The Japanese language can seem very rigid and formal. It is steeped in tradition and strict rules of acknowledgment of social status. These aspects of speaking Japanese can be lost on native English speakers who are not used to these seemingly rigid and unbending codes of linguistic conduct. But one would be very surprised to(…)

If you’re the kind of person who is forever on social media, your vocabulary probably changes on a fairly rapid basis. Squad goals, on fleek, and savage we might not use all that regularly today, for example because these words have already or are falling out of favor; though we’re still dead at the thought(…)

Not yet halfway through the year and already Webster’s has added a 1,000 new words to their dictionary. Though the old man Noah Webster himself might have been stymied by words like humblebrag, photobomb and listicle, the lexicographers at Merriam-Webster are encouraging the unstoppable language revolution. It’s true that none of these words are necessarily(…)

Slang is one of the few aspects of language that has the ability to change in the blink of an eye. As soon as it’s born, it mutates, evolves, and then passes through an extensive transformative process on social media where memes, GIFs, tweets, and status updates spit out any kind of new meaning. While(…)

Language doesn’t exist in a vacuum. We take it with us when we travel whether it be the slow migration of cultures moving from region to region or a backpacker hopping on a jet to explore the world for a year before settling down to life, language is our most essential baggage. English has become(…)

One of the great side effects of the massive breath of the English language is the slang to which it has given birth. As English has become the language of the world, the slang works its way into cultures and countries everywhere. Cool, kinky, crazy slang words of course. Hang out, chill out, freak out(…)

Language can define a generation; just look at the effect the internet, with sites like Tumblr, Vine, and Reddit, has had on the way we speak today. Groovy vernacular was common in the 60s, while the 80s was rad,  perhaps even tubular. What about the age of jazz during the 30s and the 40s? Whaddya(…)

In the last five or so years, hipsters have become a huge part of Millennial culture. They’re usually known for their love of flannel, skinny jeans, obscure bands, and indie films. They can be found hanging out at hole-in-the-wall coffee shops or browsing for clothes at their local vintage shop. Furthermore, hipsters are generally famous(…)

Unless you have been living under a rock these past few weeks, you’ll know what Pokémon Go is. Chances are, even if you haven’t played the game for yourself, you have become familiar with some new vocabulary such as pokestop: And pokemon gym – even if up until now you were clueless as to what(…)

Ever get the feeling that the people around you are speaking an entirely different language to you? We don’t mean that you’ve taken an impromptu holiday and found yourself surrounded by people speaking in a foreign tongue, although that doesn’t sound like the worst idea in the world really, now does it? No, what we’re(…)