English Language FAQ

The Rorschach test is a diagnostic tool used to gain psychological insight. It uses 10 standard black or coloured inkblot designs to assess personality traits and emotional tendencies. In contemporary English, the term  Rorschach test is often used metaphorically to describe what psychologists call projective assessment. Put simply, how you see something depends on your 'priors' or pre-existing assumptions. Who was Rorschach? Hermann Rorschach (1884–1922) invented the 'ink blot' personality test. The test emerged from the Swiss psychiatrist's lifelong passion for klecksography - turning inkblots into recognisable images. Influenced by the newly emerging field of psychoanalysis, Rorschach began exploring how emotion shapes perception.    Rorschach had an unusual childhood. He was born into an an artistic family but lost both his parents at an early age and was brought up by a cold and distant stepmother. At school he was prodigy - speaking several languages and exce

Everything about the word hooley is disputed, including the spelling. Hoolie  or  hooley ?   Or even huly as it first appeared Bartlett's Dictionary of American English in 1877.  Something to argue about at the lexicographers annual hoolie , which can get pretty wild. A hoolie is used in contemporary English to mean a raucous party . The word is most commonly used in Ireland, but can be traced back to Orkney Scots, where it meant a strong wind or gale. This lead to the common idiom blowing up a hooley. Irish Words in English

According to new research, the English language has doubled in size over the last century.

Globish  in British ( Ɡləʊbɪʃ     ) noun a  simplified   version  of English used by  non-native   speakers , consisting of the most  common  words and phrases only Collins English Dictionary Globish is a term invented by a French business man, Jean-Paul Nerriere. It describes the an adapted form of English used in communication between non-native speakers.

It may seem odd that Christians call their day  of greatest sorrow   Good Friday .  The confusion arises from how we perceive the word 'Good'. Here it is used in the archaic sense of 'holy' or momentous. Good Friday, called  Feria VI in  Parasceve  in the  Roman Missal ,  he hagia kai megale paraskeue  (the  Holy  and Great Friday) in the  Greek Liturgy ,  Holy Friday  in Romance Languages,  Charfreitag  (Sorrowful Friday) in  German , is the  English  designation of Friday in  Holy Week     source In other words,  Good marks the uniqueness of the Passion . It affirms the centrality of the crucifixion and resurrection to the Christian faith.

The Seder is the special meal that celebrates Passover