The longest word in English, pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis, was invented to be the longest word.

Sign languages are full natural languages with their own grammar and syntax, not just manual versions of spoken language.

There are no true synonyms — words with similar meanings always differ in connotation or register.

Children raised bilingually from birth process both languages in the same brain regions — unlike adults who learn a second language.

The average English speaker uses only about 20,000 words actively — but recognizes 40,000–50,000.

Jazz improvisation activates the prefrontal cortex's language areas — musicians effectively 'speak' through their instruments.

The word 'set' has the most definitions in the English language — over 430 in the Oxford English Dictionary.

Inuit languages do not have unusually many words for snow — this is a persistent linguistic myth.

The longest word in the English language in a major dictionary is 'pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis' at 45 letters.