Happy What Now?
Every year, I steel myself for this day and its unwelcome celebratory wishes. This year, I have a place to rant about it.
Jackie
About Jackie
Posts by Jackie Ralston:
Those Pesky Homophones Again …
Today’s homophone pair highlights an increasingly widespread misuse of the older word.
About That “20 Seconds a Week” Claim
Bullshit claims in commercials is one reason I soured on television a few decades ago. Occasionally watching some news programs, I see they’re still around.
Of Roses and Odors and Word Meanings
One of my greatest difficulties as a college professor teaching Introductory Psychology was getting many students to see that commonplace words often have a more restrictive definition in psychology, so that they would use them more precisely in their work. This has long been an issue: common words were used in psychology and given more specific meanings (e.g., “learning” and “instinct”); and psychological terms’ definitions have changed and/or expanded over time (e.g., “psychopathology”). The recent misappropriation of a psychological term for another purpose has brought these issues to mind again.
My First Kiwi Idiom
The adage that “the United States and the UK are nations divided by a common language” probably applies equally well between any countries that were colonized by the British way back when. Physical proximity between the nations is probably not as important a factor in language drift as one might think, nor time frame: both Canada–the US and New Zealand–Australia support my assertion.
A Tribute to Ryan Holderman, One of the Best Teachers I’ve Had
I was a pretty typical, cocky high-school freshman some mumblety years ago: I was sure I had the system figured out, and thought I was ready for anything. Being fascinated by science, I signed up for Biology I. I had no idea what was about to happen to me …
Word Games #1
Word games have exploded in popularity over recent years, boosted in part by claims that they “exercise the brain” and thereby can help forestall the cognitive decline that’s common in ageing. While I expect we’ll be addressing some of those here, my intent with this category is broader.
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