Category Archives: Language

The Secret Languages of English, a guest post by Kristy Evans

Posted on April 20, 2013 by Ed Battistella

The Secret Languages of English Many Americans, particularly those of a younger generation and vernacular, have most likely at one time or another learned or at least heard an alteration of the English language that was used for the purpose … Continue reading →

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The Arguments of Jonathan Swift, a guest post by Cat Seaton

Posted on April 6, 2013 by Ed Battistella

It’s the End of the Term So This Paper is 100% Sassafras Or, The Arguments of Jonathan Swift: Or, More Aptly: Jon Swift Claims to Care about English but is Actually Just Asking for Money Swift is a clever man. … Continue reading →

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MY YEAR OF NEW WORDS, PART 7: NYMS

Posted on April 2, 2013 by Ed Battistella

April is both a personal name and the name of a month. It’s a homonym (a word with two meanings) and nyms are the theme for this post. We’ve got synonyms, acronyms, homonyms (and homophones—which sound alike but spell differently, … Continue reading →

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QUIET WEEK or DEAD WEEK?

Posted on March 10, 2013 by Ed Battistella

It’s QUIET WEEK on my campus—the week before finals, when students are hopefully finishing projects, preparing for exams, and writing papers. The idea of QUIET WEEK is to transition gently into finals exams, with instructors not making any last minute … Continue reading →

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