All posts from May 4, 2009
Mental cupboard
EXERPTS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8013859.stm
So, can a precise word total ever be known? No, says Professor David Crystal, known chiefly for his research in English language studies and author of around 100 books on the subject.
“It’s like asking how many stars are there in the sky. It’s impossible to answer,” he said.
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US company Global Language Monitor (GLM) believes that the one millionth word will be added to the English language in mid-June.
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Do people know more words than they actually use? And is having a large vocabulary something you learn or have a natural ability for?
Precious normality »
EXERPTS
His use of the English language, frequently derided by his opponents during the election campaign as verbal garlands, has proven to be a useful and necessary tool of government at a time of profound crisis.
He is both bold and measured. It is called nuance - and America and the world have been yearning for it.
It appears that Mr Obama understands the unavoidable truth that reality is a bit more complex than most politicians usually care to admit.
Without this degree of honesty he could not even begin to launch the dramatic changes that he is hoping to engineer in this country.
