Monthly Archives: August 2017

New interface for oldest (?) language advice website

Posted on August 30, 2017 by Ingrid Tieken

Common Errors in English is a website that has been up and running since March 1997, as its maker, Paul Brians, told me. Does that make it the oldest language advice website that has been about? Quite possibly It has … Continue reading →

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Language myths – who cares?

Posted on August 24, 2017 by Ingrid Tieken

I’m reading (partly re-reading) the book Language Myths, edited by Laurie Bauer and Peter Trudgill, published in 1998. It includes 21 pieces by well-known linguists such as James and Lesley Milroy, Jenny Cheshire, Dennis Preston, John Algeo (apologies to the … Continue reading →

Posted in polls and surveys | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Just out: Proper English Usage

Posted on August 16, 2017 by Ingrid Tieken

Lying on my desk since yesterday: Carmen Ebner’s PhD thesis, all shiny and new. It is the first proper book published in our research project. Congratulations, Carmen! And all the best with your defense on 5 September. You’ll do us … Continue reading →

Posted in polls and surveys | 4 Comments

A postdating for the OED – with thanks to Kingsley Amis

Posted on August 10, 2017 by Ingrid Tieken

What other words are there for stickler, pedant or pundit, Lonneke van Leest-Kootkar asked in a blogpost last year. Rebecca Gowers, in Horrible Words (2016), chose to use the word griper instead of stickler (a word I will always associate with Lynne Truss). … Continue reading →

Posted in letters to the editor, news | Tagged , | 3 Comments