explores how a common everyday word carries different meanings for different speakers, and what its use reveals about language, identity, and social change.
The evolution of human speech involved anatomical changes like the development of the hyoid bone, controlled breathing, and specific oral structures. This capacity for symbolic thought, beyond mere imitation, enabled complex communication and cooperation. Language, deemed humanity’s greatest invention, arose from cognitive innovation rather than evolution alone, distinguishing Homo sapiens from other hominins.
Keep readingInuit languages have 400 words for snow, the story goes; English has one. Does that mean English speakers can’t see the various kinds of snow? Underneath the myth is a fascinating question: Does the language you speak shape what you’re able to perceive? That’s what the Whorfian hypothesis predicts. The answer turns out to be more interesting than yes or…
Keep readingSince Carlin’s 1972 listing, English has ballooned to 17 naughty words (estimates vary), more if you count the “iffy” ones, which you’d never find in a PG Disney movie (or on my mother’s lips). We American English speakers look positively prudish in contrast to Latin dictionaries that identify 50-100 profanities. How frequently Romans actually used them remains unknown. But why…
Keep readingDictionaries are the last word on language. They provide a definition, spelling and its variants, usage, etymology, pronunciation, and lots more. There’s one slight problem: They are slow to update. Why? Because a new word can take a supersonic flight around the globe while the dictionary is still lacing up its entries. Some history The very first dictionary that defined…
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They say people think about sex once an hour. Amateurs! My brain hums with thoughts about language nonstop.
Language Under the Hood is a 360-degree tour of language: the taboo thrill of swearing, the mystery of how humans started talking, the grammar rules we all break anyway. Join me if you write, edit, teach, argue about commas, or are simply a word nerd at heart.
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