The Ancient Pictorial Origins of the Alphabet
RobWords looks at the origins of the alphabet and the pictorial and evolutionary path that each letter took from various early languages.
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A Brief Animated History of the English Language
Harrison Holt of The Generalist Papers offered a very brief but thorough animated explanation of the history of the English language.
Why the Names of British Locations Often Sound Different From The Way They Are Spelled
In a tongue-twisting episode of Map Men, comedians Jay Foreman (previously) and Mark Cooper Jones spell out the history of British location names that don’t…
Mel Brooks Hilariously Portrays an Impatient Old Man Who Interprets Modern Art in the 1963 Film ‘The Critic’
In the 1963 short film “The Critic”, a young Mel Brooks does a hilarious impression of an old man who has been asked to interpret…
Why the English Language Requires That the Letter ‘Q’ Almost Always Be Followed by the Letter ‘U’
In the latest episode of their continually fascinating and informative etymological whiteboard series for Mental Floss, linguist Arika Okrent and illustrator Sean O’Neill verbally and…
Why the English Language Has So Many Words That Mean Exactly the Same Thing
In their wonderful whiteboard series for Mental Floss , linguist Arika Okrent and illustrator Sean O’Neill verbally and visually explain why the English language has…