tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83438157171505292182026-08-30T09:04:21.552-07:00English Language FAQQuestions people ask about the world most commonly spoken language.Kieran McGovernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09621863930789856411noreply@blogger.comBlogger308125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343815717150529218.post-81982422746343709902026-08-25T10:32:00.000-07:002026-08-25T10:32:00.222-07:00What is a portmanteau word?
The first use of the word portmanteau in connection with vocabulary appears in Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking-Glass (1871). Humpty Dumpty is explaining the meaning of the nonsense poem, Jabberwocky, and how it combines words to create new ones:Well, “slithy” means “lithe and slimy”. “Lithe” is the same as “active”. Many of Humpty's words are invented and only Kieran McGovernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09621863930789856411noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343815717150529218.post-65519832571862571352026-08-24T10:31:33.103-07:002026-08-30T06:09:31.216-07:00Origin of CliffhangerAn episode that ends in a desperate situation...any story, play, etc., in which suspense is a main concern. OEDIllustration for A Pair of Blue Eyes (1872) see hereIn The Art of Fiction (1991), David Lodge names the Thomas Hardy novel A Pair of Blue Eyes (1873) as the first example of a literal cliffhanger in popular fiction. Lodge was referring to ChaptersKieran McGovernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09621863930789856411noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343815717150529218.post-80656901142462489192026-07-21T23:21:24.014-07:002026-07-21T23:21:24.046-07:00Is English an easy language?All languages have a complex grammar, David CrystalTo paraphrase Steven Pinker, we are born with the capacity to learn a language — regardless of how difficult it may appear in a textbook. A child growing up in Japan will learn (spoken) Japanese as easily as one in France will master French.Learning a secondary language, we can compare the relative difficulty, though as the linguist David Kieran McGovernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09621863930789856411noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343815717150529218.post-74344638315452030572026-07-21T23:00:22.568-07:002026-07-21T23:00:22.598-07:00Where does the word meme come from?
In The Selfish Gene (1976) the scientist Richard Dawkins expands the Darwinist concept of natural selection to the realm of ideas.
Just as genes propagate themselves in the gene pool by leaping from body to body via sperms or eggs, so memes propagate themselves in the meme pool by leaping from brain to brain.
This usage of meme has seeped into general English. Here on BBC RadioKieran McGovernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09621863930789856411noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343815717150529218.post-7843004966580411702026-07-21T03:03:51.718-07:002026-07-21T03:03:51.719-07:00What is cronyism? Definition of 'crony' n informal: A friend of longstanding. Often used pejoratively to refer to the 'crony' receiving an unfair advantage.Origin17th-century British student slang derived from the Greek word chronios, meaning "long-lasting" or "of a long time.Usage This satirical cartoon by Robert Cruikshank demonstrates an alleged network of personal connections among those then Kieran McGovernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09621863930789856411noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343815717150529218.post-85334383444919984222026-07-21T02:50:53.156-07:002026-07-21T02:50:53.187-07:00Origin of 'chatterbox'? The parents, instead of applauding her, called her a noisy chatterbox and told her sharply that small girls should be seen and not heard.Matilda by Roald DahlChatterbox noun informal British EnglishDefinition: Someone who never stops talkingEtymology - disputed, but 'chatter' agreed to be onomatopoeic - imitating rapid speech. 'Box' conveys the sense of a contained single unit.&Kieran McGovernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09621863930789856411noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343815717150529218.post-53595829534414555772026-07-21T02:48:35.162-07:002026-07-21T02:48:35.190-07:00Why upper and lower case?The conventions of using upper and lower case letters evolved over centuries. The terms themselves relate to printing and typesetting.Printing presses had manually set letters (movable type).Small letters were used most frequently and so were kept in the lower, easier-to-access case. Large (capital) letters were kept in the upper case. ScriptCapitalisation is a feature of script rather Kieran McGovernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09621863930789856411noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343815717150529218.post-37005904402473385942026-07-19T21:32:11.073-07:002026-07-19T21:32:11.105-07:00How many countries have English as their official language?
It is important to distinguish between de jure (legally declared) and de facto national languages.52 countries have English as a de jure official languageKey Countries where English is de facto languageIn the UK, Australia, and the USA. English is not a de jure official language, despite being the one used in daily life by the vast majority of the population.Kieran McGovernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09621863930789856411noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343815717150529218.post-24078786048479472962026-07-18T06:32:54.902-07:002026-07-18T06:32:54.936-07:00Why does the USA not have an official language?58 countries have English as an official language. Surprisingly, the list does not include the USA.In the United States, this was a deliberate decision made by the Founding Fathers. They believed that an official language would be divisive and undemocratic in a multilingual country. Around 30% of the 18th-century population of the USA was German or Dutch-speaking. There were also many Kieran McGovernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09621863930789856411noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343815717150529218.post-80223518030529894432026-07-18T05:03:58.578-07:002026-07-28T01:20:06.182-07:00Which countries do not have an official language?
Only five fully nation-states do not currently have a de jure or official primary language:
UK see here
USA, though 32 states now at least one official language — see here
Australia: Over 80% of people speak English, but there is no official national language.
Eritrea: Tigrinya, Arabic, and English are the working languages.Mexico: Spanish is spoken by the vast majority, Kieran McGovernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09621863930789856411noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343815717150529218.post-29259213799290500812026-07-16T23:10:34.757-07:002026-07-16T23:10:34.862-07:00Origin of amazement? "Be collected; No more amazement; tell your piteous heart that there is no harm done." Prospero to Miranda, The Tempest (1.3)The verb to amaze had been in circulation since the mid 1500s. Shakespeare converts this existing verb into a new noun: amazement.The technical term for this process is a functional shift or nominalization.Earliest OED Kieran McGovernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09621863930789856411noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343815717150529218.post-78348784164528833602026-07-13T20:44:22.051-07:002026-07-13T20:44:22.156-07:00Are all fans fanatics?Fan is described by most major dictionaries as a short form of the Latin fanatic, which was first widely used in English in the mid 16th century. Fanatic originally meant sacred [Latin fanum, poetic English fane]. The modern sense of "extremely zealous" dates from around 1647. The use of fanatic as a noun meaning a temple or sacred place. dates from 1650. Kieran McGovernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09621863930789856411noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343815717150529218.post-74997910013224843552026-07-11T00:48:34.588-07:002026-07-11T00:48:34.589-07:00Linked English and Norwegian verbs?English and Norwegian share many of the same Old Norse linguistic roots.This means that their most common, everyday verbs often look, sound, and function similarly. While the vast majority of English verbs follow a regular pattern, the twenty most common are irregular, including:To have / Å haTo be / Å væreTo go / Å gåTo come / Å kommeTo say / Å siTo see / Å seKieran McGovernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09621863930789856411noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343815717150529218.post-49564488001233965012026-07-10T23:46:06.565-07:002026-07-10T23:46:06.595-07:00What is a troll?
To troll is to insult or provoke, sometimes using subterfuge.An internet troll is someone who posts malicious comments online. The intention is to ridicule a group or individual.
Where does the word come from?
The etymology is complex, with various competing origin stories. One possible source is the old French hunting term troller. There is also a connectionKieran McGovernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09621863930789856411noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343815717150529218.post-73609221716619384022026-07-10T21:32:37.793-07:002026-07-10T21:32:37.827-07:00How are French words pronounced in English?Patisserie is a typical example of a French 'loanword'There are several thousand French loanwords in English. Generally, these are pronounced as they would be in their original language. Ballet, for example, has a silent ‘t’, rather than a sounded one as in the Spanish equivalent. In English, Charles de Gaulle keeps a silent s while Prince Charles is pronounced Charl (rhymes with Carl) in spoken Kieran McGovernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09621863930789856411noreply@blogger.comBristol, UK51.454513 -2.5879123.144279163821153 -37.74416 79.764746836178844 32.56834tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343815717150529218.post-50267471297323341072026-07-10T12:00:21.692-07:002026-07-26T08:44:36.823-07:00What does it mean to 'move the needle'?
In US politics, 'to move the needle' is to significantly change the opinion polls in the direction of your candidate. OriginThe expression “moving the needle” first appeared in England during the Industrial Revolution in relation to gauges on steam engines. During World War II, it referred to aviation gauges. In business today, the term is also used generically to describe makingKieran McGovernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09621863930789856411noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343815717150529218.post-69583386385099933412026-07-08T22:02:57.342-07:002026-07-10T05:04:34.348-07:00Where does 'catch a cold' come from?Lest the bargain should catch cold and starve.(Iachimo, Cymbeline, Act 1 Scene 4)Shakespeare introduces the phrase 'to catch cold' in Cymbeline (1610). This was his 'comeback' play after theatres had been 'dark' (closed) for a long period due to a plague epidemic in London. 'Catch cold' is a euphemism here. What the Elizabethans called a cold was potentially fatal. Iachimo Kieran McGovernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09621863930789856411noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343815717150529218.post-50854231366963504022026-07-07T22:55:37.561-07:002026-07-08T05:53:16.642-07:00What is a curveball in general English?
A curveball is a baseball term. It means to pitch a ball to curve away from the batter.In American English, a curveball more generally describes a deceptive or unexpected action that poses a new challenge: He threw a curveball by threatening to resign.Other baseball terms in general English
There are many other examples of baseball terminology entering general Kieran McGovernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09621863930789856411noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343815717150529218.post-42608058180189956212026-07-06T22:11:53.060-07:002026-07-06T22:11:53.092-07:00Word for admirer of American culture? America is a vast conspiracy to make you happy.– John Updike
The most commonly used term for someone who admires or supports the United States and its culture is an Americanophile (or Americophile).There does seem to be considerable variation in the spelling/word form. Here is the result of one survey analysing a sample batch of Google searches:
yankophile 945
americanophile 716
Kieran McGovernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09621863930789856411noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343815717150529218.post-12371789067800215812026-07-05T23:11:33.379-07:002026-07-05T23:11:33.379-07:00What's Up in British English? The apparently simple question, 'What's up?' can cause confusion British and American speakers of English. An American colleague of mine used to greet me every morning with question 'what's up?'. I would reply 'Nothing' or 'I'm fine.' After the third time I realised that for her the question was an all purpose greeting, as in the film title What's Up, Doc To these Kieran McGovernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09621863930789856411noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343815717150529218.post-82790960711812184332026-07-05T21:02:10.828-07:002026-07-05T21:02:10.932-07:0020 most looked-up words in the dictionary?
According to Merriam-Webster, the standard dictionary for American English, this is the All-Time Top Twenty:
pragmatic
disposition
comradery
holistic
bigot
paradigm
integrity
irony
didactic
opportunity
pedantic
esoteric
socialism
fascism
ubiquitous
empathy
caveat
democracy
diversity
insidious
And the most looked up word in Merriam Webster today?None of the above.
Source
Kieran McGovernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09621863930789856411noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343815717150529218.post-83618036520936917142026-07-05T20:41:51.283-07:002026-07-11T00:14:24.693-07:00Where does the word baseball come from?
The word comes from England, the country that famously doesn't play modern baseball.
The earliest reference to baseball comes in a diary entry of a Surrey solicitor, William Bray. On Easter Monday, March 31st, 1755 Mr Bray refers to playing 'base-ball' with his friends. Went to Stoke church this morn. After dinner, went to Miss Jeale’s to play at Kieran McGovernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09621863930789856411noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343815717150529218.post-64514765985370323012026-07-04T21:09:38.063-07:002026-07-06T21:53:17.462-07:00Which British expressions did The Beatles introduce America?
By the mid-1960s, Lennon and McCartney were turning away from the conventions of the Great American Songbook. British cultural and linguistic references began to permeate their song lyrics. the (UK) National Health Service (from ‘Dr Robert’) '...the News of the World (newspaper notorious for sex scandal stories from ‘Polythene Pam’) ‘ring my friend’ (‘Dr Robert’ AmericansKieran McGovernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09621863930789856411noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343815717150529218.post-62957373450068338222026-07-04T20:37:41.076-07:002026-07-04T20:37:41.110-07:00Where does the word dude come from?
According to the American Heritage Dictionary, the word dude first appeared in the 1870s to describe: fancy-dressed city folk who went out west on vacation.
Extended version of this post here (4 min free read)Kieran McGovernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09621863930789856411noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343815717150529218.post-50479738613234741432026-06-18T23:25:07.438-07:002026-06-18T23:25:07.467-07:00What is schmutter?
schmutter [ˈʃmʌtə] nounI have always envied Zoe three things: her figure, her taste, and her eye for a good bit of schmutter Jessica Hynes.Yiddish slang for cloth or clothing. From schmatte (rag) and a variation on the Polish szmata.
The East End rag trade in the 1950s
Schmutter (or Schmatter) is particularly sonorous. A wonderful example is given by Aldo Kieran McGovernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09621863930789856411noreply@blogger.com