Each year, my family gathered at my uncle's brick Tudor for Christmas dinner. It was an elegant affair, my uncle and aunt, generous hosts. Surrounded by several generations' worth of holiday décor, my aunt would lay their dining room table with rosy hams and a Rockwellian turkey, fruit pies that glistened, and all manner of chocolate treats. As a mother of three young children, I treasured the chance to sit, surrounded by those I loved best. We'd eat while reminiscing over the past, sharing our news from the present, and, occasionally, our hopes for the future.  Continue reading...

How can a presidential candidate's linguistic patterns in a debate further reveal his or her political agenda?  Continue reading...

On Word Face-Off you can look at different word-based analyses of the second presidential debate between McCain and Obama.

This school year has roared out of the blocks like Usain Bolt running the 100 meter sprint in Beijing. And like Mr. Bolt, every member of the school community is learning that their capacity to go faster and accomplish more is yet to be discovered. But even with numerous multi-tasking and time-management challenges, I've had a few moments to pause and enjoy the enthusiastic and intelligent learning connections teachers at my school are bringing to their students.  Continue reading...

Satisfy your craving for wordplay with these crafty compendia.

Making the Alphabet Dance

The Dictionary of Wordplay

Language Play

The Play of Words

It's a dirty little secret of lexicography that for every new word or meaning that gets added to a revised edition of a dictionary, something usually has to come out. Only the mammoth Oxford English Dictionary has the luxury of never doing away with old entries. Smaller dictionaries are expected to introduce new words with every edition, but they're usually mum about what is removed to keep the published work to a reasonable size. Collins English Dictionary, on the other hand, is taking a novel approach by announcing old words that are on the chopping block, in order to see which words the public thinks should earn a stay of execution.  Continue reading...

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