Be clear. Omit needless words. Revise and rewrite. To any English student, these aphorisms should be familiar: They’re the commandments inscribed in “The Elements of Style,” the legendary manual that has shaped Americans’ understanding of language for decades.
Linguists have long recognized that women are the pioneers of language change. Women typically innovate linguistic changes, like a shift in vowel sounds, and men catch up half a generation later.
They’re the words you didn’t learn in English class. Honeyfuggle. Pinkwink. Schnickelfritz. They might sound like gibberish, but you can find them all in the Dictionary of American Regional English, a comprehensive guide to America’s regional and folk speech.
Why are Greek people fatter than other Europeans? Why are some cultures more frugal than others? Because it’s built into their language.
What do you call someone who speaks several languages? Multilingual. What do you call someone who speaks two languages? Bilingual. What do you call someone who speaks one language? American.
We’ve all seen the effect “Twilight” has had on America’s teenage girls.
British singer Kate Bush released her new album Monday, and linguists everywhere held their breath.
The argument that “kids these days” are degrading the English language is a tired one, but that doesn’t stop grown-ups from making it.
There were 14 students seated inside. Each shared a common goal: becoming a contestant on the Jeopardy College Championship.
In newspapers across the country, there are two words people say hundreds of times a day yet almost never make it to print. I’m not talking about vulgarities here. I’m talking about the harmless sounds “um” and “uh.”
