Below is everything (newest at top) with "education OR science OR animals OR language" in its title or subcategories. For a strict listing (matching all categories and subcats), click hereFOODS NAMED AFTER CULTURES... BUT NOT REALLYfrom 2026 in ( life / health / food / language )
Prompted and edited by Bill.Food history is basically a scrapbook of misunderstandings, stereotypes, and Europeans projecting their fantasies onto other cultures. Let's walk through a few of the most interesting examples. Here are some of the biggest offenders -- dishes whose names gesture toward a people or place, but the connection is sideway... read more MLB BANS 2 FANS WHO GRABBED BETTS INDEFINITELYfrom 2025 in ( education / language / english / headlines )
'Major League Baseball has banned two fans who interfered with Dodgers star Mookie Betts during a World Series game at Yankee Stadium from attending any games at big league ballparks....' ... read more WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A CHEST OF DRAWERS AND A BUREAUfrom 2022 in ( education / language / english )
Because I keep wondering what to call that thing we have in our entryway/foyer (another term I go back and forth on)! Here is an explanation:The main difference between the chest of drawers and the bureau is that a chest has multiple compartments while a bureau has only one large compartment. A bureau also has a mirror, while a chest doesn't.... read more WORD OF THE DAY: FASCISMfrom 2021 in ( education / language / english )
Fascism is not an ideology, it's a means to power -- Benito Mussolini According to Merriam Webster online, it means: a political philosophy, movement, or regime... that exalts nation and often race above the individual... In Italian, the word fascio (plural fasci) means literally bundle, and figuratively group.Replace nation and race wi... read more FOREIGN WORDS WE USE IN ENGLISHfrom 2021 in ( education / language / english )
This first one, lexico.com, is a great site on this subject, though a LOT of the words they list are never used by anyone but dilettantes (from the French and, surprisingly, not listed there). 20-best-foreign-loanwords-in-englishenglish-words-from-other-languagesforeign-words-used-englishsomething-borrowed-english-words-with-foreign-originsenglish-... read more AMERICAN-ENGLISH WORDS THAT SEEM TO BE UNIVERSALfrom 2021 in ( education / language / english )Judging by foreign-language TV shows/movies I've watched, here are a few English and/or American-English words / mutterings / phrases that now seem universal, no matter which language you speak: Mm-hmm or uh-huh -- meaning yes;OK or okay;Hey;Super pronounced supah -- meaning great; Of course, the Italian word ciao has been... read more WHEN TO USE WHO INSTEAD OF WHOMfrom 2020 in ( education / language / grammar / english )
Almost everyone uses the word whom incorrectly. Whom is ONLY correct when following a preposition as in of whom, to whom, from whom, etc. That is the ONLY time you use whom instead of who. And, yes, even your English teacher probably gets it wrong. :) Who without the m is a perfectly valid word.... read more WHAT IS TITLE CASE?from 2020 in ( education / language / grammar / english )This might be useful: title-case-capitalizationTitle case is one of the conventions used for capitalizing the words in a title, subtitle, heading, or headline: capitalize the first word, the last word, and all major words in between. Also known as up style and headline style.... read more THIS SO-CALLED PANDEMIC IS NOT EVEN AN EPIDEMICfrom 2020 in ( education / language / semantics / covid )
One-third (now one-sixth) of one percent does not constitute an epidemic, let alone a pandemic. Semantics, I know, but can they not even get the language right?330,102,000 population (see census.gov)2,800,000 cases130,000 related deaths (which means they may have had covid-19 as a co-morbidity, not the sole, verifiable cause of death)Percentage... read more SHOULD I CAPITALIZE THAT DOG BREED NAME?from 2020 in ( education / language / grammar / english )
In a word, no. See style.mla.org/capitalizing-names-of-dog-breedsDo not routinely capitalize the names of dog breeds. Many breed names are composed of proper nouns that you capitalize like Boston and generic terms (like retriever or terrier) that you lowercase.... read more SPELLING AND GRAMMAR ONLINEfrom 2020 in ( education / language / grammar / internet )
When is that spelling-and-grammar-checking feature coming to Facebook, Instagram, etc.? It's not that my own (or anyone's) grammar and punctuation are flawless (too many contradictory rules), but can we all at least try harder for the sake of being understood?... read more MANGLED ENGLISHfrom 2020 in ( culture / humor / language / english )
This is pretty new, from the new newsletter in 1992, when the Soviet Union still existed, but it's still funnyHow English is Being Used in Different Parts of the WorldIN A TOKYO HOTEL: Is forbitten to steal hotel towels please. If you are not person to do such thing please not to read notis.IN A BUCHAREST HOTEL LOBBY: The lift is being fixed fo... read more ANOTHER GRAMMAR COMPLAINTfrom 2018 in ( education / language / grammar / english )I used to be able to spot junk email by its bad grammar, spelling and punctuation. Now, even legitimate emails often fail the test. It makes the grammar Nazi in me very sad. And, no, I'm not a fan of the Oxford comma.... read more YET ANOTHER GRAMMAR RANTfrom 2017 in ( education / language / grammar )
In addition to honoring our veteran's, how about if we honor our teachers who taught us punctuation, spelling, and the difference between possessive and plural? :)... read more THIS WEEK'S LITERACY RANTfrom 2017 in ( education / language / grammar / english )OK, people, the word is led (when pronounced led) not lead unless you're referring to the metal. I'm not surprised to see this in social media where it's acceptable (cool, even) to be completely illiterate, but I keep seeing it in news articles written by supposed journalists. A few examples, below (petty of us, yes, but we had th... read more HOW TO SPELL TRAMPOLINEfrom 2017 in ( education / language / english / spelling )Trampoline ends in ine not ene as I had thought. Just FYI for next time someone tells you that's the wi-fi password and you can't get online to look it up. :)... read more DOLPHINS SPEAK IN HOLOGRAPHIC LANGUAGEfrom 2015 in ( education / science / animals / language )
Very cool! : scientists-reveal-that-dolphins-speak-in-a-holographic-language/UPDATE: The commenters are mostly unconvinced.... read more HER OWN LANGUAGEfrom 2014 in ( education / language / elizabeth )
I love how my daughter, Elizabeth, 9, makes up words. Tonight I was complimenting her on what a good fruit smoothie she'd just made. I said she should always try to remember how much of each ingredient she used so she can make it again. So, she was going through the list of ingredients: two bananas, some of those honeydew melon pieces, a pynk... read more MYSTERY SOLVEDfrom 2012 in ( education / language )
I solved an old mystery today, thanks to one of the Russian language podcasts I've been listening to lately. It's a phase I'm going through. I'm starting to listen to Hindi, Chinese and Brazilian Portuguese, too. I guess I'm doing all of the BRICS languages for some reason -- except South Africa, since I already speak English ... read more LANGUAGE PAGEfrom 2012 in ( education / language )
Names in their own tongue and script: Language names in their own tongue and scriptThe table shows native/local names for languages in their own scripts, or autoglottonyms. You can click on the Language names that are links to hear how they are pronounced, and on the English names of the languages to find out more about them. Useful word lists fo... read more WORD OF THE DAY: DINKUMfrom 2010 in ( education / language / english )
(DING-kuhm)Dinkum, also dinky-di, fair dinkum, adjectiveTrue; honest; genuine. Etymology: Probably derived, like many other Australian words, from English dialect. The counties of Lincolnshire and Derbyshire had a word or dincum meaning work; a fair share of work. The word was first recorded in Australia in Rolf Boldrewood's Robbery Under Arm... read more WORD OF THE DAY: PARSIMONIOUSfrom 2010 in ( education / language / english )Our word of the day is parsimonious(par-si-MO-nee-uhs)adjective: Excessively sparing or frugal. Etymology From Middle English parcimony, from Latin parsimonia, from parcere (to spare). First recorded use: 1598. Usage President Calvin Coolidge was so with words that he became known as 'Silent Cal'. -- Rob Christensen; Interesting, But Not ... read more LESSON FOR TODAYfrom 2010 in ( education / language )There is an old hotel/pub in Marble Arch, London which used to have gallows adjacent. Prisoners were taken to the gallows (after a fair trial, of course) to be hung. The horse-drawn dray carting the prisoner was accompanied by an armed guard who would stop the dray outside the pub and ask the prisoner if he would like ONE LAST DRINK.If he said YE... read more |
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