Some have claimed the proposed new Indigenous names for Winnipeg streets are too difficult to pronounce. But what does it mean when we say a word is hard to pronounce?
Academic rigour, journalistic flair
Articles on English language
Displaying 1 - 20 of 122 articles
When over a million east Londoners moved to Essex in the second half of the 20th century, they took their accent with them.
Author Anthony Horowitz felt “hurt” when advised by a sensitivity reader on his representation of a Native American character.
When you ask ChatGPT to generate content, the default output is in the voice, style and language of white English-speaking men, who have long dominated many writing-intensive sectors.
He is certainly important to English but he isn’t responsible for as much of it as you might think.
It’s common for people to live near others who speak a different – but similar – language. But generally, they handle their differences without violence.
That three-letter word erases the country’s political sovereignty.
Everyone has words they struggle to pronounce – and that’s no bad thing.
An American university has banned the expression ‘no worries’. Here are some other words and phrases that confuse speakers of different versions of English.
Many valuable scientific breakthroughs were originally published in a non-English language. New research shows more effort is needed to transcend language barriers to improve conservation science.
Grammatical nous has been found to give students a broader understanding of their own language and a key to learning others. The problem is, teachers aren’t being equipped to teach it.
Haitian president Jovenel Moïse is accused of overstaying his term, embezzling funds and dismantling parliament. Protests are a hallmark of his presidency – but the language of them has changed.
With so much recent focus on how women are treated, we need to look first at how we use language. And for a long time, it has been used to belittle and silence women.
How words are used change over time and insisting that their original meaning be adhered to is pretty silly.
There are plenty of reasons why our road signs should be in both te reo Māori and English. And no, bilingual signs don’t cause accidents.
Medicine’s linguistic history in English is rich indeed, peppered with borrowings from French. But the Old English renderings retain a certain charm.
A new book, which weaves fiction into the origin story of the Oxford English Dictionary, was declared a hit even before its release. Readers will judge whether it lives up to the hype.
Have you been pulled up by a “grammar Nazi”? Now you can correct them back.
Philip Pullman’s call for a boycott against the new 50p coin is just the latest Oxford comma controvery.
‘Greengrocer’s’ may be in mourning, but the rest of us can sigh with relief.
Top contributors
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Professor of English Language and Literature, University of Oxford
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Adjunct Lecturer, School of Languages, Literatures, Cultures and Linguistics, Monash University
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Course coordinator, The University of Queensland
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Professor of Linguistics, Monash University
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Senior Lecturer in Linguistics, Monash University
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Reader in Linguistics, Manchester Metropolitan University
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Senior Lecturer, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Flinders University
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Associate Professor in Linguistics, Macquarie University
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Associate Professor in Language, Literacy and TESL, University of Canberra
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Professor of Applied Linguistics, Macquarie University
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Course Leader of Insessional English (EAP), University of Bath
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Lecturer of English Language Teaching, The Open University
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Director of Slang and New Language Archive, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, King's College London
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Senior Lecturer in English Language and Linguistics, University of Portsmouth
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Professor of Linguistics, Anglia Ruskin University
