Tag archives: language

Labouring language: the changing vocabulary of childbirth

Expectant parents don’t generally have a lot of spare time for idly perusing the dictionary, but if they did, they would find that the vocabulary of the event they joyfully anticipate has undergone significant changes over the centuries. Consider, for instance, the verb to deliver. In contemporary use, the mother is often the subject of [...]

Posted on: April 30 2013 | Posted by: | Comments: 3 | Categories: Dictionaries and lexicography, English in use, Word origins | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

What kind of writer are you?

Writing styles are as distinct as personality traits—and debates about which way of writing is “best” can often be just as volatile. Where one writer might luxuriate in the complexities and varieties of the lexicon, another might prefer to tell it like it is in the most familiar way possible. Such was the case, in [...]

Posted on: August 17 2012 | Comments: 24 | Categories: Competitions and quizzes, English in use | Tags: , , , , ,