The coddling of the Gen Z mind
Internet slang has infantilised an entire generation, and undermined the gravity of the moment.
ByLanguage
Labour has lost the language of solidarity
Political rhetoric is transactional and utilitarian – this needs to change.
By
Labour’s rhetorical black hole
Language is unravelling across the party.
By
As anti-Semitism surges, tolerance resurfaces at unexpected moments
Also this week: The enduring glamour of America, and the agony of clichés.
By
My father’s mother tongue
After reconnecting with my family in La Línea, I made a resolution to stop using Google Translate and learn Spanish.
By
Hana Videen: “It’s a pretty silly idea that there’s a pure English”
The author on the evolution of language.
By
The post-language world
Tech visionaries may dream of a wordless future, but even Elon Musk cannot disrupt the communal power of speech.
By
What we lose when everyone speaks English
Technology has made foreign languages easy, but robs us of the depth of understanding.
By
Algospeak is driving us mad
Young people use code words like “seggs” to evade social media’s content filters, while still being bombarded with violent and…
By
Why biological sex matters
Some argue that lived experience and personal choice trump biology – but they are wrong.
By
The gender binary is false
We should question a mindset that viciously excludes whole groups of people.
By
“Security”: the inside story of Labour’s new buzzword
Keir Starmer’s party believes it has found a term that speaks positively to all parts of the political spectrum.
By
The plain-speaking philosophers
Nikhil Krishnan’s A Terribly Serious Adventure shows how Oxford’s “ordinary language” movement, pioneered by JL Austin and Gilbert Ryle, looked…
By
What does “love bombing” really mean?
On social media, terms coined to describe specific relationship dynamics are increasingly common – and increasingly misused.
By
The furore over Oxfam’s “woke” language guide misses the point
The media attack on the charity’s “inclusive” wording forces us to choose between blustering bigotry and preening sanctimony.
By
Why do people keep calling Rishi Sunak a “safe pair of hands”?
The stock conservative metaphor calls to mind the right sort of chaps doing the right sorts of things, no matter…
By
In defence of the Oxford comma
Thérèse Coffey is engaging in the wanton destruction of a British institution.
By
How to build a language: inside the Oxford English Dictionary – Audio Long Reads
The OED’s task – to define every English word – is as ambitious as it was 150 years ago.
By
In defence of Mickey Mouse degrees
In the current thinking, my drama degree is deemed to have failed me.
By From aardvark to woke: inside the Oxford English Dictionary
The OED’s task – to define every English word – is as ambitious as it was 150 years ago.
By- 1
- 2