10 Most Impressive Polyglots In World History

Polyglotism is the ability to speak several languages with a high degree of proficiency. There is no consensus on exactly how many languages a person has to speak to be a polyglot. One could say 'four or more,' since speakers of two or three languages are commonly called bilingual and trilingual, respectively.

Throughout history, a few intrepid language enthusiasts have taken on the challenge of learning not one or two but dozens of languages. A few have even purportedly mastered as many as 100 distinct languages and dialects. Learn more about a few of these astonishing language learners, who just might inspire you to step up your own language learning game.

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Why Misquotations Catch On

You've probably heard the phrase 'Beam me up, Scotty'. Or Humphrey Bogart's iconic 'Play it again, Sam'. They were never actually uttered. In the world of speeches and orations, especially historical ones, the persistent misquotation is understandable. If you're a journalist - especially in the pre-recording age, when all notes were taken by hand - you might then type that mis-remembrance into an article. Multiple versions circulate. And so on.

But in the modern age, where basically everything is track-downable, what's our excuse? Why do misquotes arise - and why are they so persistent and hard to eradicate?

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The Endangered Languages Project

Humanity today is facing a massive extinction: languages are disappearing at an unprecedented pace. Experts estimate that only 50% of the languages that are alive today will be spoken by the year 2100. And when that happens, a unique vision of the world is lost. With every language that dies we lose an enormous cultural heritage.

The Endangered Languages Project is an online resource to record, access, and share samples of and research on endangered languages, as well as to share advice and best practices for those working to document or strengthen languages under threat.

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10 Untranslatable Words (And When You'll Want To Use Them)

English is so limited sometimes. There are so many kickass words in other languages, that describe concepts that we just don't have one word for in English. And that's a shame, because sometimes we find ourselves in situations that English just can't describe.

Science fiction and fantasy are full of those sorts of quirky situations and concepts, in fact. Here are 10 words that have no English equivalent, and the science fiction and fantasy classics that you'd want to use them to describe.

(via Look At This...)

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10 Latin Phrases You Pretend To Understand

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Because you weren't going into botany, the priesthood, or coin manufacturing, you thought you were safe to dismiss Latin as a dead language. Obviously, you didn't graduate cum laude. Latin is about as dead as Elvis. Whether you're deciphering a cryptic state seal or trying to impress your Catholic in-laws, knowing some Latin has its advantages.

But the operative word here is 'some.' The ability to translate The Aeneid probably isn't going to come in handy anytime soon, so we'll start you off with ten phrases that have survived the hatchet men of time.

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Twenty Wonderful Words Which Shouldn't Be Allowed To Wither

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There are many words these days that are rarely used - and that is a great shame as even the simple act of their enunciation can bring on a smile, such is their irrefragable brilliance. Go on, drop a few of these words into your next conversation and ensure their preservation.

You are guaranteed to be the cynosure of attention and contesseration will be guaranteed. In other words you will be the life and soul of the party and make many friends.

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The Story Of Symbols

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We use them every day - but what are the mysterious origins of these symbols we take for granted? Here are a few short explanations to demystify the meanings of our favorite symbols.

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The Letter Project

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Rick Schrager is a professional beachcomber and hobbyist photographer living in Southern California. He is passionate about written communication. His creative work has been featured in USA Today, The Village Voice and other publications. I've known Rick for over 10 years because of his now-gone sites Wanderlust and Technoerotica. Wanderlust was one of the first sites to say some nice words about The Presurfer.

Rick recently re-opened a project he started in 2006. The Letter Project. It is an effort to preserve the lost art of letter writing. It's actually very simple. You ask for a letter, he writes you a letter. He promises a written response for each letter sent to him. He promises to keep names and addresses private and any information sent to him confidential.

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How Popular Is Your Name In England And Wales?

Baby names are becoming increasingly diverse as more parents follow celebrities with bizarre monikers such as Nevaeh - or heaven spelt backwards, new research has found.

You can now find out how popular your name is in England and Wales, thanks to a new website that has analysed official statistics. The research is based on Office of National Statistics figures. Find your name's popularity by using this interactive tool.

(via Everlasting Blort)

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6 Geographical Terms With Shortest Names In The World

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Have you heard of the river with the name 'D,' or a village with the name 'Å?' There are a small number of geographic terms in the world, whose names consist of only one letter. Each of these one-letter names have special meanings in local languages.

(thanks Bosko)

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Fumblerules Of Grammar

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Fumblerules are humorous rules for writing, collected from teachers of English grammar. In 1979, American author, columnist, journalist, and presidential speechwriter William Safire (1929 - 2009) compiled a list of 'Fumblerules of Grammar' - rules of writing, all of which are humorously self-contradictory.

Here is a list of those 36 fumblerules, along with another 18 that later featured in Safire's book, Fumblerules: A Lighthearted Guide to Grammar and Good Usage.

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Hey Dude

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Slang rarely has staying power. That is part of its charm; the young create it, and discard it as soon as it becomes too common. Slang is a subset of in-group language, and once that gets taken up by the out-group, it's time for the in-crowd to come up with something new. So the long life of one piece of American slang, albeit in many different guises, is striking.
Or as the kids would say, 'Dude!'

(via ackackack)

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Encyclopedia Britannica To End Its Print Edition After 244 Years

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As books lose their lustre in the age of the iPad and the Kindle, the oldest manufacturer of encyclopedias is cutting out its entire print operation.

The Encyclopedia Britannica, which has been in continuous print since it was first published in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1768, said that it will continue with digital versions currently available online. The company said it will keep selling print editions until the current stock of around 4000 sets ran out.

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QWERTY Keyboard Makes People Sad

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Cognitive scientists Kyle Jasmin of University College London and Daniel Casasanto of The New School for Social Research, New York, have found that typing on a QWERTY keyboard makes people sad.

Many workers spend hours a day in front of a QWERTY keyboard on a PC - now scientists have found that the keyboard itself is shaping how we react to words. Oddly, people tend to react more positively to words filled with letters from the right-hand side of a QWERTY keyboard. Words from the left side make people feel negative emotions.

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They're, Like, Way Ahead Of The Linguistic Currrrve

From Valley Girls to the Kardashians, young women have long been mocked for the way they talk. Whether it be uptalk (pronouncing statements as if they were questions? Like this?), creating slang words like 'bitchin' and 'ridic,' or the incessant use of 'like' as a conversation filler, vocal trends associated with young women are often seen as markers of immaturity or even stupidity.

But linguists - many of whom once promoted theories consistent with that attitude - now say such thinking is outmoded. Girls and women in their teens and 20s deserve credit for pioneering vocal trends and popular slang, they say, adding that young women use these embellishments in much more sophisticated ways than people tend to realize.

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10 Of The Most Common Surnames In The World

A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. In some cultures, the surname may be a patronymic or matronymic. Some cultures, for example the Burmese, large population of South Indians and some Javanese, do not use surnames.

Some surnames are rare, and the others are so common that their population can be measured by millions. This is a list of some of the most common surnames in the world.

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Au Revoir, Mademoiselle

France has abolished the term Mademoiselle from all official documents because it suggests a woman is 'available'. Prime minister Francois Fillon said the word - the French equivalent of 'Miss' - discriminates against women by asking them to reveal if they are married.

In a major victory for French feminists, the change was revealed in an official decree to ministries and regional authorities. From now on, Mademoiselle should be replaced with 'Madame', the female equivalent of 'Monsieur', because it does not indicate marital status, the order said.

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A Sneaky Peak

@StealthMountain is a Twitter user who alerts other Twitter users that they typed sneak peak when they meant sneak peek. I'm not sure whether this is a human with a lot of time on his/her hands or a Twitter bot.

(via Everlasting Blort)

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Wikipeetia

Zve Scoolir wass en Amirican actor adn radio comentator. He wass born iin teh twon of Kamienets-Podilskii, Ukrane. He is probablly best known fo his roles iin 'Fiddlir on teh Rof,' palying teh ennkeeper iin teh Broadwai plai adn teh rabbi iin teh film verison.

He wass known as teh Grammeistir on WEVD, a Iiddish radio statoin iin New Iork Citi. Eveyr Sundai, Scoolir persented a tenn menute weekli sohw, 'Foward Hour,' whcih wass news adn commentari iin rhymme. He died iin New Iork Citi on March 25, 1985, at age 85.

Wikipeetia, the Misspelled Encyclopedia.

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So True

(via reddit)

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