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1. How words like “tea” and “chai” traveled the world

Ever wondered why some people call it tea and others call it chai? Turns out, it all traces back to China, where the word for tea is cha (Mandarin). Depending on how tea left China- overland via the Silk Road or by sea with Dutch traders- different languages picked up different words. Overland? You get words like chai (Hindi) and sha (Japanese). By sea? That’s how English got tea (Dutch thee). Geography really said, “let’s make vocab spicy.”

2. Why does English have silent letters?

Silent letters are basically ghosts of English’s past. Back when Old English became Middle English, spelling wasn’t standardized, so people just wrote words phonetically. Then came the printing press and Norman French influence, and suddenly we had words with French-inspired spelling that didn’t match English pronunciation. Fast forward: English kept evolving, but the spelling didn’t. Now, knight is pronounced nite, and the k is just there for the vibes.

3. Why do accents exist?

Accents are basically linguistic fingerprints. They form when groups of speakers are separated by geography, class, or culture and start tweaking the way they speak. Over time, little changes in pronunciation stack up, creating new accents. Add in migration and colonization, and boom- you’ve got English sounding wildly different in New York, London, and Sydney. It’s evolution, but make it phonetic.

4. What is a contranym?

Contranyms are those sneaky words that mean two opposite things. Like, dust. Are you dusting to remove dust or to add dust (e.g., icing sugar)? Same with cleave-it can mean “to split apart” or “to cling together.” English is chaotic, and I, for one, respect it.

5. Why does ‘lol’ no longer mean ‘laughing out loud’?

Remember when lol meant you were actually laughing? Yeah, those days are gone. Now it’s more of a punctuation mark for tone. It can soften a sentence (that was awkward lol) or add distance (yeah lol sure). Basically, lol stopped being literal and became cultural-welcome to the evolution of internet slang.

6. Do animals have languages?

Animals communicate, sure, but do they have language? Not really, at least not in the way humans do. Human language has syntax, grammar, and infinite possibilities. Animals tend to have signals- like bee dances or whale songs- that are cool but limited. So, while dolphins are smart, they’re not writing Shakespeare.

7. Why do we say ‘on the bus’ but ‘in the car’?

English prepositions are a mess. But here’s the gist: we say on the bus because buses, trains, and planes are seen as shared, open spaces, like platforms. In the car works because cars are private and enclosed. It’s less about logic and more about vibes.

8. How many tenses does English really have?

If you’re out here thinking English has 12 tenses, congrats- you’ve been bamboozled. English actually has two tenses: past and present. Everything else (will go, has gone, is going)? Those are aspects, not tenses. Linguistics likes to complicate things, but now you know.

9. How do newborns start learning language?

Babies are linguistic sponges. From birth, they can tell apart sounds from any language. But by 6 months, they’re like, “I’m only focusing on the languages I hear daily.” They pick up patterns, learn stress and intonation, and start babbling. By 12 months, they’re onto their first words. Tiny geniuses, honestly.

10. Why do some languages have gendered nouns?

Always wanted to know how to make your perfume last longer? I got you~ 🩷

Make sure your skin is clean! Use body lotion; can be scented or unscented

Apply to your chest, neck and arms. If your body lotion is floral scented, use floral perfume. This goes the same for any scent!

After this, you want to use roll-on perfume oil and apply it to behind your ears and under your jawline, and on your collar bones.

Spray your perfume behind both of your ears. Whenever someone hugs you, they can instantly smell your perfume and it is intoxicating. Second, spray perfume on both wrists and pat them together. Don't rub! ❌ This minimizes the scent notes.

Spray both of your collar bones, avoid spraying the front of your neck or your bare chest, as it can cause wrinkles! (Not that wrinkles are bad, just that if that isn't your goal, I wouldn't recommend it.)

Spray in the inside of both elbows, pat into the skin.

All of these areas are where blood flows most, therefore making these places warmer. Warmth helps the scent to air out and circulate. These areas also help to mix the perfume with your natural scent.

And lastly, spray the back of your neck so you leave a nice, fragrant trail behind you.

23-29. Mixed fibers.

Timothée at the “Little Women” photocall in London on December 16, 2019.✨