Tag Archives: language

Words That Don’t Translate

Posted on June 13, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

I have often read that the English vocabulary has more words than any other language. That may or may not be true, but it certainly is a rich mash-up of so many other rich languages. We have a treasure trove … Continue reading →

Posted in Writing | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Welcome to Planet Word

Posted on October 26, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

Last week a long-awaited new museum opened in Washington, D.C. that will be a must-see destination for readers and language lovers. Planet Word is promoted as “a revolutionary museum dedicated to the power, beauty, and fun of language and to … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Books, History, Libraries, Museums, Tourism, USA, Writing | Tagged , | Leave a comment

More Whipt Syllabub

Posted on June 1, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue Anon [Francis Grose] London Printed for S Hooper 1785 First Edition Francis Grose’s ‘Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue’ was first published in 1785, and is a dictionary of slang words. Grose was … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Europe, History, Writing | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

What’s Your Endonym

Posted on January 10, 2018 by Brian D. Butler

An endonym is the name of a country, region, or geographic area as it’s known by the people who live there. These names may legally designated by a government or just commonly used terms. The clever endonym map of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa, Asia, Europe, Maps, Middle East, USA | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Ten Questions Every Writer Needs To Ask

Posted on February 28, 2016 by Brian D. Butler

My first editor criticized me for being “too fond” of adverbs and adjectives. Maybe this infographic created by Andrew Howe would have helped me to understand the nuanced use of adverbs and could have saved me from endless rewrites.

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Thought Crimes

Posted on November 7, 2015 by Brian D. Butler

The excellent TED-ED lesson below was written and narrated by Noah Tavlin. It offers a clear and succinct explanation of what the term “Orwellian” actually means. A helpful reminder to be discerning in our word choice, too.

Posted in Animation, Books, Freedom of Speech, Writing | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Why We Talk This Way

Posted on May 17, 2015 by Brian D. Butler

I tried to explain the evolution of human languages to our third grader the other day and did a poor job of it. Hopefully, this wonderful infographic created by Swedish writer and comic artist Minna Sundberg will do the trick.

Posted in Writing | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Listen to the sound of the rain

Posted on March 27, 2015 by Brian D. Butler

James Chapman is a doctoral student in physics with a consuming passion for comics, graphic design and art.

Posted in Animation, Art | Tagged , | 2 Comments

How to answer the phone

Posted on January 16, 2015 by Brian D. Butler

Illustrator James Chapman created this wonderful graphic (see below) on the simple act of answering the telephone in ten different languages for the language learning site Babbel.com. You can find more of his whimsical, educational illustrations, such as “How to sound … Continue reading →

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But What’s Second Best

Posted on August 19, 2014 by Brian D. Butler

You may not know the primary language spoken in a country that you’re visiting, but maybe you have a working knowledge of the most important second language spoken. Movehub has created this fascinating infographic highlighting the second most common language … Continue reading →

Posted in Asia, Canada, Europe, South America, Tourism, USA | Tagged , | 1 Comment