Linguistics
Total 4 Posts
Stay Alert, Infodemic, Black Death: The fascinating origins of pandemic terms.
4 min read
Language always tells a story. As COVID-19 shakes the world, many of the words we’re using to describe it originated during earlier calamities – and have colourful tales behind them.
English in England — We should celebrate different languages, not write hate mail about them.
6 min read
The unpleasant ‘Happy Brexit Day’ poster misses the fact that the vast majority of people in the UK recognise the benefits of multilingualism.
Traitors, betrayal, surrender: British politics now dripping with terms that fuel division.
5 min read
Use of the words ‘traitor’, ‘surrender’ and ‘betrayal’ have increased inside parliament but everyone outside needs to watch their language too.
I research slang to help solve gang crime – and it’s clear how little politicians understand.
5 min read
The relationship between street slang used by young people and secret codes deployed by gang members is not always straightforward.