A Manifesto for Planet Word 2.0
Back in 2013 when we started planning a museum of words and language, it was mainly intended to be a new way to bring disaffected readers back into the fold…
Linguistic Diversity in D.C. and the “D.C. Dialect”: Q&A with Natalie Schilling
Is the word “moe” in your vocabulary? How about “jhi”? If so, you’re likely a D.C. local! Like go-go and mambo sauce, these words are part of the lifeblood of…
From the Founder: Lessons Passed Down
My favorite gift to newborns is, you guessed it, a book, but one that I especially like to give (along with Pat the Bunny!) is any edition of Mother Goose…
Language in the News: Rethinking the Word “Master”
“Language is going to change whether you like it or not. So you might as well like it.” — Helen Zaltzman, host of the linguistics podcast The Allusionist At Planet…
Pronunciation, Prestige, and Punchlines: Q&A with David Crystal
Pronunciation can be a minefield of silent letters and tricky vowels — and a signal of social hierarchy. But accents and pronunciation also provide endless fodder for jokes. Linguist and…
Talking Black in America: Q&A with Walt Wolfram
A new documentary, Talking Black in America, explores African American English through interviews with linguists, speakers, and educators. Walt Wolfram, director of the Language and Life Project and the film's executive…