#historical-linguistics

#historical-linguistics

Swedish King Charles XII was down on his luck, defeated by the Russians and camping out in a place called Bender in Moldova, then part of the Ottoman Empire. The Turkish sultan was getting tired of the Swedes hanging around on his territory, so Turkish forces crowded into Bender. Mayhem ensued. Charles was forced out. What a kalabalik!

Language is always changing - words fall out of use, phrases fade, and new slang takes their place. But every now and then, it's worth looking back at what we've lost. The Middle Ages gave us an extraordinary range of expressions: oaths that could shake heaven, blessings that upheld kings, and sayings so sharp they still ring true today. Some of these phrases have vanished entirely, while others quietly survive in our speech without us even noticing. Here are ten medieval phrases that we think deserve a comeback.

Gabe Henry traces the history of efforts for simplified spelling from a 12th-century monk through luminaries like Shaw and Franklin, illustrating our spelling conundrum.