Proverbs pack great truths into a few well-chosen words, no matter which language you speak. Check out this one from Belize: “Don’t call the alligator a big-mouth till you have crossed the river.” And this truism from Zanzibar:...
Has the age of email led to an outbreak of exclamation marks? Do women use them more than men? Also, is there a word for the odd feeling when you listen to a radio personality for years, then discover that they look nothing like your mental picture...
folk scare n.— «It’s not about all Joan, all the time. She is known for her voice—amazing—and was fortunate enough to first find success in the “folk scare,” as they call it, of the ’60s and early ’70s. But also it...
Does your handwriting look like chicken scratches, calligraphy, or maybe something in between? Martha and Grant discuss the state of penmanship, the phenomenon linguists call creaky voice, euphemisms for going to the bathroom, and the New England...
pinger v.— «As searchers continue to comb thousands of square miles of ocean for debris from Air France Flight 447, their success could hinge on a device the size of a small flashlight that may well have been manufactured on Cape Cod...
Martha reviews the new book, Dreaming in Hindi by Katherine Russell Rich, a memoir about setting out to learn a second language in mid-life. Rich spent a year in India to learn Hindi, and became so fascinated with the process that she went on to...