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 “A Fond Farewell to 2023”
Tag Archives: linguistics
Christmas Trees and Etymologies
Reading time: 5 minutes As an etymological Christmas gift from me for 2023, here’s a quick dive into the story and connections of one festive word: the humble Christmas tree. Now, Modern English tree goes back to Old English trēow, which could mean a specific tree or the substance of wood. … Ġeseah iċ wuldres trēow,wǣdum ġeweorðode, wynnum sċīnan,ġeġyred mid golde; ġimmas hæfdonbewriġene weorðlīċeContinue reading “Christmas Trees and Etymologies”
Is This [Is] An English Question?
Reading time: 10 minutes For this November’s post, I’d like to shine a syntactic spotlight on an unusual feature of English word order. While you might not know it from my online offerings, I am first and foremost a syntactician: words are fascinating, but it’s how we arrange them together that interests me most. TheContinue reading “Is This [Is] An English Question?”
The Reichenau Glossary and the Birth of French
Reading time: 10 minutes Now, I must confess, I have been somewhat preoccupied for the past two months, and so haven’t dedicated time to this site. The jump into the world of podcasting has taken a lot of effort, and yet the website hasn’t been far from my thoughts. So, for this October, I’m gettingContinue reading “The Reichenau Glossary and the Birth of French”
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’sContinue reading “Introducing: ‘A Language I Love Is…’”
Five Antiquities of English
Reading time: 10-15 minutes To listen along in an audio format, just click here: IT’S WELL KNOWN that English has undergone many significant changes down the centuries. Events like the Norman Conquest have drastically altered the shape of the language, influencing words and sounds so much that a new kind of English was born. YetContinue reading “Five Antiquities of English”
A Linguist Abroad: Holidaying with Hungarian
Reading time: 10-15 minutes Here’s something new for the blog: audio! If, for some reason, you’d like to hear my dulcet tones offending multiple European countries with my pronunciation of their words, you can listen to the full article here: This month, I had the good fortune to make a visit to Hungary and toContinue reading “A Linguist Abroad: Holidaying with Hungarian”
Behind the Scenes of Etymology with YouTube’s Jackson Crawford
Just another personal bit of news from me: my appearance as a virtual guest and interviewee of Dr Jackson Crawford is now up on YouTube! Dr Crawford is one of the biggest linguistics YouTubers active at the moment, and it was a real thrill to be invited for one of his Patreon interviews. You canContinue reading “Behind the Scenes of Etymology with YouTube’s Jackson Crawford”
(Hopefully) Halfway to Doctorhood
Reading time: 15-20 minutes Passing a milestone on a long journey, be it a metaphorical or a literal one, is always a moment for reflection. Recently, after fifteen months, I crawled over the finish line of a large part of my PhD project, and promptly ran off to the pub. The morning after, I awokeContinue reading “(Hopefully) Halfway to Doctorhood”
Bad Romance: An Introduction to the Appendix Probi
Reading Time: 10 minutes How exactly did we get from Latin to the many Romance languages of today? What changes happened to Latin that it should end up looking so different? These are the driving questions of Romance historical linguistics, the field of study that aims to investigate how French, Spanish, Catalan, Italian, Romanian andContinue reading “Bad Romance: An Introduction to the Appendix Probi”
Danny L. Bate 