Linguistics-Themed Gift Ideas

For the last week before winter break, we decided to collaboratively put together a list of linguistics-themed gifts for the holidays! Just click on the text for the link to the gift.

Fashion(able) gifts:

For phonetics enthusiasts:

• Schwa t-shirt (funny for a specific crowd - find your people)

• IPA chart sticker (easiest way to refresh your knowledge)

• Motivational quotes but in IPA travel mug (to keep you company in the library)

• IPA eye chart

• IPA scarf

• Fricative party sticker

For Wug lovers:

• Wug tote bag, cup, or other stuff

For historical linguistics aficionados:

• The development of the number two mug

• Language family tree pouch

For language activists:

• Language rights are human rights sticker

• “Sounds prescriptive but ok” sticker

Board games:

Games/puzzle:

• The Language Lover's Puzzle Book: A World Tour of Languages and Alphabets in 100 Amazing Puzzles

• Dialect: A Game About Language and How It Dies

• A game from the Endangered Alphabets Project.

• Here's a previous post with some other fun language games!

Gifts for bookworms:

Low-effort, all-fitting:

• Oba year subscription (Amsterdam Public library)

• Buy a second-hand book on this website (in Dutch)

• Second-hand English books

• Audible month subscription

• Book journal

• Book lending journal

• Ex libris stamps

If you have a significant budget (e.g. group gift):

• Kindle or another e-reader

• Audible year subscription

• New Yorker subscription

• The Paris Review subscription

Interesting language-related books:

• Is That a Fish in Your Ear? Translation and the Meaning of Everything by David Bellos

• Empires of the Word: A Language History of the World by Nicholas Ostler

• The Genius of Language edited by Wendy Lessen

• Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language by Gretchen McCulloch

• The Wordhord: Daily Life in Old English

Gifts for linguists trying to learn a new language:

• Cookbook in the target language (just select the language you're looking for)

• Year subscription to Duolingo or another language learning service

We hope you found something you liked on the list, even if you just decided to get a gift for yourself. Happy holidays and have a nice break!

Cover image source: Creator: Anna Ostanina | Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto