This post contains a 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, language change, education in general, and language learning and teaching in particular.
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Global English
Americanisms In The UK: No Way Or No Biggie?
Some Brits take it even further by relocating to the USA then rolling their eyes at Americanisms and continuing to use very British phrases even though no one understands them.
Language change and slang
Daily Mail’s ‘who won Legs-it’ front page of Nicola Sturgeon, Theresa May sparks outrage
The photo of the two leaders published on Tuesday displays their legs prominently alongside a headline speculating about which leader won ‘Legs-it’, a play on Brexit.
English has a traditional solution to gender-neutral pronouns
At a recent meeting of the American Copy Editors Society, the “Chicago Manual of Style” and the Associated Press (AP) stylebook, both widely followed, announced a change that sent waves through the audience.
Words, dictionaries, and language
A Delightful Dictionary for Canadian English
Jesse Sheidlower delves into the recently published 2nd edition of the Dictionary of Canadianisms on Historical Principles.
How to revive a 500-year-old dying language
Kristang is the language of the Portuguese Eurasians, a minority group descended from Portuguese settlers who arrived in the region in the 16th Century and married locals.
Humour
Siri and flatulence
The voice recognition system in the iPhone operates entirely on the basis of acoustic physics, not at all on linguistic phonetics.
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