Category Archives: Language

An Interview with Michael Erard, author of Bye, Bye, I Love You

Posted on February 10, 2025 by Ed Battistella

For the last five years, writer Michael Erard has been working on a book about the first words of babies and the last words of the dying. His latest book Bye Bye I Love You: The Story of Our First … Continue reading →

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Review of The Truth About English Grammar by Geoffrey K. Pullum

Posted on January 15, 2025 by Ed Battistella

The Truth About English Grammar by Geoffrey K. Pullum (Polity Press, 2024) Many years ago, I took a freshman course called English Grammar, taught by the Renaissance scholar Bridget Gellert Lyons. In that class, we read A Short Introduction to … Continue reading →

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What I’m Reading: Mosley, Kuang, Gladwell

Posted on January 2, 2025 by Ed Battistella

Farewell, Amethystine by Walter Mosely By my count, Walter Mosely has written 17 Easy Rawlins mysteries (and another 15 featuring Socrates Fortlow, Leonid McGill, King Oliver and Fearless Jones). I try to read them all though may have missed a … Continue reading →

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Dogwhistles and Figleaves

Posted on September 19, 2024 by Ed Battistella

A while ago, I reviewed Jennifer Mather Saul’s Dogwhistles and Figleaves (Oxford UP, 2024) for Choice. It occurred to me that the timeliness of the book warranted a longer discussion and this it. Saul is a philosopher at the University … Continue reading →

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