Stephen Fry loves language so much that he wants to wrestle it away from the control of the pedants who want to control it. Favourite bit: You slip into a suit for an interview, and you dress your language up … Continue reading →

Over lunch, Bob and I disagreed on several aspects of the English language and its origins. According to Bob, English has fewer irregular verbs than ‘typical’ languages (and is generally more regular) is predominantly influenced by Latin and Greek I … Continue reading →

Affect or effect quiz? Question Your Answer The Correct Answer Your Response is: Question 1 affect affect Correct Question 2 effects effects Correct Question 3 effect effect Correct Question 4 affect affect Correct Question 5 affect affect Correct Question 6 … Continue reading →

I don’t think anyone over the age of 7 should use the word “yummy”.

Ah! So that’s ok then, Well, objectively (and it’s Orwell’s original usage), I am pro-Kim Jong-Il, There is something vaguely ironic about quoting Orwell to justify the creative redefinition of a commonly used word like “pro”.

I find the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis – the idea that thought is constrained by language – to be fascinating. Here’s a variation on it from The Guardian Take the Portuguese president of the European commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, for example. Barroso … Continue reading →