Random Language Facts

    41 facts tagged with Language Facts

    Switching letters is called spoonerism. For example, saying "jag of Flapan", instead of "flag of Japan".
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    Borat, when supposedly speaking in Kazakh with his partner throughout the film, was actually speaking fluent Hebrew.
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    The word "clitoris" comes from the Greek word meaning "side of a hill".
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    The Danish word for condom is 'svangerskabsforebyggendemiddel'.
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    "Goodbye" came from "God bye" which came from "God be with you."
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    Before WWI, German Was the Second Most Widely Spoken Language in the United States
    Before it was repressed during World War I, German was the second most widely spoken language in the United States and many local governments, schools, and newspapers operated in German.
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    The equivalents of the English saying "That's Greek to me" are "This appears to be Spanish" (German), "This is Chinese to me" (Dutch), "It's German to me" (Philippines), "It's Hebrew" (Finnish), "It's Chinese to me" (Hebrew), "Sounds like Mars language/These are chicken intestines" (China).
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    Shakespeare invented over 1,700 words that we use today.
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