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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: vocabulary

vocabulary stories: 8 news summaries

(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 »

MORE ABOUT:
English • vocabulary • words • English language • parts of speech • Reading University

 'Green' Tops 2008's 
 Most Annoying Terms 

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

Jan 1, 09 12:23 PM CST
(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
... More »

MORE ABOUT:
list • university • vocabulary • neologisms • slang • 2008

OPINION

 Top New Phrases of 2008 

Schott compiles list of 2008's most memorable neologisms

Dec 26, 08 10:55 AM CST
(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
... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Barack Obama • vocabulary • Carla Bruni • 2008 • zero percent • Best of 2008

 'Bailout' Named 
 Word of the Year 

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

Nov 26, 08 6:20 AM CST
(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 »

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vocabulary • bailout • definitions • Word of the Year • Merriam-Webster • Best of 2008

(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 »

MORE ABOUT:
television • Department of Education • cartoon • PBS • vocabulary • children's show • Martha Speaks

Depressed Dads Make Kids
Less Literate

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

May 7, 08 1:20 PM CDT
(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 »

MORE ABOUT:
fatherhood • parenting • depression • literacy • reading • infant • vocabulary • toddler

The Most Useless Words of 2007

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

Jan 1, 08 6:00 PM CST
(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 »

MORE ABOUT:
list • language • vocabulary • words • neologisms

Toddlers Learn Language Slowly and Quickly

Kids stockpile simple words in buildup to vocab explosion

Aug 3, 07 4:57 PM CDT
(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 »

MORE ABOUT:
children • learning • language • Bob McMurray • University of Iowa • cognitive science • vocabulary • toddler

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