In his engaging new book, Righting the Mother Tongue, journalist David Wolman sets out to discover how the English language ended up with such an infuriatingly unpredictable spelling system. His journey takes him from the birthplace of Old English all the way to the spelling reformers who picket the national spelling bee. In the first installment of our two-part interview with Wolman, he tells us how -- as a self-professed poor speller -- he might have felt more comfortable a millennium ago, and how orthographic correctness became so important to speakers of English.
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In his engaging new book, Righting the Mother Tongue, journalist David Wolman sets out to discover how the English language ended up with such an infuriatingly unpredictable spelling system. His journey takes him from the birthplace of Old English all the way to the spelling reformers who picket the national spelling bee. In the first installment of our two-part interview with Wolman, he tells us how -- as a self-professed poor speller -- he might have felt more comfortable a millennium ago, and how orthographic correctness became so important to speakers of English.
Continue reading...
Word Routes
Exploring the pathways of our lexicon
Perplexed by "Nonplussed" and "Bemused" 
November 18, 2008
By Ben Zimmer
"Nonplussed" and "bemused" have developed new meanings. Should we care?
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Candlepower
Ad and marketing creatives
Vocab Lab: Color Me Nonplussed
November 17, 2008
Did Barack Obama misuse "nonplussed"?
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Backstory
Authors tell you what inspired their work
M.J. Rose, Author of "The Memoirist"
November 14, 2008
A trip to Vienna inspired M.J. Rose's latest novel.
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Here are some great online resources for getting children interested in poetry.
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Over on Separated by a Common Language, Lynne Murphy has her own trans-Atlantic twist on the usual Word of the Year selections. Make your nominations for "Best American to British import" and "Best British to American import."
Mark Twain, lauded by many as America's greatest humorist, has a strong online presence nearly a century after his death.
NOAD Word of the Year: "Hypermiling"
November 11, 2008
- 1 Comment
Mailbag Friday: "Landslide"
November 7, 2008
- 4 Comments
The VT Helps Out A Literary Bee
November 4, 2008
- 6 Comments
Drapes, Curtains, and an Old Political Standby
October 30, 2008
- 7 Comments
Mailbag Friday: "Out-Physical"
October 24, 2008
- 3 Comments
Mastering the Ins and Outs of American Slang
October 22, 2008
- 3 Comments
Is Dr. Johnson Rolling in His Grave?
October 21, 2008
It Might Make Time Fly in Your Classroom: "Tuck Everlasting"
October 20, 2008
- 4 Comments
Mailbag Friday: "Phoning It In"
Click here to browse all the articles in our archive by date.
October 17, 2008
- 2 Comments
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- "Bad Language"A column about writing in business
- BackstoryAuthors tell you what inspired their work
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RECENT COMMENTS FROM OUR SUBSCRIBERS
Perplexed by "Nonplussed" and "Bemused"
Dors
said,
"What???!!!!! I have never heard the word 'nonplussed' being used as 'unfazed' in Australia. Will it become yet another Americanism for our bemusement?"
- Yesterday, 11:32 PM
Sue B.
said,
"Language evolves; otherwise, it's dead.
That said, I think it's important to resist evolution arising out of ignorance, misinformation, or poor..."
- Yesterday, 6:18 PM
CaspianRex
said,
"I happen to think that this is a really interesting debate, and not one that can easily be "won." I am reminded of Shakespeare's Hamlet, wherein the..."
- Yesterday, 3:01 PM
Clarence W.
said,
"I became a member of VT a couple years ago, hoping to become a better wordsmith. Ironically, my motivations had to do with concern for the loss of..."
- Yesterday, 2:41 PM
Rain
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"I enjoyed your comments, Phil K. from West Vancouver, Canada. Your fifth paragraph, ending with, "And so communication dies," explained and clarified..."
- Yesterday, 2:17 PM
Cori R.
said,
"If something is used incorrectly often enough, it becomes correct????
It seems to me that the definitions are pretty close to opposite "bewildered" v...."
- Yesterday, 1:16 PM
Phil K.
said,
"I very nearly found myself both bemused and nonplussed by Clarence's declaration that he was completely "unaware of the "group 1-er definitions" of..."
- Yesterday, 12:45 PM
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Lesson Plans
Put the VT to work in your classroom
Improving Your Spelling with the VT
November 13, 2008
How can playing the Visual Thesaurus Spelling Bee help students improve their spelling?
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Recent Lesson Plans:
Analyzing the Language of Presidential Debates
October 9, 2008
Recasting Language through Found Poetry
September 6, 2008
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Math Words with Multiple Meanings
July 29, 2008
We've got a Halloween theme for this month's puzzle. Solve it and you could win a Visual Thesaurus T-shirt!
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We've made some changes to our Spelling Bee quiz that will make it even more fun and challenging for players of all ages and skill levels.
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Introducing... The VT Spelling Bee!
June 26, 2008
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A New Look, and a New Column on the Way
May 12, 2008
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May 5, 2008
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