The United States has long attracted many of the world’s brightest minds. While our universities and businesses benefit from such a dazzling array of experts, foreign professionals and students often find themselves careening headlong into cultural and linguistic barriers that divide them from their American counterparts. To ease the process for them and the American […]
Accent Reduction Training in the 21st Century Read More »
Linda Thompson is a philologist and longtime Executive Assistant of the National Museum of Language. In fact, we like to think she’s the “glue” that holds the Museum in place. Lately, she has also been the cartoonist for the Greek language Philogelos and Arthur the Rat/Dictionary of American English (DARE) comic strips on our homepage.
On Language and Illustration: Interview with Linda Thompson Read More »
To pay tribute to the talented interpreters who help deaf and mute individuals communicate, we’d like to give you a brief history of sign language interpretation. While ad hoc versions of sign language have existed throughout the course of human civilization, it was not until the 17th century that the Western world saw a systematic
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As part of the International Network of Language Museums, we’re in great company. The 11 member museums span 10 countries and 3 continents, and we thought you might like to hear about the fascinating work they do. Read on to learn about Mundolingua, a Parisian museum in the heart of the Latin Quarter. Mundolingua opened its doors
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Read on to find out the fascinating and unexpected etymologies of 10 U.S. cities. Albuquerque Named for its founder, Francisco Fernandez de la Cueva, Duke of Albuquerque, the original word is derived from the Latin albus, meaning “white”, and quercus, meaning “oak.” Atlanta Having undergone numerous name-changes – from Terminus
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Photo Credit: citizenswaine Latin, Spanish, French, and a host of Native American languages – the names of the states paint a robust picture of our country’s roots. Here they are, in alphabetical order. Alabama: From the Choctaw language albah amo, meaning “plant-cutters.” Alaska: From the Aleut language alaxsxaq, meaning “mainland.” Arizona: From the Basque arizonak, meaning
The United States of Etymology Read More »
As part of the International Network of Language Museums, we’re in great company. The 11 member museums span 10 countries and 3 continents, and we thought you might like to hear about the fascinating work they do. Read on to learn about Dr Johnson’s House, the museum housed in a 300-year old building where Samuel Johnson compiled the
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The history of architecture furnishes the lover of language with a robust supply of unusual and enlightening etymologies. The term itself was initially popularized in English in the 1550s from the Greek arkhitekton, meaning “master builder.” Here you’ll find 5 etymologies from the field of architecture, from the ancient Greeks to modern times. Cantilever: A popular structure of
Dogs, Butterflies, and Buildings: 5 Architectural Etymologies Read More »
Text and cartoons by Linda Thompson The Philogelos, typically translated as “the joker” or “the one who loves laughter”, is an ancient Greek collection of approximately 265 jokes. Dating to the 4th or 5th century CE, it typically bears the title of the world’s oldest surviving collection of jokes. After reading Dan Crompton’s translation of
The Philogelos: Joke #197 Read More »
