The word often is often pronounced with a t. The below citation from Dictionary.com explains:“HOW TO PRONOUNCE OFTENOften was pronounced with a t -sound until (Continue Reading)
The word often is often pronounced with a t. The below citation from Dictionary.com explains:“HOW TO PRONOUNCE OFTENOften was pronounced with a t -sound until (Continue Reading)
When we speak of contractions in English like ‘we would have’ reduced to ‘we’d’ve’ the language guardians and scolds label that ‘improper’, ‘slang’, ‘sloppy’, and (Continue Reading)
Reading Medieval and Modern Greek, we see the changes from Classical to Koine Greek, phonological and morphological. Most of such tracing I’ve learned has been (Continue Reading)
In other entries I have mentioned the privileging of Ancient Greek by the excluding of Modern Greek in the term Greek whereby we mean Ancient (Continue Reading)
Here’s a good example for those who struggle with the less and fewer distinction: fewer clothes, less clothingClothing is a mass noun, clothes are individual (Continue Reading)
People of an authoritarian mindset require rigid rules to follow and to enforce. Others believe that rules for language are written on golden tablets in (Continue Reading)
In French there is a feature called liaison whereby the final consonant of only certain words and word combinations attach themselves to the following word (Continue Reading)
My grandson was speaking of a little kid in his karate class and he said, “Christian does not like not pay attention.” The first thing (Continue Reading)
When a person wants to investigate language, they have one at hand if they are not fussy about which language they investigate. That language is (Continue Reading)
My intention is to introduce a series of entries here regarding the basics of fl teaching with a checklist of typical notions held by (Continue Reading)
C-Span had McWhorter discussing his book, Back Talk, Black Talk. In his talk he laid out, in his usual fashion, the structure of discourse on (Continue Reading)
One of the most highly recommended textbooks on Old English is by Bruce Mitchell. Mitchell apparently has little use for poetry that falls outside the (Continue Reading)
The best moments when you’re a teacher is when you’re laying back and the kids are making the connections for themselves and all you do (Continue Reading)
Soon to come to this blog site is a lengthy review of John Simon’s execrable piece of trash, Paradigms Lost. It is an absolute treasure (Continue Reading)
Terry is getting to something that has been sticking in my craw for some time. That is not the exact meaning I am looking for, (Continue Reading)
Let’s clear up a terminological confusion first. We all prescribe. Whenever we mark a double negative in a book report turned in by a student, (Continue Reading)
I’m usually suspicious of claims about “kids nowadays”. Ellen Shrager has presented on the change she has seen in the kids we teach and I (Continue Reading)
Too bad I don’t participate in flteach anymore; this article does a good job of showing how DIFFERENT is often interpreted as inferior. Because young (Continue Reading)
I just read this advertisement on a listserv. I fully expected to read that Generation C students were cretins or crappy or some such but (Continue Reading)
One of the astounding elements of Ellen Shrager’s excellent excursion into what makes “kids these days” seem different from when “we” were in school (1938 (Continue Reading)
Here’s a quote from the NYT magazine today, Aug. 16, about how things might change over a 30 year period: “It’s hard to argue that (Continue Reading)