Language and words in the news – 1st October, 2010

This post contains a weekly selection of links related to language and words in the news. These can be items from the latest news, blog posts or interesting websites related to global English and language change, and language education too.

Do contact us if you would like to submit a link for us to include. We’d love to hear from you.

Global English

How Japanese English works
Looking at Japanese English can also help all of us understand the use of English all over the world. Not only are many Japanese English expressions used in Korean, but the way you can classify the words and expressions makes for a fascinating prism to see how English is changing and will continue developing as native speakers lose all control of it.

Language change and slang

So wrong it’s right
Over the past 10 days, language bloggers have been exchanging virtual high-fives at the news of an honor bestowed on one of their coinages. In its most recent quarterly update, the Oxford English Dictionary Online announced that its word-hoard now includes the shiny new term eggcorn.

Recession-Era Words and Phrases: Are You a ‘Nevertiree’? Or Are You Among the ‘Accidentally Retired’?
The economic crisis has brought about a “new normal,” in which Americans are adjusting their expectations concerning work, investing, spending, and one’s “lifestyle.” The recession has also brought with it new words and phrases, like “new normal.”

Improve your English

National Punctuation Day: Why We Need Punctuation
We tweet, we post, we publish our words in 140 characters or less. We’re even starting to think in 140 characters or less. Punctuation is useless. Dead. Right? Wrong. Even on the shortest roads, you need a speed limit and a direction.

Language teaching and resources

Chunking: Another Perspective
Lexical chunks may have entered the house of language teaching … but they shouldn’t be given the run of the place.

Books, words, science and the history of language

Dolphin species attempt ‘common language’
When two dolphin species come together, they attempt to find a common language, preliminary research suggests.

Wondrous Words Wednesday
My vocabulary is pretty extensive, so most books don’t present a lot of challenges. Historical fiction is a great way to learn crazy new words — the last 2 weeks I’ve been posting words from a book in Belgium and this week I am in Nagasaki with the Dutch East Indies Company.