The Viking Origins of “They/Them”
Pronouns have really come into the spotlight in recent years. It’s now fairly common for people to put “he/him”, “she/her”, or “they/them” in their social media profiles and email signatures. This is a way...
Tagged: English
Language is the Truest Form of Democracy
Language is the truest form of democracy. No one can completely control it. One of the things (and there are many) that makes “Nineteen Eighty-Four” so scary is the invention of Newspeak, eliminating words...
We All Need “Y’all”
“Y’all” is one of the most useful words in the English language. It’s a shame it’s not acceptable in the most formal settings, because “y’all” fulfills a role that no other word can quite...
Soda vs Pop (vs. Coke)
American English is remarkably uniform. While there are slight differences in pronunciation, especially in the older parts of the country, most Americans can understand each other with ease. But there are differences in dialect....
Jack of All Trades
“Jack” is the best word in the English language. It is the most versatile word we have, even more than the f-word, which is limited to R-rated conversations. The word “jack”, on the other...
Lost Letters: Modern Spelling Reforms
Over the centuries, many spelling reforms have tried to add new letters to the alphabet. Given that the Emperor Claudius couldn’t pull this off, you might think that no new letters have been added...
Lost Letters: Old English Letters
In previous installments of this series, we’ve looked at letters of the alphabet made and lost in the days of ancient Greece and Rome. Now let’s look at some of the Old English Letters...
Spelling Reform
English Spelling is screwed up. Though if you’re literate enough to read this sentence, you probably already know that. Even if you won your elementary school spelling bee, you’ve almost certainly come across words...
Michigan Accent in Dallas
I’ve lived all over, but somehow I picked up a Michigan accent and never let it go. I never realized how strongly Midwestern I sounded till I moved down to Texas. The funny part...
