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secular sunday sermon: confounding their language

secular sunday sermon: confounding their language

And in the land of Shinar,they started building a tower to the heavens. Seeing this, God got worried...


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how to pick (and stop) an argument

how to pick (and stop) an argument

Are you rowing with your partner? Saying one thing but implying another? Here’s a foolproof method...


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let s face it, 2021 is shaping up to be an awful...

let s face it, 2021 is shaping up to be an awful...

After more than a year of doing very little,it’s tough to contemplate of anything to say to...


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would you be willing?: words to turn a...

would you be willing?: words to turn a...

Choose your words carefully and you can accept someone to change their intellect,or see you in a...


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10 grammar rules you can forget: how to stop...

10 grammar rules you can forget: how to stop...

Guardian Style Guide author David Marsh set out to master perfect grammatical English – but...


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rabbit islet in lampedusa e linosa, italy

rabbit islet in lampedusa e linosa, italy

The island of Lampedusa is Italy's southernmost piece of land—it's so far south of...


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inside the oed: can the world s biggest dictionary...

inside the oed: can the world s biggest dictionary...

Forissued an apparently historic challenge to someone called Colin: she asked whether he could...


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still youthful enough to do the bench press |...

still youthful enough to do the bench press |...

Disappearing pitmatic | Appearing in the Guardian | King Canute v tide | Horse/car precedence on...


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baffling vagueness of the  british accent  |...

baffling vagueness of the british accent |...

Alexei Sayle’s review of David Aaronovitch’s Party Animals (Review,2 December) reflects the...


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pre prepared sandwich is just pre preposterous |...

pre prepared sandwich is just pre preposterous |...

Contrasting Greens | Doctors’ strike | Pointless prefixes | A scarce actress | Politician-kissing...


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virtue signalling - the putdown that has passed...

virtue signalling - the putdown that has passed...

It started as a pithy way of calling out people who parade their convictions just to look excellent....


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forget hygge, in these negative times we need to...

forget hygge, in these negative times we need to...

In this age of neoliberal competition we should all embrace this Hebrew concept of unselfish delight...


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back to prep school

back to prep school

Prepositions are such a fundamental part of language that we rarely given them much thought. But...


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ay up, why the stress on indefinite articles? |...

ay up, why the stress on indefinite articles? |...

I’ve been looking out for an example of when the indefinite article,“a”, can legitimately be...


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goodbye chillaxing, hello omnishambles: the...

goodbye chillaxing, hello omnishambles: the...

How our language is changingIt is often claimed,usually by people justifying offences against...


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to brits with knickers in a twist over...

to brits with knickers in a twist over...

Many ‘American’ phrases are actually British but a recent book argues why we say what we say...


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the sardinian professor fighting to save gaelic -...

the sardinian professor fighting to save gaelic -...

Speaking more than one language is better for children – and for those who are at risk of...


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how new words are born

how new words are born

English speakers already contain over a million words at our disposal – so why are we adding 1000...


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what youre about to say is stupid - how to get...

what youre about to say is stupid - how to get...

An MP has accused Sebastian Coe of ‘pretaliation’ in advance of the damning report into doping...


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(how to) say my name, say my name

(how to) say my name, say my name

As a second generation immigrant,the way I pronounce my name is different to how it ‘should’ be...


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say my name, say my name: why the correct...

say my name, say my name: why the correct...

As a moment generation immigrant,the way I pronounce my name is different to how my parents say it....


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eight words that reveal the sexism at the heart of...

eight words that reveal the sexism at the heart of...

As Oxford Dictionaries comes under fire for sexist definitions,the history of terms that refer to...


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frankenwords: theyre alive! but for how long?

frankenwords: theyre alive! but for how long?

Swooshtika,flashpacking, moobs, or swaption: English is awash with new portmanteaus. But what...


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don t prepone it - do the needful. 10 indianisms...

don t prepone it - do the needful. 10 indianisms...

Indianisms are a perfectly valid form of English – as are Americanisms – excluded only by rank...


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how babies learn - and why robots can t compete

how babies learn - and why robots can t compete

whether we could understand how the infant intellect develops,it might aid every child reach their...


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a dictionary entry citing  rabid feminist  doesn t...

a dictionary entry citing rabid feminist doesn t...

Objectionable phrases may be widely used,but Oxford Dictionaries has a responsibility to define them...


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the language we use in public and on social media...

the language we use in public and on social media...

The language we exercise in public and on social media has repercussions. The first step must...


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why do animals make different sounds in different...

why do animals make different sounds in different...

All animals all over the world sound the same. It’s not like they speak different languages,they...


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the roots of language | paul ibbotson and michael...

the roots of language | paul ibbotson and michael...

At the heart of our unique language ability lie other forms of cognition and cooperation,argue Paul...


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girl, interrupted: the science behind my stutter...

girl, interrupted: the science behind my stutter...

People tend to be misinformed about stammering. Here’s why finishing my sentences or telling me to...


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6 katakana words english speakers learning...

6 katakana words english speakers learning...

Katakana is that wonderful part of the Japanese language that makes you feel a bit silly when you...


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why i love red herrings, skeletons and taking the...

why i love red herrings, skeletons and taking the...

Striking,obscure or plain unintelligible, idioms are so much more than just the shiny ornaments on...


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kompromat, flipped   the language of the mueller...

kompromat, flipped the language of the mueller...

When Robert Mueller brought charges against three people tied to the Trump campaign in late...


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different dialects: tell us about the unusual...

different dialects: tell us about the unusual...

Whether they were introduced to you by family or friends,we want to hear approximately the...


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why some verbs became irregular within the history...

why some verbs became irregular within the history...

In their regularly informative whiteboard series for Mental Floss ,linguist Arika Okrent and...


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john holm obituary

john holm obituary

My husband,John Holm, who has died from prostate cancer aged 72, and was a creolist: he studied...


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sausage sandwiches and potato cakes: new maps of...

sausage sandwiches and potato cakes: new maps of...

Or is it a sausage in bread and a potato scallop? A team of linguists is running an online survey to...


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why are there so many words for  german ?

why are there so many words for german ?

Readers acknowledge other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to...


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losing your first language? here s how to...

losing your first language? here s how to...

Expats are often shaky in their mother tongue. But fear not: the fight in the brain known as...


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these dolphins talk to each other. why do we...

these dolphins talk to each other. why do we...

A recent study shows that dolphins chatter while cooperating on a task. The line between human and...


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learn how to identify any language at a glance...

learn how to identify any language at a glance...

Smartphones,search engines, and translators can fracture language barriers easy enough, or but what...


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australian slang makes you more likable but only...

australian slang makes you more likable but only...

Australian National University research shows using Australian slang in a foreign accent has a...


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lingoda announces $68 million growth equity...

lingoda announces $68 million growth equity...

After a major spike in usership during the COVID-19 pandemic,the Berlin-based language learning...


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think you s good at grammar? try my seven golden...

think you s good at grammar? try my seven golden...

Pedants,rejoice – National Grammar Day is here! But let’s think carefully approximately what...


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streaming on twitch in a minority language

streaming on twitch in a minority language

approximately 99% of the internet’s content is written in just 30 languages — and more than half...


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from whong to quingel: what makes a word funny? |...

from whong to quingel: what makes a word funny? |...

Some made up words,like probble and dolsimp, are more amusing than others. Best of all are the likes...


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liberals swear more on twitter than rightwingers,...

liberals swear more on twitter than rightwingers,...

Swearwords account for two of the top ten words used by left-leaning tweeters,while those on the...


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what would these common automotive phrases be...

what would these common automotive phrases be...

Cars,like nearly anything people are interested in, have their own specific jargon and language....


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localization talent shortages and dubbing in italy

localization talent shortages and dubbing in italy

In some countries,the voice of the dubbing artist is much more important than the original voice of...


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are you a grammar pedant? this might be why |...

are you a grammar pedant? this might be why |...

A new study reveals for the first time how different personality types react to spelling errors and...


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is the british art of understatement ever so...

is the british art of understatement ever so...

Gradable adverbs such as ‘rather’,‘quite and ‘awfully’ are disappearing from our speech,...


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words in the english language that originate from...

words in the english language that originate from...

In an atmospheric episode of their incredibly informative whiteboard series for Mental Floss...


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whats your mothers maiden name? its none of your...

whats your mothers maiden name? its none of your...

Shouldasked whether it was approximately time we dropped “maiden name” for the gender-neutral...


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the need for multilingual science focused content

the need for multilingual science focused content

It’s no secret that the recent COVID-19 pandemic has shed light on the importance of science...


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