Long-form pieces on languages, learners, and the politics of what gets called a language.
Which languages let you talk to the most people? A look at speaker counts, geographic spread, and internet presence to find the best combination for global communication.
Across Africa and beyond, countries are dropping French as their official language and replacing it with indigenous ones. Nine languages worth learning in this context.
Grammatical gender has almost nothing to do with male and female. Some languages have 3 genders, some have 18, and one has up to 140. A tour of the most elaborate noun class systems on the planet.
China leads the world in manufacturing, renewables, high-speed rail, EVs, and AI. Its films break global records. Its apps have billions of users. Here's why Mandarin is the language of the 21st century.
North Korean Korean builds vocabulary from native roots, calls countries by their own names, and reflects a political project unlike anything else in modern linguistics. Here's why Munhwaeo deserves your attention.