Words

Authors' Unique Words Provide "Linguistic Fingerprint"

BBC News | Posted 12.11.2009 | Books


Analyses of classic authors' works provide a way to "linguistically fingerprint" them, researchers say. The relationship between the number of words ...

A Word for the Gifting Season

Amy Hungerford | Posted 11.11.2009 | Living


Amy Hungerford

Pretension wrapped in a noun wrapped in a gerund: that's what gifting is. This holiday season, give the gift that keeps giving: something nice you picked yourself, for a particular person.

Words: Words Parents Use Can Make a Difference for Life. Words Can Send You into Space or Tear You to Pieces

Ramon Resa, MD | Posted 10.17.2009 | Living


Ramon Resa, MD

Say positive things about your children. Tell them you believe in them. If you let them know that they can accomplish anything if they put their minds to it, they will.

Cutting to the Chase

Robin Lakoff | Posted 09.17.2009 | Living


Robin Lakoff

It seems obvious that people create shortened forms to save time. And yet, most often, we don't save that much time and may run the risk of endangering intelligibility.

"Leftover Christmas Cake" and Other Anti-feminist Expressions

Amanda ReCupido | Posted 08.31.2009 | Living


Amanda ReCupido

Germans must feel they'll never see the light of day again once the wedding band is on -- they refer to it as being "under a bonnet." And a submissive wife? A "cricket on the stove".

Carbon Footprint, Locavore Among The New Words Added To Merriam-Webster Dictionary, READ MORE HERE

AP | The Associated Press | Posted 08.09.2009 | Green


Merriam-Webster Inc. has added more than 100 entries to the latest edition of its Collegiate Dictionary. Here are some, along with the year in which M...

The NY/LA Dictionary

Emily Bracken | Posted 03.19.2009 | Comedy


Emily Bracken

When an Angeleno says, "Have a nice day," what he really means is, "F-- you," and when a New Yorker says, "F-- you," he really means, "Have a nice day."

Words That Worked in 2008 (and Some That Didn't): A Report Card

Michael Maslansky | Posted 02.05.2009 | Politics


Michael Maslansky

The following is our admittedly subjective ranking of the top ten words of 2008 and how well people used them.

Sam Stein

Bush, Iraq, Energy, Osama: McCain/Obama Speech War

HuffingtonPost.com | Sam Stein | Posted 09.13.2008 | Politics


In presidential campaigns, words matter. With Barack Obama belittled as an empty-suit orator and John McCain stifled by rhetorical blunders, the influ...

Apostrophe

Peter Clothier | Posted 07.26.2008 | Living


Peter Clothier

So what is it about the apostrophe? How come so few people know how to use it? And why do I get so irritated by its misuse? I love the English language, and hate to see it being abused.

The Power Of Words

Susan Smalley, Ph.D. | Posted 03.28.2008 | Living


Susan Smalley, Ph.D.

As I ponder the power of the word to incite and divide, to calm and connect, or to create and effect change, I am ever more cautious in what I say and how I listen to the words around me.