Category Archives: Language

The American Dialect Society Word of the Year

Posted on January 30, 2012 by Ed Battistella

Tomorrow I’ll post the January roundup of the Literary Ashland Non-word of the Day. But first, for those of you that missed them, the American Dialect Society Word(s) of the Year for 2011. The American Dialect Society meets with the … Continue reading →

Posted in Language | Comments Off on The American Dialect Society Word of the Year

An Interview with Travis Chaney

Posted on January 11, 2012 by Ed Battistella

This week Literary Ashland interviews Scrabble expert Travis Chaney. Travis Chaney grew up on the border of Oklahoma and Arkansas and began playing Scrabble in his early twenties. Since then he’s become the first player in history to attain expert … Continue reading →

Posted in Interviews, Language | Comments Off on An Interview with Travis Chaney

Meg Null, or Like…Brag: an Exploration of Language in M.T. Anderson’s Feed — A guest post by Anne Bryan

Posted on January 7, 2012 by Ed Battistella

A guest post by Anne Bryan Feed: a. an internet chip implanted in the brain at birth. b. a science-fiction novel by M. T. Anderson that addresses the repercussions of implanting internal feeds. His futuristic saga recounts the tale of … Continue reading →

Posted in Ideas and Opinions, Language, What People Are Reading | Comments Off on Meg Null, or Like…Brag: an Exploration of Language in M.T. Anderson’s Feed — A guest post by Anne Bryan

What goes on a book flap

Posted on December 8, 2011 by Ed Battistella

Here is a piece by Daniel Menaker (editor of Grin and Tonic) from The Barnes and Noble Review on the language of book flaps. It’s got 16 rules for writing the copy on books flaps. Words to use: “stunning,” “deeply,” … Continue reading →

Posted in Ideas and Opinions, Language | Comments Off on What goes on a book flap