http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/blogexcerpts/?utm_source=rss Copyright 2012, Thinkmap Inc. All Rights Reserved. en Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:00:00 UTC http://www.visualthesaurus.com/images/common/logo_on_white.gif http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/blogexcerpts/?utm_source=rss Blog Excerpts http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/blogexcerpts/3125?utm_source=rss Mike Vuolo, a producer for the NPR show "On the Media," has started a new podcast about language called "Lexicon Valley." For his first installment, he chats with OTM host Bob Garfield about the history of the curious "rule" against ending a sentence in a preposition. Slate is hosting the podcast, which you can listen to here (http://www.slate.com/articles/podcasts/lexicon_valley/2012/02/lexicon_valley_why_we_think_we_can_t_end_a_sentence_with_a_preposition_.html). Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:00:00 UTC http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/blogexcerpts/3125 Blog Excerpts http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/blogexcerpts/3102?utm_source=rss The Dictionary of American Regional English (a.k.a. DARE) is finally completed — and it only took fifty years to do it! In the Boston Globe, Visual Thesaurus editor Ben Zimmer looks back on this monument to American speech, and looks ahead to new ways of approaching dialectology. Read his column here (http://bostonglobe.com/ideas/2012/01/15/american-dialects-from/XqI0XVzZBcwub6MA1F2fSK/story.html). Tue, 17 Jan 2012 05:00:00 UTC http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/blogexcerpts/3102 Blog Excerpts http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/blogexcerpts/3083?utm_source=rss Ben Trawick-Smith is an actor with a deep interest in English dialects. On his Dialect Blog, he takes on a range of interesting linguistic issues. His latest post is perfect for the new year: it's all about the song that we butcher every New Year's Eve, "Auld Lang Syne." Get enlightened about the Scottish tune here (http://dialectblog.com/2012/01/01/auld-lang-syne-faq/). Mon, 02 Jan 2012 05:00:00 UTC http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/blogexcerpts/3083 Blog Excerpts http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/blogexcerpts/3078?utm_source=rss Perhaps you've heard of Tebowing (http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wordroutes/3066/), the odd new trend of imitating the prayerful pose of Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow. On the Oxford University Press blog, Visual Thesaurus contributor Mark Peters (http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/contributors/12) digs up many more eponyms drawn from the names of sports figures, from Bucknered to Plaxidentally. Read it here (http://blog.oup.com/2011/12/tebow/). Tue, 27 Dec 2011 05:00:00 UTC http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/blogexcerpts/3078 Blog Excerpts http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/blogexcerpts/3076?utm_source=rss The Visual Thesaurus has been nominated as one of the best websites about the English language, as part of Macmillan Dictionary's Love English Awards (http://www.macmillandictionary.com/from-the-blog/love-english-awards-2011.html) for 2011. Want to show your fandom for the VT? Vote here (http://promotion.binkd.com/PhotoEntries.aspx?id=2830)! And thanks for your support. Fri, 23 Dec 2011 05:00:00 UTC http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/blogexcerpts/3076 Blog Excerpts http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/blogexcerpts/3068?utm_source=rss If Mark Peters' review (http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/dogeared/3067/) of the new book From Elvish to Klingon whets your appetite for constructed languages, be sure to check out the recent New York Times article on Dothraki, the language created for the HBO fantasy series Game of Thrones. And also take a look at Visual Thesaurus editor Ben Zimmer's "On Language" column about the Na'vi language of Avatar, here (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/06/magazine/06FOB-onlanguage-t.html). Fri, 16 Dec 2011 05:00:00 UTC http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/blogexcerpts/3068 Blog Excerpts http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/blogexcerpts/3057?utm_source=rss Have you ever been misled by the spelling of a word into thinking that it's pronounced differently? Like, say, thinking that "misled" is pronounced like "mizzled"? Now you know what a "misle" is. On the Chronicle blog Lingua Franca, linguist Geoffrey Pullum investigates, inspired by a colleague's assumption that "biopic" rhymes with "myopic." Read Pullum's post here (http://chronicle.com/blogs/linguafranca/2011/12/01/beware-the-misles/). Wed, 07 Dec 2011 05:00:00 UTC http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/blogexcerpts/3057 Blog Excerpts http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/blogexcerpts/3031?utm_source=rss Today marks the 110th anniversary of the first known appearance of "Ms." as a marriage-neutral title for women. Read Ben Zimmer's account of discovering the original 1901 use in his Word Routes column here (http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wordroutes/1895/), with some further thoughts on the title's history here (http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wordroutes/2043/). Thu, 10 Nov 2011 05:00:00 UTC http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/blogexcerpts/3031 Blog Excerpts http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/blogexcerpts/3004?utm_source=rss October 20 is the National Day on Writing, an annual celebration of all things writerly. You can take part in the festivities on Twitter by using the hashtag #whyIwrite. For more information see this post (http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/07/why-i-write-a-celebration-of-the-national-day-on-writing-oct-20/) from Katherine Schulten of the New York Times Learning Network, one of the sponsors of this year's event. Wed, 19 Oct 2011 04:00:00 UTC http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/blogexcerpts/3004 Blog Excerpts http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/blogexcerpts/3002?utm_source=rss National Dictionary Day takes place on October 16, the birth date of America's pioneering lexicographer Noah Webster. As you toast to Noah this year, check out this article (http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/07/01/how-noah-webster-invented-american-publishing-and-made-a-fortune-by-joshua-kendall.html) by Joshua Kendall about Webster's role in the development of modern publishing. And stay tuned on Monday for an excerpt from Kendall's new biography of Webster, The Forgotten Founding Father. Fri, 14 Oct 2011 04:00:00 UTC http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/blogexcerpts/3002