Forecasts and predictions are almost always wrong. That’s half the fun in making them or reading them. As much as professional economists or political wonks like to prognosticate about what the next quarter or the next election holds, the truth is, no one knows until it happens. And even though these “experts” are routinely wrong,
Category: Communications
Lessons from WikiLeaks?
The recent disclosure of roughly a quarter-million classified US diplomatic files on the WikiLeaks website is certainly astonishing, and not just for the secrets that the documents reveal. What’s truly astonishing is the ease with which the information was stolen. Army intelligence analyst Pfc. Bradley Manning apparently copied the first round of documents, released last
In Honor of Veteran’s Day
Some may be surprised when they realize just how much the military has contributed to the English language. What follows is a short list of commonly used words and phrases whose roots come from military origins: scuttlebutt: Today, this means rumors or gossip. It’s derived from the term scuttled butt, a barrel (butt) with a
How Language Affects How We Think
A recent article in the Wall Street Journal gave a fascinating insight into new research that shows the language we speak has profound impacts on how we conceptualize and interact with the world and other people. While scientists have long speculated this premise, there has been little research on the topic since Noam Chomsky’s work
Words That Don’t Mean What You Think They Mean
“That word—I do not think it means what you think it means.” –Inigo Montoya, “The Princess Bride” Writer Suzannah Windsor Freeman posted on her blog in November 2009 several adjectives that have lost all meaning and sense of perspective in modern usage. One of the most common is awesome, which today means “very good,” as
Avoiding Clichés Like the Plague
William Safire once said, “Avoid clichés like the plague.” That’s humorous yet sound advice, presuming one knows the definition of clichés. According to Weber State University, they are “old coins of language: phrases that once made a striking impression but have since been rubbed smooth by repeated handling.” There are several types of clichés, which
It’s a Small, Small World
Did you know that English is spoken as an official language in more than 80 countries, territories and dependencies? Moreover, it is spoken unofficially by nearly everyone in at least two others: the United States and Australia? Add in the many countries in which a large portion of the population speaks English, such as France,
Nouns that Verb
The rapid advance of technology has resulted in the addition of many new and interesting words into our vocabulary that weren’t around even a few years ago. My favorites are the nouns that somehow become verbs. Here are a few examples: E-mail: Remember, this is an abbreviation for the noun electronic mail, which went out
