Latest articles by Arika Okrent
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How do you do a Philadelphia accent?
feature Repeat after me: "Halve the hoagie, then have half"
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16 characters from other languages that make great emoticons
feature Pro tip: Obscure Indian alphabets can really step up your game
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9 little translation mistakes that caused big problems
feature The importance of good translation is most obvious when things go wrong
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8 fun facts about the Irish language
feature Happy St. Patrick's Day!
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20 towns named for other towns but pronounced differently
feature In Illinois and Kentucky, don't call the cities of Athens, ATH-ens. They're pronounced EIGHTH-ens, apparently.
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The evolution of Facebook's pronoun problem
feature "Arika has changed their profile picture."
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11 inscriptions on old buildings that tell it like it is
feature "We shall die all"
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15 words etymologically inspired by animals
feature Animals have always been important to the lives and livelihoods of humans, so it's no wonder they've left a mark on language
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17 words that describe themselves
feature Autological words are a self-centered, self-referential bunch
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11 common words with very specific meanings on food labels
feature Companies can't use the word "light" lightly
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Why have baby-names become increasingly female-sounding?
feature Since 1950, both boys' and girls' names have been taking on more feminine characteristics
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These fascinating maps show countries as named in their own languages
feature We hear Magyarország is lovely this time of year
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Why English spelling is so messed up
feature The explanation may not comfort you, but it may at least make you see the language as less arbitrarily maddening
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11 teeny units of measurement for tiny things
feature When someone says they'll be "back in two shakes!" they're probably overpromising...
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The language Isaac Newton invented
feature Newton is credited with many, many scientific innovations. His linguistic creations, on the other hand, never really took off.
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11 brand names with plural problems
feature We're looking at you, LEGO
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Is it possible to think without language?
feature There is evidence that deaf people cut off from language, spoken or signed, think in sophisticated ways before they have been exposed to language
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Iko iko wan dey: What do the words to that Mardi Gras song mean?
feature A look at the origins of Mardi Gras' most popular song
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The least popular American baby names (from 1880 to 1932)
feature Handy, Spurgeon, Icy, Flem, Sister, and more
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15 words you didn't realize were named after people
feature The hidden history of eponyms, revealed
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The true origin story of the football huddle
feature It was first invented by deaf players
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Where did the expression 'OK' come from?
feature It's amazing that we ever got along without it at all. But we did until 1839
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26 fancy, unusual plurals that work like 'attorneys general'
feature Be careful or the grammar police might slap you with multiple courts-martial
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Fascinating facts about 10 national anthems
feature Andorra is the only nation whose anthem has a first-person narrative. France's anthem is incredibly gory. And more!
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