2011-11-11
post/12648356296
2011-02-14
post/3297895137
From the British Council’s Vimeo account, comes this vintage gem. Lovely work on the transitions:
History of the English Language acts as an excellent layman’s introduction to the origins of one of the most common languages on the planet, demonstrating how dialect changes over time, and presenting England as being multicultural right down to its roots.
2010-12-19
post/2369963023
A Google Books chart showing the decline of the medial S, the ſ you see in old inscriptions. Chart via Robin Sloan. Chart concept by Ben Schmidt. Seen in Rest In Peace, Medial S by Frank Chimero.
See also: Congrefs, by Mark Wunch, which restores the long S (via).
Previously: Go About Your Buſineſs. (See also.)
2010-08-26
Amazing. Fantastic. Wonderful.
There’s a word I’m desperately trying not to use. That word is “Awesome”.
I don’t know how much of it is the reflexive use it seems to have on the internet, and how much is English snobbery, but I really don’t like using the word. I’m pedantic enough to think that something described with it should inspire a sense of awe, rather than just being momentarily amusing or impressive.
Also, it’s not as if (British?) English is lacking in synonyms. The title of this post contains three I thought of without trouble, and I’m sure with a bit more effort I could come up with a few more.
I suppose this is a plea to help with my self-policing. If you catch me saying That Word, and I don’t notice myself (usually I do, and mumble a very short version of this post) then feel free to give me a stern look. Thanks.
