Does grammar matter?
On one side: the language sticklers, who hold that good grammar is a necessity for communication, and even a matter of upholding standards and courtesy. But there’s another side: that grammar rules are often just made up, …
Category: writing (page 2 of 4)
English used to look a lot different.
We used to use a lot of letters that no longer exist. They had names like eth, wynn, thorn, and ash. Ben, Kylie, and Daniel talk about …
They’ll, we’ve, you’re, and even ain’t.
This week, we’re having contractions, but not the muscular kind — the word kind! We squash words together all the time, but why? And how well can you recognise them?…
You asked. We answer.
Why do we talk the way we do? Where do our words and phrases come from? And why are they sometimes so very strange?
Linguist Daniel Midgley has something for everyone on this episode of Talk …
Did Melania Trump really plagiarise that speech?
Yeah, she totally did. But how can you tell if someone is copying someone else’s work? How do plagiarism checkers work? And can you beat them?
Linguist Daniel Midgley shows his work on …
Ever read a language story, and felt something was a bit off?
Does your keyboard layout affect how you feel about words? Is it true that people couldn’t see the colour blue until modern times? How are you supposed to …
Brand names can get lost in translation.
When a company tries to market a product overseas, sometimes the result is international zany hijinks ahoy. But not all the stories are true — there are plenty of urban legends around. Who …
Are our vocabularies shrinking? Is bureaucratic double-talk a sinister form of code designed to short-circuit original thought?
Author Don Watson thinks so, and explains why in his latest book Worst Words. But how does his view stack up to language …
Shakespeare’s plays have been with us for 400 years. Is it time for an update?
The Oregon Shakespeare Festival has commissioned all the Bard’s plays to be translated into contemporary English. How will this work? And what’s the reaction?
Oregon …
Typography is more than just font design.
It affects informational readability — and at times, credibility. It’s contributed terms to our language. And sometimes, there are stories of intrigue hidden in its past.
Linguist Daniel Midgley is the font of …
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- CBAA Awards 2018: Best Radio Program — Talk
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- Talkley Award 2018
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