Extinct forms of life are documented in the fossil record. Obsolete forms of language are documented in what are known as linguistic fossils. Some of these fossils can be found in everday English. Linguistic fossils are not preserved texts or audio recordings – they are features that were once common …
The more you know about language, the more you will marvel at its beauty, complexity, and flexibility. If you’re looking for some fun and fascinating reading to boost your linguistic knowledge, any of these five books would be a great way to start. How Language Works: How Babies Babble, Words …
In the previous post, we talked about eggcorns – versions of words and phrases that are “incorrect” but that nevertheless make sense. Sometimes, eggcorns even become so popular that they become the standard, “correct” version, and the original is forgotten. Of these six words/phrases, some are now considered standard and …
You probably know that thinking you’re bad at something can lead you to fail at it. But did you know that thinking you’re good at something can lead you to fail at it, too? This is an important paradigm shift. Whether you think you’re bad at a given task or …
Are you a member of the grammar police? Some people act like their job is to pounce if someone makes a mistake in writing or speaking. Others people think spelling and grammar matter so little that they don’t even care about the errors in their own work. However, the most …
In some languages, like Latin or Esperanto, you have the freedom to put words in different orders because case endings or other language features can make your meaning clear. In other languages, like Old English, word order is essential to the meaning of a sentence. “The man poisoned the …
Last time, we went over some common sets of homophones. Often, when people get those mixed up, they actually know which one is which – it just takes a little effort to keep them straight. The sets in this list may be a bit more confusing. How many do you …
Many Western intellectuals of the eighteenth century highly valued Latin and logic. Attempts to codify a prescribed English grammar often attempted to use the rules of Latin and of mathematical logic. Here are a few examples of prescriptivist grammar rules and where they came from: Don’t use a double negative. …
Whether you’re a native speaker or not, chances are you’ve struggled with English spelling at one time or another. It’s not because of you – it’s because of English’s spelling system (or lack thereof). Here are five reasons it makes no sense. The Alphabet 1) The alphabet wasn’t designed for …
Unlike spelling, grammar (however you define it) has few rules that apply to one hundred percent of situations. However, formal situations often require that you conform to certain stylistic and grammatical guidelines. Often, these guidelines are in place to make writing clearer or less clunky. This post and the two …
