These websites offer word lovers a little something for everyone!

Oxford Word of the Year. Drum roll, please...

Amazing Coincidences. Of language, that is.

Free Rice. Fight poverty with vocabulary.

Oration. Recitation. Rhetoric. At one time these were the foundations of a classical literary education, an education that not only prepared you to write and communicate -- but taught you how to think. This style of learning, however, has largely gone the way of the top hat. But is it time for rhetoric to make a reprise? We had a fascinating and wide-ranging conversation with Harvard Professor James Engell, author of The Committed Word: Literature and Public Values, who revived the study of rhetoric at his university after a 60 year hiatus -- and who argues that a classical literary education is critical for today's communicators.  Continue reading...

Professor James Engell, who we interview in this week's "Word Count" feature, recommends these books on rhetoric and oration:

The Art of Public Speaking By Stephen Lucas

Classical Rhetoric for the Modern Student by Edward P. J. Corbett

Analyzing Prose by Richard A. Lanham

Lincoln, Douglas, and Slavery: In the Crucible of Public Debate by David Zarefsky

Norms of Rhetorical Culture by Thomas B. Farrell ("Not for the absolute beginner but tremendously rewarding.")

Linguist Michael Erard, the author of Um. .. Slips, Stumbles, and Verbal Blunders, and What They Mean who we recently interviewed, graciously sent us this article, which he first wrote and published in the magazine Lingua Franca:

Despite the intent stare and accusatory index finger, when Uncle Sam glowers down from recruitment posters and announces "I Want You for the U.S. Army," it is not absolutely clear what he means. Does he mean you in particular? Or you in general, as in "all of you eligible citizens"? Uncle Sam's ambiguity is not unique.  Continue reading...

They say that breaking up is hard to do, but English words seem to have just as hard a time of it forming stable relationships. This month in the Lounge we examine recent trends.  Continue reading...

How do our words relate to our thoughts? What does language tell us about human nature? What are we doing, language-wise, when we swear, use innuendo or name our babies? Harvard professor Steven Pinker examines these questions -- and much more -- in his terrific new book, The Stuff of Thought. We had a fascinating conversation with him about his research into language and cognition:  Continue reading...