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NEWS ABOUT: vocabulary

Sheen Teaching Kids New Word: 'Rehab'

Twins Max and Bob are 2

(Newser) - In his relentless pursuit of Father of the Year honors, Charlie Sheen is giving his 2-year-old twins vocabulary lessons. "I am teaching them words, because they're speaking now," Sheen tells TMZ. But not just any old words: "I'm teaching them the word 'rehab' so... More »

Radio Exec Bans 'Flee,' 'We're Back,' and 'Death Toll'

119 words, phrases go on CEO's naughty list

(Newser) - Anchors and reporters at WGN radio in Chicago have a new job requirement: Don't say any of the station's 119 undesirable words and phrases on the air. Randy Michaels, CEO of parent company Tribune Co., wants information delivered in a more down-to-earth manner, without "newsspeak." On the Voldemort... More »

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... More »

'Green' Tops 2008's Most Annoying Terms

'Maverick,' 'staycation,' and 'game-changer' also make appearances

(Newser) - Did you get your fill of mavericks this year? Or companies claiming to go green? Those words made Lake Superior State University’s list of the most overused words and phrases of 2008, the AP reports. Other annoying winners:
  • Carbon footprint
  • First dude
  • Bailout
  • Wall Street, in comparison with Main
... More »

Top New Phrases of 2008

Schott compiles list of 2008's most memorable neologisms

(Newser) - 2008 will be remembered not only for a historic election and financial gyrations, but for the words and phrases that came into use this year. Ben Schott, author of Schott's Almanac, lists some of 2008's most interesting neologisms in the London Times.
  • Terrorist fist jab: A blunt Fox News-ism to
... More »

'Bailout' Named Word of the Year

'Trepidation' and 'turmoil' also top list of words readers often look up

(Newser) - The word "bailout," in frequent use in newspapers, magazines, and TV thanks to the economic meltdown, has been named Merriam-Webster's 2008 Word of the Year, reports the AP. It was the word most looked up on the company's online dictionary, edging out other newly prominent and worrisome terms... More »

PBS Unleashes Martha for Vocab Help

(Newser) - What if the family dog ate alphabet soup by mistake? Susan Meddaugh answered her 7-year-old son’s question by writing a book, Martha Speaks, which has now become a PBS show about the talking dog. PBS hopes it will teach challenging vocab—"diminish," "concoct," and "... More »

Depressed Dads Make Kids Less Literate

Sad fathers don't read as much to babies, whose vocabs suffer

(Newser) - About 10% of new fathers show signs of clinical depression—a rate twice that of other men—and that can have a noticeable effect on their children, an American Psychiatric Association study finds. Sad dads interact less with their progeny, which means less bedtime reading and a smaller vocabulary by... More »

The Most Useless Words of 2007

'Surge,' 'random,' 'under the bus' top list of cringe-worthy neologisms

(Newser) - Do you roll your eyes every time a newscaster calls a coincidence a "perfect storm"? Cringe the thousandth time a teenager invokes "random"? The faculty at Lake Superior State University shares your vexation. Here are some selections from the school's list of words and phrases to... More »

Toddlers Learn Language Slowly and Quickly

Kids stockpile simple words in buildup to vocab explosion

(Newser) - Toddlers learn to speak by simply using small, familiar words to acquire harder ones, new research says, throwing a curveball at scientists who assumed a more complex cognitive system. Youngsters can rapidly go from spouting babble to intelligible chatter as long as their words have varying levels of difficulty, Scientific ... More »

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