r/asklinguistics

32K archived posts · Jun 2012 – Sep 2026

Ask Linguistics

r/asklinguistics

This community is for people, particularly those without linguistics expertise, to ask questions about linguistics. It is not for debates, memes, etc. Please follow the commenting and posting guidelines in the pinned post and sidebar. Also see the wiki for our FAQ.

Created Jun 2, 2012

171KMembers (last snapshot)

32KArchived posts

Rules:

1- Questions must be about linguistics

The following are not allowed:

*What's the word for. See r/whatstheword or a language subreddit.

*Questions about word origin. See r/etymology.

*Questions of basic grammaticality/common usage. Post to r/grammar or a language subreddit.

*Opinion/discussion questions.

*Soapboxing. Questions should seek to learn or understand, not push an agenda.

*Repeated posting of the same/similar question.

2- Answers must be informed, relevant and high-quality.

"High-quality" means that answers should provide an explanation/justification. This can take the form of academic sources, stated personal experience (eg, of the language/s in question), and similar. Answers without explanation will be removed or locked (and/or prompted to provide an explanation).

"Informed" means those answering should be mindful of stating limitations to their own knowledge or understanding.

Some guidelines can be found here.

3- Remain civil.

Insulting or harassing others will result in deletion and/or a ban.

Transphobia, homophobia, racism, ableism, and any other discriminatory content will result in deletion and/or a ban.

4- Mark content as NSFW if appropriate.

5- Follow all site-wide rules and terms of service.

6- Homework help.

Homework questions are permitted as long as you state your understanding so far and don't expect anyone to answer your questions for you. It is fine to ask for tips or for feedback on your methodology so far.

If you suspect a question is one of homework, please answer as generally as possible - giving tips rather than answers.

7- FAQs

Before you post, consider using the search bar and the FAQ page to see if your question has already received a satisfactory answer.

8- Flairs:

If you are an expert (MA. or more) in a linguistic subject or related, send us a mod mail.

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