Oxford commas (1)
I was puzzled last week to see references on Twitter to the exotic-sounding “Oxford comma”, a new term to me. It turns out (thank you,
Tag: Language
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If the shoe doesn’t fit (2): eggcorns and etymology
“Shoe-in”, Ben Zimmer points out, belongs to a special family of errors called “eggcorns”: misspellings, mis-hearings or misinterpretations of standard (often idiomatic) words or sayings.
If the shoe doesn’t fit: getting the etymology right
Ben Zimmer’s latest On Language column in the New York Times (Beach-Blanket Lingo, 5 August 2010) examines the terms used by coastal resort residents (from-heres)
Fuzzy words? – not always
A quick PS to yesterday’s post on the use of the Italian adeguamento (correction, adjustment) to signify aumento (increase). Italy’s Regulatory Authority for Electricity and
Fuzzy words
Wouldn’t it be refreshing if local and central governments were truly transparent in their use of language? Italy’s Emilia Romagna Region has just announced an “adeguamento”
Blowing the nation’s trumpet: languages and diplomacy (2)
Blowing the nation’s trumpet is all very well, but sometimes the message sent out to foreign audiences is a bit too rosy. When the Labour
Blowing the nation’s trumpet: languages and public diplomacy (1)
I recently spent 2 days interpreting in Birmingham for an Italian delegation from Italia Lavoro and Regione Marche. They were here to find out more
Top 100 Language Blogs 2010 – we’re well chuffed!
“Words to good effect” is one of the winning blogs in the Top 100 Language Blogs 2010 competition organised by LexioPhiles and Bab.La. We came
Spreading the language love (2) – Careers Days
For any of you thinking of taking part in language learning initiatives at your local schools, I thought it might be useful to describe in
Spreading the language love (1)
If you work with language and love your job, one way to share your enthusiasm is to take part in career days or simply talk