During the holiday season, we hear Merry Christmas countless times. How did we settle on this Christmas greeting? It’s not clear, but in the United States, the word merry is almost exclusively used in the Christmas season. Merry in this phrase means “festive or characterized by rejoicing.” One of the earliest known uses of Merry Christmas is in a December 22, 1534, record of a …
Where in the world do people speak Spanish? If you sat down to make a list, you’d notice right away that the number of countries you can add to it is pretty substantial. Spanish is one of the most prevalent languages in the world, as it’s spoken not only in Spain and Mexico but also throughout North, Central, and South America and the African continent. …
For many English-speaking folks, the odds of encountering the French names for the days of the week are pretty low. Sure, you might encounter the French Mardi (Tuesday) every year during Mardi Gras (“Fat Tuesday” in English), but other examples are few and far between. So, if you feel like your vocabulary is missing that certain je ne sais quoi, then maybe a tiny little …
Catalan is a Romance language spoken primarily in the Eastern and Northeastern regions of Spain, mainly Catalonia, Valencia and the Balearic Isles. It is the official language of Andorra, a landlocked country located in the Eastern Pyrenees (mountains bordered by Spain and France). The Catalan language was nearly wiped out in the early 1700s only to experience a renaissance beginning in the early 20th century. What …
What language do these words come from: ouch-cay, appy-hay, and ender-tay? If you guessed Pig Latin, you’re correct. What is Pig Latin? Pig Latin is not actually a language but a language game that children (and some adults) use to speak “in code.” Pig Latin words are formed by altering words in English. Here’s how it works: First, pick any English word. We’ll use dictionary. …