English language

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Cheeky British Pol: French Language Is Useless

Young people should be learning Chinese

(Newser) - Britain's former minister for Europe Chris Bryant—apparently feeling free to annoy the French now that his Labour party is out of power—described the French language as "useless" in a debate on language education yesterday. Young people, Bryant said, should be steered away from "useless modern foreign...

Protesters Target 'Illogical Spelling' at Bee

'Enuf is enuf,' say spelling reform advocates

(Newser) - A small group of protesters, some of them dressed in bee costumes, gathered outside the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington DC yesterday to make their case for spelling reform. The protesters, representing the American Literacy Council, say the illogical spelling of the English language is holding back much of...

Alabama Candidate Runs 'English Only' Ad

'We speak English. If you live here, learn it.'

(Newser) - Wow. Check out this not-at-all-racist new ad from Alabama gubernatorial candidate Tim James. James just can't understand why the state offers its drivers license test in 12 languages. “This is Alabama. We speak English. If you want to live here, learn it,” he declares. “We're only giving...

French Language Cops Go After English Slang

'Le buzz' might be 'le ramdam,' among others

(Newser) - A French panel has made its decision on a handful of English-based buzzwords it hopes to replace. Begone “le buzz” for Internet rumors; enter “le ramdam.” The winners, suggested by students, will be forwarded to the 18—18!—government committees that guard the language. If the...

'Fake AP Stylebook' Well Worth a Peek
'Fake AP Stylebook'
Well Worth a Peek
Twitter phenom
Dec 5, 2009 12:51 PM CST

'Fake AP Stylebook' Well Worth a Peek

It pokes fun at language rulebooks and grammar dictators

(Newser) - It's not the likeliest of Internet sensations, but the Fake AP Stylebook on Twitter is well worth the buzz it's getting, writes Mark Peters. Anyone who's been tormented by such rulebooks on language, or by sanctimonious grammarians, will rejoice. And laugh. Typical rule: "When referring to someone with a...

Miley Cyrus Is Anti- Twilight

 Miley Cyrus Is 
 Anti-Twilight 
teenage blasphemy
Nov 18, 2009 8:51 AM CST

Miley Cyrus Is Anti-Twilight

She's OK with fairies, though

(Newser) - Miley Cyrus made headlines when, during a recent radio interview, the tween idol slammed another tween phenomenon—Twilight. “I've never seen it and nor will I ever. I don't believe in it. I don’t like vampires,” Miley—who, by the way, will soon be working with Twilight...

'Unfriend' Is Scam, Not Word, of Year
 'Unfriend' Is Scam, 
 Not Word, of Year 
OPINION
Nov 17, 2009 9:08 AM CST

'Unfriend' Is Scam, Not Word, of Year

This is one big hacky trend piece, writes Adrian Chen

(Newser) - After "unfriend" won Oxford University Press' Word of the Year, Adrian Chen started typing away at a piece on Internet relationships for Gawker —"Then I realized that the Word of the Year is a huge scam." Here's the evidence: The past four winners have been hypermiling...

'Web 2.0' is English's Millionth Word

A new word emerges every 98 minutes

(Newser) - The millionth word to enter the English lexicon is pure geek-speak, the Telegraph reports: Web 2.0 was entered this morning by Global Language Monitor, which recognizes words once they’ve appeared 25,000 times in the media, blogs, and social websites. The linguistic cataloger estimates that a new word...

Disney Schools Bring Mickey Into Chinese Classrooms

Disney English centers teach Chinese kids new words—and new Disney characters

(Newser) - Mickey Mouse and his cohorts are moving into China’s huge English-teaching market, reports the Wall Street Journal. Disney English centers teach kids as young as 2 the basics of the language with the help of Disney character-themed lessons and “magic tokens” that can be swapped for Disney merchandise...

Web Dictionary Plans to Outdo Print Cousins

New features and bigger capacity make Wordnik a revolution in lexicography

(Newser) - Ever stumbled across an unfamiliar word and wondered not only what it means, but what it looks and sounds like? Or what other words it appears alongside most often, and how many times it’s been used in print this year? The revolutionary new dictionary Wordnik, set to go online...

Oldest English Words Include 'Two,' 'Three'—But Not 'Four'

(Newser) - "I," "we," "two," and "three" have existed for tens of thousands of years, making them among the oldest words in the English language, new research reveals. Computer analysis of Indo-European languages helped isolate "the ways we think words change and their...

Obama Speeches Help Japanese Learn English

Students use his speeches to learn language

(Newser) - Barack Obama is fast becoming a popular English teacher—in Japan. His speeches have become a hit for people learning the language there, the Wall Street Journal reports. Obama's slow and careful enunciation make him a particularly good model, teachers say. One book of speeches, complete with a dictionary for...

In Tough Times, Grammar Snobs Get Tougher

(Newser) - America’s self-proclaimed language cops are turning up the heat on spelling and grammar offenders, MSNBC reports, hitting the streets with Sharpies and venting their frustrations online. One psychologist says the flare-up could represent a need for control during hard times. “When people are under stress, they have less...

Nashville Rejects English-Only Law

English-only proposal defeated

(Newser) - Nashville voters last night defeated an attempt to make English the city's official language, the Tennessean reports. The measure, which would have forced the city council to conduct public business only in English, would have made Nashville the nation's largest city to do so. The referendum failed by a vote...

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