As I read Jane Austen, the question that is ever in the back of my mind is, how did she do it? Surprisingly, computers are quite helpful in discovering some of the aspects of Austen's writing that make it distinctive in the wide field of English fiction.  Continue reading...

I always let my readers wet their beaks in the deep pool of drivel I've collected from reservoirs of rot and lakes of lunacy. Please enjoy the following euphemisms and consider using them in your love sonnets and fraud trials.  Continue reading...

Accurate and dependable machine translation has long been a dream among linguists and computer scientists alike. Will computers get there eventually? Possibly.  Continue reading...

Sometimes — mayhaps many times — we need words to help us make fun of other words, not to mention the preening posers who use them, including ourselves.  Continue reading...

Here in the Lounge, we've been thinking (not surprisingly!) about the language of the 25th Amendment.  Continue reading...

In the past year, fake news has gained currency as well as a new sense: Not only can it signify "disinformation or falsehoods spread as real news" – but it has also come to mean "actual news that is claimed to be untrue" if it's perceived as unflattering.  Continue reading...