In a piece about the de-funkifying of Greenwich Village, New York Times Magazine editor Hugo Lindgren transforms the noun wine bar into a verb.Continue reading...
While mourners burnish Mandela's memory, Ukrainian protesters brandish makeshift weapons against security forces. Meanwhile, in the US, legislators agree on budget terms and we look at the budgeting term infrastructure.Continue reading...
Inspired by Atlantic writer Mark Bowden's "In Praise of Fancy Words," Southern California Public Radio talk show host Larry Mantle invited listeners to call in or post their favorite words on his show. The result is "In praise and defense of grandiose, flowery, sesquipedalian words," a pretty fantastic list of words people say they love to know. We're featuring it as List of the Week!Continue reading...
In a piece in The Atlantic last month, writer Mark Bowden recounts reading a book of military history filled with so many unusual words he was forced to consult a dictionary at least ten times. The experience made him ponder the balance between prose that's clear and easy to understand, and the enjoyment of using and reading the occasional rare and therefore "spicy" word.Continue reading...
The day after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in Hawaii President Franklin D. Roosevelt addressed Congress to ask for a declaration of war, famously referring to December 7th as, "a date that will live in infamy." Learn the definition of "infamy" as well as other vocabulary from this historic moment in our nation's history with this interactive vocabulary list drawn from FDR's speech.Continue reading...
Despite the successful efforts of nonsexist language reform, the word "freshman" persists on college campuses. On the Chronicle of Higher Education's Lingua Franca blog, University of Michigan English professor Anne Curzan considers why this is and weighs the alternatives. Read her article here.
As we honor the life and memory of Nelson Mandela, who died today, we remember his leadership, his forgiveness, and his ability to unite the people of South Africa and inspire the world. We also remember his words.Continue reading...