Author Archives: Ingrid Tieken

German prescriptivism

Posted on February 2, 2026 by Ingrid Tieken

“Is there a German complaint tradition?” was a question I asked on this blog just over four years ago. Two readers responded (for which I was really grateful), but meanwhile, I found this book. The title does not say a … Continue reading →

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Proscription of the ampersand?

Posted on January 12, 2026 by Ingrid Tieken

Peter Grund (Yale University), Erik Smitterberg (Uppsala University) and Matti Peikola (University of Turku) are co-writing a paper about recorders’ use of the ampersand (vs. and) in the Salem witch trial documents of the 1690s. One of the questions they … Continue reading →

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On whom/who in a Richard Osman novel again

Posted on December 15, 2025 by Ingrid Tieken

Perhaps my favourite St Nicholas present this year (ok, I also got the latest Asterix and Obelix comic, as well as the first ever Jane Austen graphic novel and lovely house socks, so hard to choose actually) was Richard Osman’s … Continue reading →

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Linguistic Landscaping in Bookshops (6)

Posted on November 24, 2025 by Ingrid Tieken

Thank you, Joan Beal, for responding to my call for pictures of works on language in bookshops! Bascially, the question is to see whether usage guides are displayed at all, as somethimes they are, and often enough not. This picture … Continue reading →

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“Een boek vol taalfouten” – an excellent usage guide for Dutch

Posted on November 4, 2025 by Ingrid Tieken

Looking for Dutch usage guides in the context of the Bridging the Unbridgeable project has not been easy or productive. Asking around didn’t produce any titles, nor did I come across any in bookshops which I visited regularly across the … Continue reading →

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New “History of the English Language” published!

Posted on November 3, 2025 by Ingrid Tieken

Congratulations, Joan Beal (editor) and Raymond Hickey (general editor)! A major new publication, up to date and with a large array of topics by established scholars on the history of the English language. This is Volume III, which consists of … Continue reading →

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Garner on Fowler

Posted on October 14, 2025 by Ingrid Tieken

Next year is a Fowler year. The Fowler year, when we will be commemorating the 100th anniversary of his Modern English Usage. We’re definitely looking forward to it! Anticipating 2026 in this light, Bryan Garner, author of OUP’s well-known Garner’s … Continue reading →

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Fowler narratives?

Posted on October 9, 2025 by Ingrid Tieken

Next year, 2026, will be a Fowler year, just like this year is a Jane Austen year. In Henry Fowler‘s case, 100 years after the publication of his phenomenal Modern English Usage. So I’m looking for Fowler narratives, stories about … Continue reading →

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Who uses Fowler?

Posted on September 29, 2025 by Ingrid Tieken

For a presentation next week, I’d like to have some preliminary data about my research question in the heading of this post. Do you use Fowler’s Modern English Usage? So here come some specific questions: If you use Fower, what … Continue reading →

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Prescriptivism in a Dutch news item

Posted on September 19, 2025 by Ingrid Tieken

Last night on the 8 o’clock news: a new gadget was introduced that warned users if a stalker would come too close. A woman was interviewed anonymously about the advantages of wearing such a gadget, saying how happy she was … Continue reading →

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