Monthly Archives: February 2013

An Interview with Virginia Morell

Posted on February 23, 2013 by Ed Battistella

Acclaimed science writer Virginia Morell’s latest book Animal Wise: The Thoughts and Emotions of Our Fellow Creatures is being released this month by Crown Publishing. It’s about the inner worlds of animals, from ants and parrots to elephants and monkeys. … Continue reading →

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Words of the World: A Global History of the Oxford English Dictionary

Posted on February 19, 2013 by Ed Battistella

Sarah Ogilvie’s Words of the World: A Global History of the Oxford English Dictionary begins by describing her entry into the quiet world of the OED. She had come from of Australian branch of Oxford dictionaries, was a rare linguist … Continue reading →

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The Story of Ain’t

Posted on February 17, 2013 by Ed Battistella

David Skinner’s The Story of Ain’t ain’t just about ain’t. It’s the tale of the making of Webster’s Third International Dictionary, the wonderfully controversial flashpoint in the cultural wars between realists and snoots. I wondered what Skinner would add to … Continue reading →

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MY YEAR OF NEW WORDS, PART 5: SUFFIXES

Posted on February 15, 2013 by Ed Battistella

Making up words requires suffixes—word endings. In English, there are two major types of suffixes. Some endings INFLECT nouns, verbs and adjectives, and adverbs to show their grammatical forms: plural, possessive, past tense, comparative, superlative. And some endings DERIVE new … Continue reading →

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