Articles about Politics

When Fox News host Megyn Kelly gamely took on Erick Erickson, a contributor to the network, for his provocative statements about gender roles last week, she was puzzled by one word in particular that Erickson had used to describe his ideological opponents. "I don't know what the word is... some sort of liberals, eco-liberals, what did you call them?" "Emo liberals," Erickson clarified. Continue reading...

Topics: Politics Words Usage

Learn Ten Words from The NY Times - Apr. 3, 2013.

Then see "Vocabulary Begets Vocabulary: The More You Know, the More You Learn" to understand why learning these words will help you absorb even more as you read.

Topics: Vocabulary Media Teachers Politics Students

On NPR's Morning Edition, Ari Shapiro reported on how the debate over gun restrictions in the United States is powerfully framed by terms such as "gun control" and "gun rights." Our own Ben Zimmer is interviewed about how language shapes such political debates. Listen to the segment here, and check out a list of "loaded words" from the gun debate here.

Topics: Media Language Politics

CNN Money has announced that it will "steer clear" of the word sequestration, along with its snappier cousin sequester, in reporting on Capitol Hill budget negotiations, branding it esoteric jargon. That might be a good move, considering that, according to a recent poll, two-thirds of voters don't even know what sequester means. How did we get saddled with this bit of Beltway lingo? Continue reading...

Topics: Language Politics Words

The presidential inaugural address, that quadrennial high point in American political rhetoric, invariably attracts a huge amount of attention. President Obama's address yesterday was the subject of meticulous scrutiny: his word choice, his rhetorical devices, and even his grammar all were analyzed by countless language kibitzers. Continue reading...

Topics: Language Politics Words Usage

President Obama was officially sworn in to a second term by Chief Justice John Roberts yesterday in a private ceremony at the White House. Afterwards, Obama's daughter Sasha told him, "You didn't mess up." But four years ago, the oath didn't go so smoothly, thanks to a misplaced adverb. Ben Zimmer covered the oath flub for his Word Routes column. Read it here: "Taking the Oath of Office... Faithfully."

Topics: Language Politics

Ever wonder how much vocabulary matters? Check out this piece in today's New York Times exploring the ways we use the language of guns, even when advocating for gun control. Continue reading...

Topics: Vocabulary Politics

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Vocabulary Teachers Students

Vocabulary.com Blog

Word RoutesExploring the pathways of our lexicon

How "Emo" Got Political

Tasty MorselsGood stuff from Vocabulary.com

Ten Words from The NY Times - Apr. 3, 2013

Ten Words from The NY Times - Apr. 3, 2013

Blog Excerpts

How Language Shapes The Gun Debate

Word RoutesExploring the pathways of our lexicon

Letting "Sequester" Fester

Word RoutesExploring the pathways of our lexicon

Obama's Second Inaugural: Behind the Words

Blog Excerpts

Looking Back on the Oath Flub

Tasty MorselsGood stuff from Vocabulary.com

Gun Debate Gives Us Loaded Words

Ten Words from The NY Times - Apr. 3, 2013

Ten Words from The NY Times - Apr. 3, 2013

How Language Shapes The Gun Debate

Looking Back on the Oath Flub

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