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October 12, 2008 10:32:37 PM CDT

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11 Stories

  • October 2008

    • Gosh Darn if Her Jargon Isn't as Empty as Folksy

      New York Times  |  Oct 5, 08 12:31 PM CDT

      Gosh Darn if Her Jargon Isn't as Empty as Folksy

      (Newser) - From the party whose leader infamously asked "Is our children learning?," we now have the baffling homespun language of Sarah Palin, for whom Maureen Dowd isn't thrilled to have to translate. The vice presidential candidate's "sing-songy jingoism" conceals a mass of contradictions and often a lack of real meaning, Dowd writes in the New York Times. More »

      Tags

      Election 2008  • Sarah Palin  • vice presidential debate  • Maureen Dowd  • English  • grammar

    • Dictionary Gives Rare Words One Last Chance

      Time  |  Oct 4, 08 8:49 AM CDT

      Dictionary Gives Rare Words One Last Chance

      (Newser) - The Collins English Dictionary is giving rarely used words a last chance before they are dumped from the new edition, Time reports. Language lovers were outraged at plans to  exuviate (shed) words like oppugnant (combative), so the editors have made public a list of 24 candidates for deletion. If the words reappear in the dictionary's database of English usage before January, they can stay. More »

      Tags

      language  • English  • dictionary  • words  • lexicon

  • September 2008

    • LPGA Backs Off English-Only Policy

      Golfweek  |  Sep 5, 08 2:43 PM CDT

      LPGA Backs Off English-Only Policy

      (Newser) - A firestorm of criticism has forced the LPGA to overturn its plans to penalize tour players who failed to pass an oral English evaluation after 2 years, GolfWeek reports. “After hearing the concerns, we believe there are other ways to achieve our shared objective of supporting and enhancing the business opportunities for every tour player,” said the LPGA commissioner. More »

      Tags

      golf  • LPGA  • English  • Asians

  • August 2008

    • LPGA to Test Players' English

      Golfweek  |  Aug 26, 08 4:12 PM CDT

      LPGA to Test Players' English

      (Newser) - The LPGA will begin mandatory oral English tests for its players next year, and those who fail face suspension and required tutoring, Golfweek reports. The tour is stressing the importance of English as players from Asia have come to play a prominent role in the sport. Of the 121 international players on the tour this year, 45 are from South Korea. More »

      Tags

      golf  • sports  • South Korea  • language  • LPGA  • English  • LPGA Tour

  • June 2008

    • 300M 'Chinglish' Speakers Can't Be Wrong

      Wired  |  Jun 29, 08 5:52 AM CDT

      300M 'Chinglish' Speakers Can't Be Wrong

      (Newser) - Some 300 million English speakers in China are altering the language in small but important ways—and may be creating their own dialect, Michael Erard writes in Wired . So-called "Chinglish"—which stresses unique syllables, drops dos and dids, and adds sounds for questions—has already been studied in a Hong Kong exhibit and is used widely in Singapore books and films. More »

      Tags

      language  • Singapore  • English  • Chinese  • grammar

  • May 2008

    • Phonetics Reformers Buzzing at Spelling Bee

      Wall Street Journal  |  May 30, 08 11:15 AM CDT

      Phonetics Reformers Buzzing at Spelling Bee

      (Newser) - Every year, the National Spelling Bee sparks a protest from an 800-year-old movement that aims to simplify spelling by using phonetics, the Wall Street Journal reports. (Think thru vs. through.) “We have 42 different sounds in English, and we spell them 400 different ways,” says the 102-year-old founder of the movement’s modern phase, which blames the high rate of illiteracy on the idiosyncrasies of English spelling. More »

      Tags

      English  • spelling  • spelling bee  • grammar

    • Grammatical Dynamic Duo Wages War on Typos

      Chicago Tribune  |  May 21, 08 8:50 PM CDT

      Grammatical Dynamic Duo Wages War on Typos

      (Newser) - Jeff Deck and Benjamin Herson are out-of-work Ivy Leaguers on a mission. They just wrapped up a three-month cross-country drive to eradicate typos and grammar gaffes in public spaces. Sharpies in hand, the pair confronted store owners about typos on their signs and windows and did their best to correct them, explains the Chicago Tribune . "A grocery store that can't spell grocery makes you question the food they sell," says Deck. More »

      Tags

      education  • English  • dictionary  • grammar

  • March 2008

    • Philly Steak Shop Can Keep 'Please Speak English' Signs

      Philadelphia Inquirer  |  Mar 20, 08 5:10 PM CDT

      Philly Steak Shop Can Keep 'Please Speak English' Signs

      (Newser) - The owner of a Philadelphia institution can keep signs that ask customers to order their cheese steaks in English, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. A city agency ruled the signs at Geno's Steaks—"This is America. When ordering, please speak English"—do not violate discrimination rules; owner Joey Vento says he never turned away customers and just wanted to make a political point. More »

      Tags

      immigration  • Philadelphia  • America  • language  • English  • foreign languages

  • January 2008

    • If You Really Want to Hear About It ...

      NPR  |  Jan 21, 08 7:57 PM CST

      If You Really Want to Hear About It ...

      (Newser) - Holden Caulfield was an angsty teen before James Dean and rock and roll made alientaed youth an icon. "There's really not the sense of teen culture that there is now," says the producer of "Gossip Girl." NPR takes the measure of Holden, J.D. Salinger, and the 1951 classic The Catcher in the Rye . More »

      Tags

      literature  • English  • The Catcher in the Rye  • JD Salinger

  • December 2007

    • Winning Word of 2007: 'W00t'

      Associated Press  |  Dec 12, 07 10:47 AM CST

      Winning Word of 2007: 'W00t'

      (Newser) - W00t is Merriam-Webster’s word of the year. The term is the victory cry of computer hackers and gamers, who also heatedly argue its origins. Merriam-Webster cites the explanation that gamers coined it as an alphanumeric acronym for “We Owned Other Team.” Contentious hackers claim it was code for when they gained “root” or complete access to a system. More »

      Tags

      language  • English  • dictionary  • Merriam Webster

  • November 2007

    • Immigrant Kids Talk the Talk: 90% Master English

      Los Angeles Times  |  Nov 30, 07 5:40 AM CST

      Immigrant Kids Talk the Talk: 90% Master English

      (Newser) - Although many Spanish-speaking immigrants who moved to America know little English, that's not true of their children and grandchildren, according to a new Pew survey. Only 23% of first-generation immigrants said they were competent in English, but 88% of second-generation and 94% of third-generation residents said they can carry on a conversation in English very well. More »

      Tags

      immigration  • immigrant  • language  • English  • Latinos  • Spanish  • bilingual education

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