What is the origin of the phrase "getting the hang" of something? What did it mean, originally, to "get the hang" of something?
posted on Oct 9, 2008 - 17 answers

What language certs have been most useful to you job-wise? [more inside]
posted on Oct 1, 2008 - 5 answers

In French, the singular of eye is "oiel" and the plural is "yeux." Are there any nouns in English that have completely different spellings of the singular and plural like this?
posted on Sep 26, 2008 - 27 answers

There was a site of speakers around the world speaking a specific phrase in English. This was to show how regional dialects of English sounded. You could click on a map and it would pull up video of these speakers. Does anyone know what that site is? If not, perhaps a good response would include a concise phrase that can show different regional variations (cot/caught, don/dawn, pin/pen). [more inside]
posted on Sep 20, 2008 - 9 answers

Walking down the street one day in Amsterdam, you encounter an art-thing (sculpture/installation) that's broadcasting audio. The audio includes spoken poems. Would you expect these poems to be in Dutch? Would you feel alienated if they were in English, or if some were in English and some in Dutch? [more inside]
posted on Sep 19, 2008 - 12 answers

How long is a moment? [more inside]
posted on Aug 5, 2008 - 34 answers

Is or was the word "shonky" antisemitic? [more inside]
posted on Jul 15, 2008 - 13 answers

Grammar Filter: what is the English equivalent to the "Double Future Tense"? [more inside]
posted on Jul 9, 2008 - 10 answers

What is the difference between "no more than" and "not more than"? [more inside]
posted on Jul 3, 2008 - 15 answers

What's the best way to teach conversational English to a Polish person with currently only very minimal English skills? [more inside]
posted on Jun 25, 2008 - 3 answers

I'm on a Chinese-language computer and want to use Windows XP and Windows Vista in English. How can I do this? [more inside]
posted on Jun 12, 2008 - 1 answers

How do you pronounce the word 'read' when used in the following context? -- 'John is dry (read: boring).' /rɛd/ or /rid/ Thanks!
posted on May 29, 2008 - 121 answers

Languages: 'I'm coming' versus 'I'm going' in response to 'Come here!' [more inside]
posted on May 27, 2008 - 33 answers

English as a foreign language programs in the Northeast U.S.? [more inside]
posted on May 10, 2008 - 6 answers

My 18 yr old daughter wants to spend 2 months this summer working in Japan as an English instructor. She has a working knowledge of Japanese and will have a TESL certificate. What is the best and safest way to go about trying to help her find a job and what issues do we need to be aware of?
posted on Apr 4, 2008 - 12 answers

Who's "stupider"? [more inside]
posted on Mar 3, 2008 - 26 answers

How do you say " I got hit (in the head) by....(something)" I have to do an oral presentation in spanish but Im not sure how to say I was....i got hit? Im telling a story of when i got hit in the head with a swing...i have to use imperfect and preterite tense....any ideas
posted on Mar 1, 2008 - 10 answers

What are some other examples of using 'an' in front of a non-vowel like some do with 'an historic...'? [more inside]
posted on Feb 22, 2008 - 40 answers

What is the polite way to deal with service workers who speak poor English in an English-speaking country? [more inside]
posted on Feb 22, 2008 - 25 answers

What words should English steal from other languages? [more inside]
posted on Feb 18, 2008 - 91 answers

I am looking for good, undergraduate-geared resources, articles or book chapters that overview 1) the origins of the English language, 2) Old/Middle/Modern/Contemporary English and things like the Great Vowel Shift, and 3) language development in humans. [more inside]
posted on Jan 30, 2008 - 15 answers

A) "At the next stage in the process, the tea leaves ARE blended". B) "At the next stage in the process, the tea leaves WERE blended". Is A correct from a formal grammar standpoint? If so, which tense is it using, and how is it using the past tense of "blend"? If not, why not?
posted on Jan 11, 2008 - 19 answers

Where can I find a list of colleges and/or universities located outside English speaking countries that primarily teach courses in English? (Personal knowledge of such institutions of higher learning is also welcome.)
posted on Nov 24, 2007 - 13 answers

A patriarch is the top father-figure, the peerless dad. I used the word "plutarch" to mean someone of peerless wealth, mixing "plutocracy" and "patriarch"... but it turns out the only Plutarch is a Greek biographer. What word should I use?
posted on Oct 23, 2007 - 24 answers

OK, so as I understand it, first there was 'Proto-English' which evolved into Old English, which apparently morphed into Middle English and then eventually became Modern English. Here bygynneth my question! How is the written English language likely to change over the next century or so? [more inside]
posted on Oct 10, 2007 - 28 answers

Explain tenses to me? Past/present/future, continuous/simple/perfect, and so on, in English. I can use them with fluency, but I need to be able to explain them (when each is used, how to form them). I've tried Fowler's, Chicago Manual of Style, and a number of other resources, but they seem to subtly contradict one another. Is there a simple, go-to reference for this?
posted on Sep 28, 2007 - 16 answers

I'm making a list of Cognate words within the Indo-European/Romance Languages and am looking for words to add to it. [more inside]
posted on Sep 19, 2007 - 13 answers

AccentFilter: What makes a New England accent recognizable? [more inside]
posted on Sep 1, 2007 - 22 answers

How is the English language regarded in Japanese culture? [more inside]
posted on Aug 25, 2007 - 16 answers

Help me come up with an evocative simile that conveys a profound but unemotional appreciation of a thing. My existing, imperfect prose is inside for your delectation. [more inside]
posted on Aug 4, 2007 - 22 answers

In a sentence which begins, "I expect that the answer lay/lays/lie/lies not in the answers provided, but . . . ," which is the correct verb choice? [more inside]
posted on Jul 29, 2007 - 28 answers

What are some essential differences between UK and American English Grammar? [more inside]
posted on Jul 8, 2007 - 71 answers

My daughter says she is having trouble grasping the concept of irony, so I promised to come up with some examples. [more inside]
posted on Jun 14, 2007 - 57 answers

I need some very simple phrases translated from English into Spanish. [more inside]
posted on Jun 7, 2007 - 28 answers

Dutch as a second language [more inside]
posted on May 20, 2007 - 25 answers

Given the timeframe of a year, what European language should I begin learning (the basics, anyways) to assist me in communication? [more inside]
posted on Mar 16, 2007 - 30 answers

About unisex terms: What is the reasoning behind them? By this I mean, for example, flight attendant instead of steward or stewardess, server instead of waiter or waitress, etc. I suppose during the height of the feminist movement in the 70s it was probably claimed that it was sexist to use terms that specify gender. But I am scratching my head wondering what the logic would be behind this. After all, if you use a term to specify females (eg stewardess) then you are also specifying males (eg steward), so I fail to see how this would be sexist. Also, it strikes me as a very handy conversion to be able to specify gender in the same word as the title. Nowadays, we have two words.. so you might hear your neighbor say, "I went to see a female doctor yesterday" (indeed, I think this is a common one), so we are still specifying the sex, so why not use doctress? I'm just curious about why this trend towards unisex words is happening and the logic behind it because frankly, I fail to see any. Thanks for any thoughtful replies!
posted on Feb 22, 2007 - 95 answers

What does American English sound like to people who don't speak english? [more inside]
posted on Feb 12, 2007 - 35 answers

I want to learn more about the origins of the English language and about the roots of English words. [more inside]
posted on Jan 1, 2007 - 25 answers

English grammar: 'could be Xing' versus 'can be Xing' -- how can we explain why one is correct and one isn't? [more inside]
posted on Dec 12, 2006 - 23 answers

In Chinese, the meaning of a spoken word can change depending on where stress is applied. Can you think of English words which embody this characteristic? I can only think of one at the moment: invalid. [more inside]
posted on Dec 7, 2006 - 37 answers

Why is Heidi Klum's English accent better than Henry Kissinger's?
posted on Nov 29, 2006 - 14 answers

Why the random English words used in asian language programming? [more inside]
posted on Nov 16, 2006 - 12 answers

Here in the far-flung reaches of the English-speaking world, we're constantly being told our local language is being taken over by "American Slang". But does it go the other way? Are there any British / Australian / New Zealand or wherever phrases and words that have become commonly used by people in North America recently? Do Brooklynites ever exclaim "Crikey!" or "Bloody Hell!"?
posted on Oct 27, 2006 - 50 answers

What does one call something that contains the seeds of its own downfall? [more inside]
posted on Oct 5, 2006 - 35 answers

He was killed; he got (himself) killed. It was sold; it got sold (possibly out from under me). What sort of semantic difference does using forms of "get" versus "be" in passive constructions convey? [more inside]
posted on Sep 8, 2006 - 12 answers

LanguageArts: to the bilingual (or more) people in the hive... [more inside]
posted on Sep 5, 2006 - 24 answers

InaneQuestionFilter: When you abbreviate doctor, does it get a full-stop? ie. should it be Dr or Dr.? [more inside]
posted on Aug 29, 2006 - 21 answers

I am looking for flashcards on three specific subjects. I've looked online and haven't had much luck. The first I don't really need help finding, "beginning spanish words". The other two have been more difficult. [more inside]
posted on Aug 28, 2006 - 5 answers

I was wondering if there are any non-Indo-European languages which would sound like gibberish, albeit English-like gibberish, to a native English speaker. [more inside]
posted on Aug 10, 2006 - 32 answers

So there has been an invasion of portuguese man of war jellyfish locally..... [more inside]
posted on Jul 29, 2006 - 16 answers

What word am I thinking of? There's a word that means something like, "an object that compels you to want to eat or lick it, even though the object is in fact not edible or meant to be licked". If it helps at all, I believe I've seen this word used to describe the new Macbook and its resemblance to an oversized piece of Chiclet gum. And btw, "pica" is not the word.
posted on Jul 25, 2006 - 38 answers

Are there any programming languages where the keywords/reserved words are in a language other than English? (ie; if, else, for)
posted on Jul 25, 2006 - 5 answers

Is the 'th' sound native to any languages other than English?
posted on Jun 24, 2006 - 31 answers

Is the definition of 'terror' as 'Violence committed or threatened by a group to intimidate or coerce a population, as for military or political purposes' a recent development, or a regional variation? [more inside]
posted on Jun 11, 2006 - 21 answers

Does anyone know where I can find a list online of 500-1000 most common spanish words or phrases, along with their meanings? I searched a bit and found quite a few that had 50 or a 100 approximately, but I want more. I have a Spanish to English dictionary, but I want to print out a quick reference sheet. The list can be words or phrases, it doesnt matter too much.
posted on Apr 24, 2006 - 3 answers

What does English sound like? [more inside]
posted on Apr 10, 2006 - 51 answers

Thanks to a derail in this thread, I have learned that Merriam-Webster now believes that "literally" also means "virtually." This has shaken me to the core, and seems to be evidence of the English language being irrevocably broken. I beg you to ease my soul and prove this isn't true by giving me evidence of other English words that, over time, have come to mean their own antonyms.
posted on Mar 28, 2006 - 103 answers

Where do apeshit and batshit come from? [more inside]
posted on Mar 21, 2006 - 26 answers

In America, there's a trend towards making the English language more gender-neutral. However, it seems that English is already one of the world's more androgynous languages. Is there an effort to make other languages more gender-neutral, or is it just American English?
posted on Mar 17, 2006 - 50 answers

How to teach my child a foreign language (English)? [more inside]
posted on Jan 29, 2006 - 21 answers

What is the History of English Language Capitalization? [more inside]
posted on Dec 27, 2005 - 34 answers

Why is American English so different from British English? [more inside]
posted on Dec 19, 2005 - 27 answers

How can I say "to skull a beer" in American English? It means to drink a whole lot of beer in one gulp.
posted on Dec 13, 2005 - 55 answers

I'd like to improve my english (french is my mother language). [more inside]
posted on Dec 8, 2005 - 27 answers

What's the deal with expressing ownership on names that end in 's'? If I had a buddy named 'Loveless' and wanted to talk about his pet dog, I would write "Loveless' pet dog". But I would clearly pronounce the exact same sentence like "Lovelesses pet dog". Doesn't that suck?
posted on Nov 23, 2005 - 22 answers

How do I see this google map of Japan with English placenames?
posted on Oct 18, 2005 - 10 answers

There seems to be a consensus on how Chaucer and his contemporaries sounded. What I'd like is a summary (or links, or pointers to resources) of how we know how Middle English speakers sounded.
posted on Oct 10, 2005 - 7 answers

Why is the dialogue in Rome all in quasi-Shakespearean English? [more inside]
posted on Sep 1, 2005 - 36 answers

When Americans talk about things like bands and sports teams they use the singular but when people in the UK/Ireland do so they use the plural. Who's right? [more inside]
posted on Aug 11, 2005 - 22 answers

Can anyone recommend a dictionary or guide to 17th-century English that would help my teenage daughter understand the words she comes across when reading Milton and the boys?
posted on Jul 20, 2005 - 10 answers

Why are Asian languages not translated into English phonetically? [more inside]
posted on Jun 27, 2005 - 21 answers

I'm pretty verbose, but I don't think my vocabulary has grown much in years. And I'd like to build it up. [more inside]
posted on May 18, 2005 - 23 answers

Which dictionaries would you recommend as a gift for a writer friend? [more inside]
posted on Apr 27, 2005 - 35 answers

Is there a word in English, a noun, that refers to a childless adult? Given the nature of English, there seems like there would be, but if there is, I can't think of it. If there isn't, why not? [more inside]
posted on Apr 9, 2005 - 48 answers

Which statement is correct? Does either of you recognize this person? Do either of you recognize this person? [more inside]
posted on Mar 19, 2005 - 19 answers

What's the origin of the phrase "hunt you down like a dog?" I can seem to find the origins of other phrases involving dogs pretty easily but not this one.
posted on Feb 3, 2005 - 16 answers

English language question: what is the difference between intern/internship and trainee/traineeship? [+]
posted on Jan 28, 2005 - 19 answers

Are there any websites written entirely in Jamaican English?
posted on Jan 7, 2005 - 18 answers

"One is not amused..." Personal pronoun, or third person generalisation? [MI]
posted on Nov 6, 2004 - 10 answers

Does anyone still get upset about split infinitives? [more inside]
posted on Oct 10, 2004 - 29 answers

Cats have kittens, dogs have puppies, Geese have goslings, foxes have kits, goats have kids, people have kids. What do apes have?
posted on Sep 1, 2004 - 17 answers

What does "normative" mean? Is it a useful word? I only ever see it used in obscure, academic writing, which makes me suspect it's worthless. How is it different from "normal"? My dictionary says it means, "Of, relating to, or prescribing a norm or standard: normative grammar." That sounds like "normal" to me, so why not just say "normal"? Can someone give me some clear sentences that use the word -- sentences that are not written in post-modern, complit speak? Can one use "normative" meaningfully in a sentence about real-world things, like butter, eggs or bricks?
posted on May 21, 2004 - 24 answers

ForeignLanguageFilter: What tools (if any?) are available on the Internet for translating materials that are not prose into English? Specfically, I need an English translation for a song lyric I have only in French. Neither my pathetic high school slacker French nor the usual suspects are producing anything useful... Any suggestions?
posted on Apr 26, 2004 - 9 answers

What's the difference between the words "proffer" and "offer"? This has been driving me mad for some reason for a few days now. Every dictionary I consult basically seems to say that they mean the same thing. But surely there must be a difference, right?
posted on Apr 19, 2004 - 12 answers

Could someone please explain what the phrase "bleeding deacons" means ?
posted on Apr 14, 2004 - 13 answers

A writer's question: how does British English read (and internally, silently sound) to Americans? [More inside.]
posted on Feb 22, 2004 - 36 answers

Excuse me, but can anyone tell me: What exactly is the origin of the phrase Go piss up a rope? I know it's present in the American South and Midwest, but did it originate elsewhere? Does the phrase occur in other countries? And how exactly does one piss up a rope? Does it mean Go climb a rope (similar to Piss off!), or literally Go urinate up a length of braided twine? And, while we're at it, what the hell does the H stand for in Jesus H Christ? I've always wondered. [...a little more inside]
posted on Jan 19, 2004 - 13 answers

Why do people misspell 'lose' as 'loose'? I was looking at this old entry at waxy. All the info on the web seems to be of the 'haha, look how stupid people are' variety but I haven't found anything that tries to explain these mistakes away. Is it phonetics, usage, words that are an exception to a rule?
posted on Dec 30, 2003 - 19 answers

Ever say an uncommon word or phrase -- such as "doxology" or "round-a-bout" -- in a crowded room and hear it travel across the room to different conversations? This happens to me all the time, but I have no idea what the term for it is, or if there even is one. Any guesses? In a related question, what do you call a freudian slip that you hear instead of say? (For insteance someone says "hold my glass" and you hear "hold my ass".)
posted on Dec 24, 2003 - 6 answers