Language evolves and dictionaries with it – we can only wonder what changes in the meaning of common, everyday words we might find were we to crack open the carefully preserved dictionaries hiding in the Rare Books room. If you…
Tag: language
World Poetry Day
Since records began, poetry has formed part of our oral tradition, connecting ideas across continents, cultures, civilisations and generations. World Poetry Day, seeks to recognise the power of poetry to capture the creative spirit of the human mind and to…
A rose by any other name…
How well do you know your Indian English? English has spread far and wide and developed into a plethora of related languages collectively known as Panglish, a corruption of pan-English. In India, words are borrowed and adapted from native languages including Hindi…
English idioms made as easy as pie
Ever wanted to know where the British obsession with pies, cakes and idioms all sprang from? With this free guide you can learn it all and share it with your friends, so you really can have your proverbial cake and eat it!
When lexicography goes long
What is the longest word in the dictionary? The key to clear English is usually to use the shortest, simplest, most common words to say what you want to say, and complexity is the enemy of clarity. Yet there are some…
JSTOR: a guided journey
Good news for all our budding Arts and Humanities scholars! JSTOR have just produced a series of subject guides to help you get the most from their resources, including: Books Art & Art History resources Language & Literature resources Political Science resources Education…
Posted in Thing of the Day Tagged with: art, databases, ebooks, education, language, literature, politics
Oxford Dictionaries word of the Year 2015… is an emoji!
Oxford Dictionaries announced the ‘Face with Tears of Joy’ emoji as their Word of the Year 2015. You can find out why, see the shortlisted words which didn’t quite make the cut, and watch their “Emojis in real life” video on the Oxford…
Words of the Year
Book lovers, scrabble enthusiasts, crossword addicts and linguaphiles everywhere often love a new word. One dictionary has a new top ten list here: http://www.collinsdictionary.com/word-lovers-blog/new/top-10-collins-words-of-the-year,259,HCB.html and although some of the words aren’t new, they’ve either been given a new meaning or…
Boldy to go…
I thought about splitting the infinitive in best Star Trek style, really I did, but pedant that I am I just could not bring myself to go there. Just a few decades ago that last sentence would have made no…
‘Yarn bomb’ makes it into the OED
How exciting, June’s new word list from the Oxford English Dictionary includes ‘Yarn bomb’. Does this mean that yarn bombing is no longer rebellious, under-ground and subversive, brightening an often grey and beige cityscape with a riot of colour and texture?…
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