Archive - Language Travels

The first day of the year

From January to August, the months bear names derived from gods, emperors, and other Roman origins – no surprises there. However, the last four months …

Jan 1 •

November 2023

The connection between Galician and Portuguese

Welcome to the new Language Travels podcast

Nov 6, 2023 •

October 2023

Why does Norway have two names?

Let’s travel to Norway, a country that has two different names in its own language. Why?

Oct 5, 2023 •

August 2023

The woman who hated Catalan

Let's hear the story of the Portuguese woman who didn't like Catalan; the Barcelona man who didn't like Catalonia; the priest who was jealous of…

Aug 12, 2023 •

June 2023

The Strange Case of the English Princess Who Knew Two Languages

A while ago, I read an enthusiastic piece of news in the British newspaper The Independent: Princess Charlotte, daughter of William and Kate, is…

Jun 5, 2023 •

May 2023

History of the Galaxy from Chaucer to the Clash with Andromeda

The meaning of the word “galaxy” changed throughout the centuries, as did our understanding of the Universe.

May 31, 2023 •

English Usage in the 21 Century

A CETAPS Talk by Lane Greene (The Economist)

May 17, 2023 •

A Short History of Portuguese (and the World) in 10 Words

To celebrate World Portuguese Language Day (May 5th), we take a journey through the combined history of Portuguese and the world — in 10 words.

May 5, 2023 •

April 2023

The three languages of Gibraltar

We travel to Gibraltar in search of languages.

Apr 9, 2023 •

December 2022

The plural of "books" in Portuguese

It's a bit more complex than it seems at first sight.

Dec 5, 2022 •

November 2022

The origin of the letter "A"

My son is learning how to write the letter A. His own teacher learnt how to write it around thirty years ago. His teacher’s teacher learnt the same…

Nov 8, 2022 •

October 2022

Lost without translation

It is quite illuminating to see a theatre play in a language we don’t understand. We become quite aware of what is lost without translation.

Oct 23, 2022 •

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