Below is everything (newest at top) with "culture+humor+language+" in its title or subcategories. For a strict listing (matching all categories and subcats), click here CHEST OF DRAWERS VS. BUREAU: WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE( 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 m... read more IT'S A MYTH THAT ADULTS CAN'T LEARN LANGUAGES AS EASILY AS KIDS( education / language )Adults can learn a second language as fast as children, reports a new study, and it's only the conditions in which a child learns a second language that's given kids a reputation as such fast learners. This means that adults can develop the increased neural connections typical of... href... read more LAMBAST VS. LAMBASTE( education / language / english )While the exact derivation of the word is not definitively known, the OED posits that it's a combination of lam and baste, both of which bear the sense (now archaic for both words) to beat soundly. Other sources agree. And lambaste is the older form. In historical Google Books searches, lambast is almost nonexistent before 1850.... read more WORD OF THE DAY: FASCISM( education / language / english )Fascism is not an ideology, it's a means to power -- Benito Mussolini According to merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fascismMerriam Webster online , it means: a political philosophy, movement, or regime... that exalts nation and often race above the individual... In Italian... read more FOREIGN WORDS WE USE IN ENGLISH( education / language / english )This first one, lexico.com/explore/foreign-words-and-phraseslexico.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). altalang.com/beyond-words/2... read more AMERICAN-ENGLISH WORDS THAT SEEM TO BE UNIVERSAL( 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 cour... read more WHEN TO USE WHO INSTEAD OF WHOM( 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?( education / language / grammar / english )This might be useful: thoughtco.com/title-case-capitalization-1692469title-case-capitalization Title 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 bet... read more THIS SO-CALLED PANDEMIC IS NOT EVEN AN EPIDEMIC( 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/popclock/census.gov )2,800,000 cases130,000 related deaths (which means they ma... read more EARBUD-LIKE DEVICE CLAIMS TO BOOST LINGUISTIC SKILLS( education / tech / language )The simple gadget dramatically improves the wearer's ability to learn new words, say the University of Pittsburgh team behind the research new...: dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-... read more SHOULD I CAPITALIZE THAT DOG BREED NAME?( education / language / grammar / english )In a word, no. See style.mla.org/capitalizing-names-of-dog-breeds/style.mla.org/capitalizing-names-of-dog-breeds Do 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 ... read more SPELLING AND GRAMMAR ONLINE( 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 ENGLISH( culture / humor / language / english )This is pretty old, from the old /pages/family/holmes/newsletter/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 re... read more WORD HIPPO( education / language )Useful site here: wordhippo.com/Word Hippo . Thesaurus and word tools for your creative needs.... read more ANOTHER GRAMMAR COMPLAINT( 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 RANT( 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 RANT( education / language / grammar / english )OK, people, the word is led (when pronounced led) not lead unless you're referring to en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leadthe 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... read more LINGMO LANGUAGE TRANSLATOR( education / language / tech )Wow, I want one of these! lingmointernational.com/lingmo-translate/Real-time language translation device whispers into your ear in real time as it's listening to the person speaking.... read more HOW TO SPELL TRAMPOLINE( education / language )ebay.com/itm/12-FT-Round-Trampoline-with-Enclosure-Net-W-Spring-Pad-Ladder/132407663404?hashitem1ed41c9b2c:g:K6EAAOSw6D1a8-D1:rk:1:pf:0Trampoline 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 LANGUAGE( education / science / animals / language )Very cool! : newspunch.com/scientists-reveal-that-dolphins-speak-in-a-holographic-language/scientists-reveal-that-dolphins-speak-in-a-holographic-language/ UPDATE: The commenters are mostly unconvinced.... read more HER OWN LANGUAGE( 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, ... read more MUSICAL SIGN LANGUAGE INTERPRETERS( education / language / help / music )That must be some fast signing. I'd like to see that. I guess they show the beat by tapping their feet? It's got me curious.We are SO excited to tell y'all that Musical Sign Language Interpreters will be at this weeks show.. and it is... f... read more MYSTERY SOLVED( education / language )I solved an old mystery today, thanks to one of the Russian language survivalphrases.compodcasts 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 titleBRICS target... read more LANGUAGE PAGE( education / language )Names in their own tongue and script: omniglot.com/language/names.htmLanguage names in their own tongue and script The 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 ... read more COOL WEBSITE: WORDNIK( education / language / english )titleflyclipart.com/kids-writing-clipart-writing-journal-clipart-325865 hrefwordnik.com/words/whatever%20floats%20your%20boatWordnik . Cool website for those who like words. I love how they provide samples from articles on the internet. And they provide an explanation/definition to links (if yo... read more WORD OF THE DAY: DINKUM( 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&... read more WORD OF THE DAY: PARSIMONIOUS( 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... read more LESSON FOR TODAY( 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 s... read more AWARD-WINNING ENGLISH PROSE( culture / humor / language / english )Every year, English teachers from across the USA can submit their collections of actual analogies and metaphors found in high school essays. These excerpts are published each year to the amusement of teachers across the country. Here are last year's winners.1. Her face was a perfect oval, like a circle that had its two sides gently compre... read more DID I READ THAT SIGN RIGHT?( culture / humor / language )In a public restroom Toilet Out Of Order. Please Use Floor Below In a laundromat Automatic Washing Machines Please Remove All Your Clothes When The Light Goes Out In a London department store Bargain Basement Upstairs In an office Would... read more |