The Sound of 1776: What the Language in Our Founding Documents Reveals
The following is a guest blog post written by Dr. Anne Curzan. As we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, we may take for granted the name…
Choosing the 2023 Word of the Year: Q&A with Ben Zimmer and Kelly Wright
Since 1990, the American Dialect Society has annually unveiled a Word of the Year — a newly prominent word that reflects significant events, societal shifts, and prevailing themes over the…
Barbiecore and the Language of Aesthetics
It’s a Barbie world, and we’re just living in it. With the release of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie movie has come a resurgence in popularity for highly feminine aesthetics and all…
New Words in the Digital Age: Q&A with Grant Barrett
Has the internet changed the way new words enter our collective vocabulary? How do dictionary makers figure out what words having staying power and which will be obsolete in a…
Erin McKean: My Five Favorite Words
A short essay listing the five favorite words (and why) by contributor Erin McKean, a noted lexicographer, author of seven books, and founder of the nonprofit online dictionary Wordnik.com.