If you've always longed to hitch your lederhosen to the zeitgeist but didn't know whether it was appropriate to do so with a karabiner, this month's Language Lounge is for you: we survey the influence of modern German on English, with tips from the top about when to translate and when to merely borrow.  Continue reading...

Quick! What's the first noun that comes to your mind if you want to characterize a regional accent? This month the Loungeurs examine the evidence surrounding the use of words that denote various accents. We conclude that there is probably room for some semantic fine tuning.  Continue reading...

This month we're investigating a chameleon-like feature of language called the loan translation, or if you prefer, the calque. No passport required, but be prepared to mingle with some French and Spanish ancestors.  Continue reading...

Do animals get a fair shake in language? Bring along your cattle prod, whip, and lasso this month to the Language Lounge as we explore the Visual Thesaurus and follow boldly in the footsteps of our ancestors in making sure that mankind reigns supreme.  Continue reading...

This month the Language Loungeurs are in the Larder again, using the Visual Thesaurus to address that age old dilemma: how can I bring seemly order to all these disparate remnants of rigatoni, conchiglioni, and the like? Even a plethora of pasta in your pantry can now be regimented using these state-of-the-art principles!  Continue reading...

Words in the Visual Thesaurus occasionally come unglued from their bearings and wander, lost, into the Language Lounge, where the resident staff are always ready to provide whatever therapy is needed and guide the words back to where they belong. Recent casualties include throe, stealth, issue, and challenge.  Continue reading...

Our British visitor last month left a copy of the Financial Times in the Lounge. We were reading in it the other day and nearly choked on our soy-milk-softened Postum: "Wine writing in English has, over the past decade, become almost violently pragmatic." First of all, wine writing: you mean it's a genre? Second of all: violently pragmatic? Don't bet the chewy backbone in your delicately vegetal Cabernet Sauvignon on it.  Continue reading...