Tag: language

Wordplay: When intransitives go transitive

Wordplay is a regular column by editor and language writer James Harbeck in which he tastes and plays with English words and usages. We’ve all learned that there are two kinds of verbs: transitive and intransitive. Transitives take a direct object—“I fry an egg”—and intransitives don’t—“My stomach aches.” But that’s not the whole story. In fact, … Continue reading Wordplay: When intransitives go transitive →

Food for thought: How language affects our eating habits

By Samita Sarkar Editors know that language is a powerful tool. In fact, our world is shaped by the language we use and the ways we communicate with each other. The language we use changes the way we see things. The rhetoric of war, for example, is used to dehumanize the enemy, and the rhetoric … Continue reading Food for thought: How language affects our eating habits →

The importance of language as shown by ancient Maya civilization

By Samita Sarkar Recently, I watched an informative PBS documentary about the history of the Maya language called Cracking the Maya Code (watch it online here). Much like the other indigenous civilizations of the Americas that encountered Europeans hundreds of years ago, the Maya experienced cultural and linguistic oppression at the hands of Spanish colonizers. … Continue reading The importance of language as shown by ancient Maya civilization →

Wordplay: None of these people are right

Wordplay is a regular column by editor and language writer James Harbeck in which he tastes and plays with English words and usages. You have probably encountered, every now and then, people who will aver that none can take only a singular conjugation, never a plural: never none are, always none is. The argument they present … Continue reading Wordplay: None of these people are right →