Archives

1. 

   What does “Atlantis” mean? And why is the Space Shuttle Atlantis named after something underwater?

   The final space shuttle mission has blasted off, launching the fascinating word mystery of “Atlantis” into our consciousness: How did the name of a mythical kingdom thousands of leagues under the sea become the moniker for a vehicle soaring  thousands of miles into space? In two of Plato’s dialogues, Timaeus and Critias – both penned around 360 B.C., the Greek philosopher recites the tale of a lost …

2. 

   What Does “Super 8” Mean?

   J.J. Abram’s “Super 8,” an homage to the work of Steven Spielberg, grossed $260 million in 2011. Millions of people have seen this film, but it’s doubtful they know what the title means. Released by Eastman Kodak in 1965, Super 8 became one of the preferred film formats of the motion picture industry during the 1960s and 70s—alongside 35 mm film. The name is an …

3. 

   After 90 years, scholars finish a 21-volume dictionary for an extinct language. Why?

   With over 7,000 known languages spoken around the world today, it may seem fruitless for scholars to have spent the past 90 years creating a dictionary for a language that has been extinct for nearly 2,000 years. Hold on; Let’s look at the reasons for the immense effort, and form our judgements afterwards. Originally modeled on the Oxford English Dictionary, the recently

4. 

   Will Handwriting Survive in the Digital Era?

   It didn’t start with a pen, but a reed with a brush at the tip, and it didn’t start with ink, but a mixture of soot, water and vegetable gum. There definitely was a piece of papyrus. Around 2400 BC, Egyptian culture bestowed upon the world a great gift: the ability to write on paper. From the first Egyptian pictograph to the modern day sticky …

5. 

   Did You Know There Is A Law That Bans The Use Of Confusing Words And Sentences In Government Documents

   On October 13, 2010, President Obama signed into law the “United States Plain Writing Act of 2010.” Thirteen years after President Clinton issued his own “Plain Writing in Government” memorandum, the revised set of guidelines states that by July of this year all government agencies must simplify the often perplexing bureaucratic jargon used in documents produced for the American public. Gone are the grammatically longwinded sentences, …

6. 

   Words To Remember Every 13 Years

   A vociferous buzz that radiates throughout parts of the United States makes the news—once every 13 years. From the brilliant first light of day to the still and dark of night, a serenade is being sung. It is a mating call years in the making. Millions of cicadas come up from their underground bedrooms after completing a very long incubation period. The largest variety of 13-year …

7. 

   A Baby Named “Like” And The History Of Names (Anthroponymy)

   Naming your newborn can be an exciting and creative experience. A person’s given name, or forename, is important because it is usually the first impression your child will make on the world. Some parents choose to honor a family member by naming their child after a father, mother, or sibling. Others look to history for that perfect given name. And some look to … Facebook? …

8. 

   A lost, legendary dictionary is rediscovered. Where was it found, and what language is it for?

   In James Boswell’s travelogue, Boswell In Holland 1763-64, the author writes: “The Scottish language is being lost every day, and in a short time will become quite unintelligible. To me, who have the true patriotic soul of an old Scotsman, that would seem a pity.” With those words, along with the encouragement of his good friend, Samuel Johnson, Boswell set out to collect a list …

9. 

   How Does The English Language Handle Gender Identity?

   Transgender issues are nothing new, but many of the words surrounding how we talk about gender identity are relatively young … at least by dictionary standards. In conversational use as early as the 1960s, transgender entered the dictionary in the early 1990s. Trans- is a Latin prefix meaning “across or beyond.” Gender shares the same Latin root as genus. Someone who is transgender does not …

10. 

    What Is A Chronicle?

    Imagine this: your beloved great uncle bequeaths to you an old book, so old that it is literally coming apart at the seams. You tuck away the tattered tome in the attic, where it will stay for decades. One day you decide to unearth the inherited manuscript and have it appraised. To your astonishment, your great uncle left you a highly coveted artifact that dates back …

11. 

    Typewriters Were Originally Created To Help The Blind

    Typewriter enthusiasts around the globe felt a bit blue back in 2011 after hearing that Godrej and Boyce, one of the world’s last operational typewriter factories located in Mumbai, India, closed its doors for the last time after an impressive one-hundred-and-fourteen year run. Once regarded as an indispensable device for any writer, the typewriter has long been regarded for both its beauty and functionality. Ernest …

12. 

    Where And When Did Language Begin?

    The origin of spoken language has stumped linguistics dating as far back as the Twenty-sixth dynasty in Egypt and the first recorded language experiment conducted by a Pharaoh named Psammetichus I. While it is widely understood that our ability to communicate through speech sets us apart from other animals, language experts, historians and scientists can only hypothesize how, where and when it all began. Some new …