Since reading about Lake Superior State University’s annual survey of the year’s worst cases of word abuse in The Guardian I was inspired to share some of my own. The Michigan university awarded its top prize to the word ‘amazing’, which I don’t find specially offensive and it was followed closely by strong Americanisms such as ‘baby bump’ in second and ‘shared sacrifice’ finishing a close third.
Read moreArchive for the ‘Language’ Category
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Take a risk, pass it on
When was the last time you paid someone an unexpected compliment? It’s nice to tell your partner they look lovely or to praise a friend’s cooking, of course, but there’s no risk involved. How would you feel about telling a complete stranger that you admire their haircut or that their child’s behaviour is a credit to them?
Read moreEvolving English
As I may have mentioned before in this blog I’m an Essex girl living in Yorkshire. So my accent is a real mish-mash of southern inflection and Yorkshire phrases and words. When I visit my family they laugh at my comical Yorkshire accent and imitate me badly, whilst in Yorkshire I’m quite obviously not from round here.
Of course I’m not unusual. Everyone’s voice speaks volumes about them.
The British Library wants to capture the evolving English language for posterity. It’s not just about where you’re from of course: young people use different pronunciation from their parents and grandparents and each of us has our own preferences and bugbears. How do you say the six words that the study has chosen to illustrate the major differences in the way we all speak? Don’t think too much about it…
Read moreThe dastardly dictionary of Office Lingo…
They are the plague of offices up and down the country, weaving their sucker-covered tentacles into every floor of every building in Britain. At times, they creep up behind you, taking you by surprise because you think that you’re safe, they won’t get you.
But sooner or later, we all succumb. We fall victim to one of the world’s biggest curses; the pest, the blight, the bane of your existence: Office Lingo.
Read moreBad language: it’s always a sign
Our new guest blogger is Chris Kenworthy a photographer and copywriter. He muses on the skill of saying what you mean
Read moreDoing the business
I hope you’re having a good day. Experiencing more highs than lows. Sorting wheat from chaff. Making inroads. Achieving goals. Planning something special. Doing something nice.
Doing words – what we were told to call verbs at school to help remember their meaning. Probably the most important part of any sentence, asserting something about the subject, expressing actions, events or states of being. There are thousands to choose from. So why would we ever want to neglect them?
Read moreSome things are just better in print
I’ve been browsing Amazon this morning following the news last week that the next edition of the Complete Oxford English Dictionary might not be published in a paper format. The full set of 20 volumes will set you back about £700 – perhaps a little excessive for my everyday use, but thinking about the pleasure of browsing through a really good dictionary prompted me to order a copy of the more modest Shorter OED for myself. I’m ashamed to say my home is equipped with nothing more than a school dictionary and a broadband connection.
Read moreAmericanizzzzzation……are the yanks coming?
I’m quite a fan of the USA. Most of my TV watching is West Wing, The Wire, ER and even Friends when extremely hungover. And New York is my first choice for the next MCG PR office and one of my favourite places on Earth.
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