Yearly Archives: 2019

Even John le Carré has them

Metalinguistic comments that is, as in the novels of Kingsley Amis, Len Deighton and Ian McEwan. Reading A Most Wanted Man (2008), I came across several references to accent but also one to who/whom: But for how long? And from who? … Continue reading

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Describing Prescriptivism

Soon to appear (expected publication date: some time in September):  

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More complete?

In 2007, The Dutch Taaladviesdienst (a language advice service run by Genootschap Onze Taal)  published Taal top 100, a collection of the 100 most popular usage problems in Dutch, in the fields of spelling, grammar, lexis , punctuation and style. … Continue reading

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These ones, those ones

Just finished my article “Of greengrocers, sports commentators, estate agents and television presenters: Who’s in a usage guide and why” for a special issue with papers from Liv Walsh’s workshop In the Shadow of the Standard September last in Nottingham. … Continue reading

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English Grammar Day 2019

Every year, some time during the summer, UCL organises an English Grammar Day. This time I have been invited to speak, and I decided to do so on the following topic (not yet announced online): No complaint tradition in The Netherlands? … Continue reading

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German academics and authors call for end to ‘gender nonsense’

From Sunday’s Guardian website … Oh for a German Academy! On a separate note, the spell-checker here wanted me to change Guardian to Gardina! For those not familiar with the Guardian, it has for many years been known for its … Continue reading

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