Every year there is a group of us who bemoan the new words that enter our dictionaries. There is always someone wailing about the desecration of the sanctity of the English language with phonology that doesn’t sit right on our tongues. So for those few complainers, here is a treat that is sure to cheer(…)

The complaint that Christmas has lost its meaning to consumerism, capitalism, and overindulgence is almost as much an annual tradition as the event itself; not that such complaints necessarily mean we won’t try to outdo ourselves year upon year, of course. But the nature of these complaints isn’t new, and neither is the language we(…)

Jargon. Wordiness. Unnecessary flowery, or technical language can make any reader switch off about three words into any sentence. When you’re excluded by vocabulary that you have to work to figure out, the task of reading becomes tedious, boring; spare a thought, please, for language learners dealing with your clever words rather than plain speech.(…)

Italian culture is probably one of the most admired in the world. After all, who doesn’t love a country with incredible food, gorgeous sights, and a lovely language? A lot of people learn Italian for the sheer beauty of it. This language sounds like music to the ears and the attraction factor of anyone speaking(…)

  Job interviews can be extremely stressful situations. After all, you are being judged by a complete stranger (or group of strangers) who have to decide if they like you enough to give you a job. This is why it’s so important to make sure you do everything just right: from the way you dress(…)

Going around a local supermarket in another country can be a daunting experience. Where does the cheese live? What on earth does that product do? Why are there so many varieties of napkins (Spain and Italy: we’re looking at you)? But it doesn’t have to be daunting. It can be a lot of fun. It(…)

The English language, like any living language, is fluid. It changes to adapt to the needs of the speakers that use it – old words get thrown out, new ones get tossed in, and meanings get jumbled and confused. It can be frustrating for the language sticklers of the world when so many people misuse(…)

English uses many odd words to describe groups of animals. Why is this so, and does it exist in other languages?

One of the first things you learn when studying language, particularly in a socio-cultural context, is that it refuses to be static. It ebbs and flows like the tide, allowing new words to rest upon the sandy shore, and reclaiming old ones, pulling them back to the shadowy depths. It is remarkably dynamic. It adapts(…)

Though tensions often seem to be ramped up between Russia and the rest of the world, nothing is ever likely to prevent East and West from coming together over a shared love of sport. Russians are as fanatical about sport as the rest of us, though of course they have their own favourite pastimes to(…)