Old-school news, just in time
by Kevin Burton I went to college to become a journalist. But before I got there I was, briefly, an English teacher. And I had to defend some of the nonsense you will see below. English got to be the dominant language of the world (the lingua franca for aviation, among other industries) …
Continue reading “Ten Hard-To-Explain English Language Quirks”
by Kevin Burton They have ways of expressing themselves, but my cats don’t speak any English or Spanish, so I don’t always know what they are thinking. Do I really want to know what they are thinking? Well, we can’t know, which is probably for the best. But I did stumble upon …
Continue reading “Penny For Your Thoughts, Feline Daughters”
by Kevin Burton My recipe for relaxation on the road has changed, just a bit, in the last couple of years. Time was, on the road with my wife, I would put a ball game on the hotel TV before the suitcase got unpacked. Or even opened. Football, baseball, basketball. I …
by Dictionary Scoop Language is like a passport to the world; it connects us, teaches us, and sometimes leaves us scratching our heads. With more than 7,000 languages spoken globally, the world of words is full of surprises and stories. If you are a language lover, these 13 facts about languages will keep your curiosity …
by Dictionary Scoop Ever encountered a word in another language that seemed familiar but left you confused? False cognates—words that appear similar but have unrelated meanings—are the culprits. These false friends can sometimes lead to hilarious or embarrassing misunderstandings, especially for language learners. Here are ten examples that demonstrate just how deceptive languages …
by Kevin Burton This is a story about “approach motivation” and “the ganas,” also known as time flies when you’re having fun. See also: time flies all the time. “Time flies when you’re having fun.” Nobody had to explain that one to you, even the first time you heard it. Here’s some …
by Kevin Burton There was a time when I had multiple dozens of penpals from around the world. More than once I heard this joke: What do you call a person who speaks three languages? Trilingual. What do you call a person who speaks two languages? Bilingual. What do you call a …
by Kevin Burton Steve Mingori was an excellent left-handed relief pitcher for Cleveland and Kansas City in the American League. He finished a 10-year career with an ERA of 3.03. I always thought of him as a “minus” pitcher. That means in my baseball board games, if a certain number came up and …
Continue reading “Leap For Joy Leaplings, Today Is Your Big Day”
by Kevin Burton Sometimes the people news is too depressing to deal with. Sometimes as a remedy, I turn to the world of my cats. You will notice that people tend to creep into the cat news. This may be unfortunate but may be inevitable. So here on Page 7, all the …
Continue reading “Quibbles And Bits Feline Edition: Bilingual Cat”
by Kevin Burton What a glorious toybox is language. Words and their shadings and peculiarities have been one of the few constants I can count on in life. The little sticks-and-stones bromide which states “words will never hurt me” is false in its context. Words can hurt a lot when used improperly, especially …
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