Personal and Miscellaneous
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Why Q Needs USA!
A personal newsflash: today (June 2nd) sees the US release of my bestselling banquet of historico-linguistic nerdery, Why Q Needs U – that book about the alphabet and the English language that came out in the UK last October and has consistently haunted British bookshops since then. Despite its British origins and (very) British author,… Continue reading
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‘Why Q Needs U’ – Out Today!
The long-awaited day (awaited by me at least) is here, as October 2nd is the publication day of my new book Why Q Needs U: A history of our letters and how we use them! Find it here: https://geni.us/WhyQNeedsU Published in the UK by Blink/Bonnier, it’s now available to find in British bookshops – as… Continue reading
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‘Why Q Needs U’: New book due for release in October!
At last, the cat has been let out of the bag: my first book, entitled Why Q Needs U, is due for publication at the start of October this year! The announcement appeared in The Bookseller yesterday, which shared a few details about the book and its bewildered author, and started the marketing countdown to… Continue reading
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Introducing: My Czech Word of the Week!
Another linguistic newsflash from me – yes, I know, two newsflashes in two days, but I have been keeping busy. As a reward for good behaviour in my current job at Radio Prague International, I have been allowed my own mini series all about etymology. Entitled Word of the Week, each instalment takes a look… Continue reading
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‘A Language I Love Is…’ returns for Series 3!
A linguistic newsflash from me: My podcast, A Language I Love Is…, has started its third series! This is the podcast that’s all about languages, linguistics and love, which allows me to spend time chatting to linguistic experts and discussing particular languages in great depth. The episodes are freely available on major podcast platforms, such… Continue reading
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All We Hear is Radio Praha (Unexpected Part 2)
A personal update from me: September has brought it a change in occupation for me. This change has been a long time coming, and was a milestone on the road of life that seemed very distant when I was (totally unexpectedly) recommended for the job back in March. Now September is here, and that means… Continue reading
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New Article: Deriving the Old Irish Clause
Some personal news from me: My first peer-reviewed academic article has now been published with the Journal of Historical Syntax! After almost a year of work by me, three reviewers and the editors of JHS, Deriving the Old Irish Clause now exists out there to be read and hopefully enjoyed. It can be found here… Continue reading
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A Fond Farewell to 2023
Reading time: 5 minutes At time of writing, the year 2023 is ticking out its few remaining hours, and the threshold of New Year’s Eve is almost here. Being someone easily susceptible to bouts of acute nostalgia, I can’t help but reflect on the past 365 days during this liminal period – and this year,… Continue reading
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Introducing: ‘A Language I Love Is…’
There’s a new linguistic podcast out there! Friends, linguists, podcast pros, lend me your ears! Being committed to bringing the joys of linguistics to a wide audience, and motivated by the continuing decline of Twitter, I am thrilled to announce that I now have a podcast! It’s called A Language I Love Is… and it’s… Continue reading
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All We Hear is Radio Praha
Another newflash from me! I recently had the great privilege to be interviewed by Ian Willoughby, journalist, radio presenter and doyen of the Anglophone community in the Czech Republic. Taking a break from interviewing A-lister celebrities and politicians, he got me on Radio Prague International to talk about my personal Czech experience – the country,… Continue reading