Tag Archives: language

“When coffee is gone, it’s over.”

Language-learning app Duolingo has opened a “Museum of Wonky English” in Harajuku, Tokyo, and is giving mundane phrases that have been mistranslated new and novel meanings. Duolingo is inviting people to step into its Museum of Wonky English, a tongue-in-cheek … Continue reading

Posted in Asia, Museums, Tech, Tourism | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

A TV Dictionary

The TV DICTIONARY is a collaborative project with a very simple premise: each entry attempts to capture the essence of a TV series using a single word in a short video that combines the dictionary definitions of that word with … Continue reading

Posted in Europe, Film, Uncategorized, USA | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Compounding Your Pejoratives

I have recently found myself reaching for both colorful and acceptable pejoratives when commenting on social media sites. This is partly due to the necessity of avoiding Twitter jail, but also to liven the mood. The terrific chart above was … Continue reading

Posted in USA, Writing | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

how the story ends

“lastly, three apples fell from the sky; one for our story’s heroes, one for the person who told their tale, and one for those who listened and promise to share. And with that, they all achieved their hearts’ desires. Let … Continue reading

Posted in Africa, Books, Europe, Writing | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Words Are Music To A Bibliophile

I recently had an email from a former book customer asking if I could recommend a bibliopegist. My first response was: What’s a bibliopegist. I was only a little embarassed to admit that I didn’t know that it was another word for bookbinder. This … Continue reading

Posted in Books, Writing | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

What’s The Word

If you haven’t heard about the daily word game Wordle, you must have been off on a silent retreat somewhere. Launched in October, with no fanfare whatsoever, the simple little online game has gone viral, with millions of users. Josh Wardle built … Continue reading

Posted in Tech, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

a wistful omen of the first sign of autumn

austice n. a wistful omen of the first sign of autumn—a subtle coolness in the shadows, a rustling of dead leaves abandoned on the sidewalk, or a long skein of geese sweeping over your head like the second hand of … Continue reading

Posted in Books, USA, Writing | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Tower of Babel

The infographic below was created by Alberto Lucas Lopez  and it manages to condense the 7,102 known living languages today into a visualization, with individual colors representing each world region. Only 23 languages are spoken by at least 50 million … Continue reading

Posted in Art, Writing | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Words That Don’t Translate

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

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