The impact of language on human health In previous articles, we have explored some of the potential implications of the languages we...

LGBTQI+ inclusive language in football 2 December 2010 FIFA awarded Qatar the right to host the 2022 World Cup. It was a decision that...

Why a pair of pliers could enhance your language skills It might appear to be deeply unlikely that a simple mechanical tool could improve...

Navigating the minefield that is Political Correctness All of us have probably bemoaned political correctness at least occasionally. We...

The origins, usage and future of English slang Did you see that chavvie bird taking a selfie outside the bog before legging it? Most...

The language of time and space Scholars have been investigating the nature of humanity for several millennia. The fields of linguistics,...

Finding shades of grey in a black and white world Did you know that if the entire history of planet Earth was represented by a 24 hour...

The evolution of colourful language In a previous article, we explored the language of colour. We looked at how our vocabulary can...

Surprising facts about dictionaries Dictionaries might seem like a rather dry subject. But if you believe that dictionaries wouldn’t...

A brief History of Dictionaries We have all used a dictionary at some point in our lives. But how many of us have questioned the nature...

Shakespeare, parlour games and kids – the history of knock-knock jokes Guaranteed to inspire many giggles, knock-knock jokes are firm...

Why do puns make us smile – or roll our eyes? Like football, politics and savoury spreads made of yeast extract, puns divide opinion. For...

Fozzbonkling nonsense words that excite your simploncs All languages evolve across the ages, with new words being added every year and...

Are there any English speaking EU countries? Until the 1990s, French was the dominant language of the EU. But new countries continued to...

Sandwiches and silhouettes – famous eponyms are everywhere An eponym is a word that is derived from the proper name of a real or...

Prophetic names – the wonderful world of aptronyms Personal names can be so damn funny, can’t they? It’s impossible not to laugh when you...

With Sellotape and knives – mondegreens in all their glory We’ve all experienced those awkward moments when we have completely misheard...

English grammar: common areas of confusion English is a complex language with inconsistent grammar. It is inevitable that mistakes happen...

The History of the English Language There are more native speakers of Mandarin and Spanish than of English. However, with an estimated...

The worstest English in the Twittersphere My English teacher exhibited a pathological hatred of both bad grammar and the use of slang. A...