Craft, a venerable and ancient word in English, appears to have grown so old that it can no longer defend itself against misuse by even well-meaning speakers and writers. This month the Lounge crafts its response to the phenomenon.Continue reading...
At what point do you conclude that spin doctors have spun out of control? The American Dialect Society thinks that the answer to that question is blowing in the wind. In the Lounge this month, we examine their findings.Continue reading...
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...
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...