Topic : Language

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Word Routes

Exploring the pathways of our lexicon

"Sleeping Beauties" in English and Dutch
Wed Jan 20 00:00:00 EST 2010
By Ben Zimmer

When the New Oxford American Dictionary selected unfriend as its 2009 Word of the Year, Oxford University Press senior lexicographer Christine Lindberg was quick to point out that the verb long predates the Facebook era. As she explained in an NPR interview, the Oxford English Dictionary has a citation for unfriend from 1659. "I think it's a remarkable resurrection," Lindberg told NPR. "In a way, I look at unfriend as the Sleeping Beauty of 2009 words." Now it appears that the Dutch language has its own Sleeping Beauty... or should that be Rip Van Winkle?  Continue reading...
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Blog Excerpts

The 800-Word Myth
Thu Jan 14 00:00:00 EST 2010

Have you heard that "the average teenager uses just 800 words in daily communication"? Despite being widely reported in the media, this factoid simply isn't true. Linguist David Crystal debunks the myth here.
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Word Routes

Exploring the pathways of our lexicon

"Tweet" Named Word of the Year, "Google" Word of the Decade
Sat Jan 09 00:00:00 EST 2010
By Ben Zimmer

After much good-natured debate at its annual meeting in Baltimore, the American Dialect Society has made its selections for Word of the Year and Word of the Decade. As proof that we're truly living in a digital age, the winner of Word of the Year for 2009 was tweet ("to post an update on Twitter") and the Word of the Decade for 2000-09 was google (the generic verb meaning "to use Google or another search engine").  Continue reading...
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Word Routes

Exploring the pathways of our lexicon

The American Dialect Society's "Word of the Year" Nominees
Fri Jan 08 00:00:00 EST 2010
By Ben Zimmer

Greetings from Baltimore, where the American Dialect Society is holding its annual conference. Along with scholarly presentations about American linguistic varieties, the ADS is also making selections for Word of the Year (2009) and Word of the Decade (2000-09). ADS members fixed on a final list of nominees for the different categories that will be up for a vote on Friday.  Continue reading...
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Blog Excerpts

Throw Grammar from the Train
Thu Jan 07 00:00:00 EST 2010

Boston Globe language columnist Jan Freeman has launched a new blog, "Throw Grammar from the Train" (subtitled "Notes from a Recovering Nitpicker"). It's a great title for what's sure to be a great outlet for clear-headed thinking about English usage. Read it here. (And read our interview with Jan about her new book, Ambrose Bierce's Write it Right, here.)
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Dept. of Word Lists

Local Words of the Year
Thu Jan 07 00:00:00 EST 2010

As the American Dialect Society gears up to vote for Word of the Year, the City Dictionary website has announced its own selection of "words with local flavor."  Continue reading...
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Language Lounge

A Monthly Column for Word Lovers

Is Now and Ever Shall Be
Mon Jan 04 00:00:00 EST 2010
By Orin Hargraves

When did shall go out of fashion as the first person marker for the future tense? Or was it ever in fashion? This month in the Lounge we look at the career of English's most mismanaged modal.  Continue reading...
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