Blog Archives

The end of prescriptivism?

Posted on September 14, 2011 by Ingrid Tieken

David Crystal wrote the final chapter of Lynda Mugglestone’s The Oxford History of English (OUP 2006), and in that chapter, he focusses on the way English will be developing in the course of the 21st century. One important effect on … Continue reading →

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Special issue of English Today

Posted on September 13, 2011 by Ingrid Tieken

Last year, a special issue appeared of English Today, entirly focussed on usage guides. Topics included how Fowler became “The Fowler”, taboo and purism, the birth of the usage guide, the issue of prescriptivism in a major dictionary like the … Continue reading →

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New edition of The King’s English by Kingsley Amis

Posted on September 12, 2011 by BtU Admin

The title of this usage guide was obviously inspired by its famous ancestor published in 1881, by George Washington Moon. As for the title of Amis’s book, being called “the King” was “a nickname he tolerated”, according to his son … Continue reading →

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“Telling it like it is”

Posted on September 12, 2011 by BtU Admin

On 12 September 2011, Marilyn Hedges received her Master’s degree from the University of Leiden (The Netherlands). Her thesis, which has the above title, is subtitled “An assessment of attitudes to language change based on the use of like“, and … Continue reading →

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