Author Archives: Carmen Ebner

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About Carmen Ebner

Carmen Ebner is a sociolinguist. In September 2017, she has obtained her PhD in Linguistics from Leiden University Centre for Linguistics (LUCL) in the Netherlands, where she worked on a project on language attitudes and prescriptivism in British English. Carmen's research interests include all things sociolinguistics. In particular, she is interested in linguistic discrimination, attitude elicitation techniques, language variation and change, and historical sociolinguistics.

A never-ending story

Posted on March 21, 2014 by Carmen Ebner

Are ‘grammar Nazis’ ruining the English language? This is a question you might have already asked yourself as a reader of this blog. Now the question has been posed to Geoffrey Pullum, Professor of General Linguistics at the University of … Continue reading →

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Appropriate Usage – You decide!

Posted on February 18, 2014 by Carmen Ebner

The moment of truth has come. It is time to find out what YOU think about the English language and its usage? Is it fit as a fiddle? Or is it going down the drain? What do you consider acceptable and appropriate … Continue reading →

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Of compound words and the doom of English

Posted on January 9, 2014 by Carmen Ebner

Have you ever noticed a difference between American and British English when it comes to compound words? Lynne Truss, author of the bestseller Eats, Shoots and Leaves, argues in her weekly column in The Telegraph that the American tradition of compounding … Continue reading →

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Soda, Pop, Coke – Ways of investigating language variation

Posted on November 27, 2013 by Carmen Ebner

As I am preparing for my fieldwork, which I will be conducting in early 2014 in and around London, I am looking into ways of investigating language variation and usage attitudes in general. Usage attitudes in particular are a very delicate … Continue reading →

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The world’s worst written sentence

Posted on August 7, 2013 by Carmen Ebner

Consider the following sentence: “Yet the nightmare cast its shroud in the guise of a contagion of  a deer-in-the-headlights paralysis.”   According to columnist at The Economist, the above sentence would qualify to be nominated as “the world’s worst written … Continue reading →

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Who was Sir Ernest Gowers?

Posted on July 18, 2013 by Carmen Ebner

While browsing in one of the many second hand bookshops in Scotland, I came across a familiar name: Sir Ernest Gowers. Gowers, known for his revision of H.W. Fowler’s Modern English Usage, also published other reference works such as the … Continue reading →

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Would your mum understand?

Posted on July 7, 2013 by Carmen Ebner

In the past few months, Education Secretary Michael Gove, a former journalist, has hit the front page with his plans to introduce new grammar and spelling tests in UK schools. Now he is back in the headlines: “Would your mum … Continue reading →

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Punishing Princes Street

Posted on June 23, 2013 by Carmen Ebner

Edinburgh’s Princes Street is a true shopper’s delight. Its countless shops and stores make the hearts of shopaholics beat faster and credit cards moan even louder. Yet, it is not all sunshine and roses down Princes Street. Grammar – or … Continue reading →

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An Academy of English?

Posted on May 23, 2013 by Carmen Ebner

Even if Great Britain never had an Academy of English similar to the France’s Académie Française or the Spain’s Real Academia Española, authority is still assigned to different bodies. But to whom? The desire for having a standard to hold … Continue reading →

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It is not you, it is your grammar.

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Carmen Ebner

This is crucial information which can save and change your life and the lives of others. You may be not aware of the impact your use of grammar, spelling and punctuation can have on your future. Texting ur beautiful to … Continue reading →

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