English Language FAQ

A rare example of a Czech word ('robota') entering English. The original meaning was compulsory or slave labour. It was only in the 1920s that the idea of a 'humanoid' machine became established. Kathleen Richardson points out in this BBC broadcast Listen! http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00xpj0w#synopsis that our notions about robots are fanciful - they are generally clumsy, ineffective machines. So robots are not going to rule the world any time soon. But are they going to challenging for the Marathon Gold Medal at the next Olympics? On this evidence, perhaps not: Japanese Androids Train for First Ever Robot Marathon

'If this, then that' is an underpinning principle of writing computer code. The idea is that a) you anticipate consequences flowing from an action  b) you reduce streamline repetitive tasks by automating them. For Internet users this may become an increasingly pressing issue, particularly when it comes to social media. Sites like Posterous already allow posts to multiple locations  and Iftt is creating a bank of 'recipes'

A fascinating discussion about new online vocabulary has been taking place on the Macmillan Dictionary Blog . It has got me thinking that the Internet has brought us many wonderful things but a beautiful vocabulary is not one of them.  Whose heart sings at the word ‘blog’? Or worse still, blogosphere? And while Shakespeare would have marvelled at the instant access information supplied by Google, could he have made the verb rhyme with anything? (Dougal? Boogle?) Are there words that stand out from the dull online crowd?  I suggested one for the Macmillan discussion - you can find it at the bottom of the comments  here .

America's greatest 20th Century poet, Robert Frost. For one of Frost's best-known poems is Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening - you can read & hear it here .