William John Thoms, The Man Who Invented The Word Folklore
Anatoly celebrates a word pioneer.
Who’s Mindful of Who’s Apostrophes’?
Anatoly looks at apostrophes.
Lite Beer and Donuts, or, Does Spelling Reform Have a Chance?
Anatoly finds the appropriate sustenance for spelling reformers.
Buckle up your mirdle! Euphemisms from heck
Mark Peters looks at euphemisms.
Monthly Gleanings
Questions for the month are answered.
Wienerhuahuas will inherit the earth:
the blend-y world of dog breed names
Word blending is a full-time sport in the world of dog breeding. Any two breeds, and their appellations, might spawn a blend. Some recent designer breeds, as they are known, include ‘Beagadors’ (Beagle and Labrador), ‘Maltipon’ (Maltese and Pomeranian) and ‘Jackabees’ (Jack Russell and Beagle).
Monthly Gleanings
Anatoly answers questions posed in March.
Monthly Gleanings
Anatoly responds to comments on spelling reform.
The Origins of Buzzwords
Anatoly looks at everyday buzzwords.
Monthly Gleanings
Anatoly answers questions that have come up throughout the month.
A Troubled Marriage Between A Skeptic and an Ascetic, or, The Oddest English Spellings
How did we ever come up with the spelling for scythe? Anatoly looks at the history of conjoined letters “sc”.
When Languages Die: Science and Sentiment
An excerpt from K. David Harrison’s book.
Hippopotomonstrosesquipedalianism!
One question I often field in my capacity as OUP’s editor for American dictionaries is, ‘What’s the longest word in the dictionary?’ I don’t hear it as often as ‘How do I get a new word in the dictionary?’ but it still comes up from time to time. My stock answer isn’t very interesting: ‘It depends…’
Do it Real Quick,
Or The Death of the Adverb
Anatoly Liberman looks at the death of the adverb.
Cheek by jow
English is a language of limitless opportunities. Strange things happen in it. Some words are spelled alike but pronounced differently: ‘bow’ (the bow of a ship) and ‘bow’ (bow and arrows); ‘row’ (she kicked up a row) and ‘row’ (the front row); ‘permit’ (the verb) and ‘permit’ (the noun).
Actually, Like Cures Like (?)
Anatoly Liberman looks at filler words, like and you know.