Monthly Archives: April 2018

Change in language brought about by the internet?

Despite the title of this article, it mostly addresses changes in language which the author sees taking place (or about to take place) and which she attributes to the internet, to television, to advertising, and to politicians: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/mar/12/grammar-gripes-why-do-we-love-to-complain-about-language?CMP=share_btn_link We must, … Continue reading

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Emojis ruining the English language?

Geoffrey Pullum, writing in “Lingua Franca”, a column in The Chronicle of Higher Education, rates an article from the British newspaper The Telegraph one of the “dumbest of the week”. The article argues that emojis are ruining young people’s “grasp … Continue reading

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Shakespeare the coiner of 1700 words??!

This article discusses the myth that Shakespeare coined 1700 words and is largely responsible for the English language. While the author rejects this number, he largely shares the view of Shakespeare’s prodigious contribution to the English lexicon: http://www.openculture.com/2018/04/the-1700-words-invented-by-shakespeare.html However, Jonathan … Continue reading

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