History Archives | The Pimsleur Language Blog https://www.pimsleur.com/blog/tag/history/ Learning another language doesn't have to be hard. Fri, 07 Mar 2025 23:00:59 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.5 What Part of No Don’t You Understand? Origins of the Word “No” https://www.pimsleur.com/blog/origins-of-the-word-no/ https://www.pimsleur.com/blog/origins-of-the-word-no/#respond Mon, 14 Sep 2020 15:27:33 +0000 https://blog.pimsleur.com/?p=19227 The Etymology & Origins of the Word “No” Around the World Every language has a word for it. Some have many. Let’s explore the origins and meaning of no. In English, the word no dates back to Middle English and means “not in any degree, not at all, not ever.” Though it’s a short word with only two Read More >>

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]]> https://www.pimsleur.com/blog/origins-of-the-word-no/feed/ 0 Order From Tragedy: Roget and The Origin Of The First Thesaurus https://www.pimsleur.com/blog/history-rogets-thesaurus/ https://www.pimsleur.com/blog/history-rogets-thesaurus/#respond Thu, 27 Aug 2020 14:56:35 +0000 https://blog.pimsleur.com/?p=18754 Beautiful Tools Borne Out of Less Beautiful Circumstances – Peter Mark Roget (1779-1869) Peter Mark Roget was a remarkable man. A lexicographer whose invention has helped almost everyone who speaks English at some point or another. Don’t believe us? You’ll almost definitely have used an item he created. There may even be one on your Read More >>

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]]> https://www.pimsleur.com/blog/history-rogets-thesaurus/feed/ 0 Use and Abuse of the Word Literally – A Crisis of Language? https://www.pimsleur.com/blog/use-of-word-literally/ https://www.pimsleur.com/blog/use-of-word-literally/#respond Tue, 04 Aug 2020 18:51:35 +0000 https://blog.pimsleur.com/?p=18181 How the Term ‘Literally’ has Changed Over Time “That chili was so hot it literally blew my head off” “She literally flew off the handle” “That person literally makes my blood boil” Literally. It’s the infamous term that infuriates editors, academics, linguists, publishers, and journalists alike, with people using it when they actually mean ‘figuratively’ Read More >>

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]]> https://www.pimsleur.com/blog/use-of-word-literally/feed/ 0 What is the Official Language of the United States? https://www.pimsleur.com/blog/official-language-united-states/ https://www.pimsleur.com/blog/official-language-united-states/#comments Tue, 23 Jun 2020 18:47:28 +0000 https://blog.pimsleur.com/?p=16575 Ask any random person to name the official language of the United States, and you’re bound to get English as the answer. But it’s actually the ultimate trick question. Most countries have an official language – and some have dozens! Bolivia has 37, Mali has 13, South Africa has 11, Zimbabwe has 16, and even Read More >>

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