Posts

Showing posts with the label english language

Which language has the most words?

Image
Counting the total number of words used in a language is complex. 

Official English language rule book?

Image
No single institution governs English use. Nor is there a definitive 'rule' book that covers all contexts. 

Who decides English language rules?

Image
  English does not have an equivalent to the  Académie française . There are no 'official' rules, only accepted conventions.  Some of these conventions are effectively rules because they are inherent to the language's grammatical structure. No native speaker would naturally put the noun before the adjective in the sentence  I bought a  red car . (I  a red car bought) But they might break another 'rule' by starting a sentence with a conjunction, as I just have. In this case, the rule/convention comes from another language: Latin.  Is there an official English language rule book?

How fast is the English language expanding?

Image

Four differences between parody and satire?

Image
People often use parody and satire interchangeably, but they aren't synonymous .

Why uppercase and lowercase?

Image
The conventions of using uppercase and lowercase letters evolved over centuries. The terms themselves relate to printing and typesetting.

Where does the word meme come from?

Image
In  The Selfish Gene   (1976) the scientist Richard Dawkins expands the Darwinist concept of natural selection to the realm of ideas.

Where does the word dude come from?

Image

What is a preposition?

Image
Prepositions are easier to use than to explain in simple terms. 

Origin of term meter maid?

Image
Standing by a parking meter/  When I caught a glimpse of Rita

How many French words in English?

Image
Vocabulary estimates vary according to criteria, e.g., whether derivatives are  included French and English differ fundamentally in grammar, structure, and syntax. Despite this incompatibility, English has a substantial percentage of French loanwords.

What is Globish?

Image
Globish  is a term invented by a French businessman, Jean-Paul Nerriere .

What is a 'ghost word'?

Image

First Japanese word in English?

Image
The Japanese Contributions to the English Language: An Historical Dictionary  cites six words that arrived in the 1500s:

What is the subjunctive?

Image
  The subjunctive is what grammarians call a  mood  rather than a tense.

What is Globish?

Image
Globish  in British ( Ɡləʊbɪʃ     )  noun

Why do Y & Z end the alphabet?

Image
The Latin alphabet drew heavily on the Ancient Greek one. There were, however, important variations

Which letters are used most frequently in English?

Image
One letter is used more than any other in the English language - and by a surprising distance.

What is the Oxford comma?

Image

What is the shortest complete sentence in English?

Image
There are three main candidates for the shortest sentence in the English language.