African English
The English used in black Africa varies widely from place to place, and often has features of the local languages.…
Year: 2009
Origins – How To Tickle
Titillate comes from a Latin verb meaning to tickle, and may be used both literally and figuratively. That is (literally),…
British Vs American – Please Can You Translate?
Every language has certain words and expressions that defy simple translation in other languages. So have dialects. English has no…
Origins – Not To Be Confused With Horses
Equestrian is someone on a horse (as pedestrian is someone on foot); an equestrienne is a woman on a horse…
The Spread Of English
The various dialects of English differ from the standard language in rough proportion to how long they have had a…
The Sources Of New Words
Completely new words are very rare – through from time to time some do arise. One example of a word…
The Structure of Nursery Rhymes
Here are some familiar nursery rhymes in an unfamiliar guise – as if composed by a poet who lacked the…
Origins – The Heart
Cardiologist combines Greek kardia, heart, and logos, science. The speciality is cardiology, the adjective cardiological. So a cardiac condition refers…