Below follows Jan van den Berg’s first blogpost: “American influence is busily eroding a valuable and once firm distinction in British speech and writing” (Amis 1997: 11). This is a quotation from Kingsley Amis’s usage guide The King’s English (1997). As we … Continue reading →
One of our readers sent us a link to an item from the BBC News Magazine, from 20 July last year, on Americanisms. It is well worth looking at. Thanks, Katherine! The article reads that thousands responded: any additions from … Continue reading →
This is what Profile Books have to say about Matthew Engel’s new book That’s The Way It Crumbles The American Conquest of the English Language Are we tired of hearing that fall is a season, sick of being offered fries … Continue reading →
On our blog, we often report on current developments in the usage debate, bits and pieces of our research findings and also new publications of usage guides. Being a true book addict, I would like to share two of the … Continue reading →
Here is the latest feature by a member of our project in the new issue of English Today. It is republished on this blog with permission from Cambridge University Press, which owns the copyright to this piece. The original is available at Cambridge Journals Online. To join … Continue reading →
This blog features a Language Calendar, and it includes 23 April – English Language Day (UN). Why was 23 April chosen for this, and why have an English Language Day to begin with? As a World Language, English is important enough as it is. So … Continue reading →
One of the pet peeves of the British English-speaking language pedants has traditionally been the usage of Americanisms, which we have written and surveyed our readers about in our previous posts. In my research of the complaints about language use, … Continue reading →
Posted in usage features
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Tagged BBC, BNC, COHA
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Okay, you guys, I’ve got a little more written… are you ready? —Joey Tribbiani (Friends) To me it seems as if plural you is a little bit lost these days. Sitcoms and television series such as Friends, The Big Bang Theory, South … Continue reading →
Yes, there is futebol even on this blog! Read Jan van den Berg‘s second post, and let us have your comments, for all languages! Today, 12 June 2014 – the start of the World Cup. An exciting time for many. … Continue reading →
This week, reading English Usage Book reviews, sociological issues to do with language communities, and a couple of blogs on Americanisms/Britishisms, I noticed two things: one is that, for the most part, commentators on the correct usage of English, despite … Continue reading →
Bridging the Unbridgeable 