Last time I discussed the influence of the Norse settlers on English during the period between Old English and Middle English and how it f...

The first written texts of Middle English in the late 12th century show a remarkable simplification from Old English, just a century or two ...

While our children were in high school we hosted several European exchange students in our home for whom English was a second, third, or e...

There are two opposing philosophies in the history of linguistics which can be summed up as prescriptivism and descriptivism . Should lingu...

In Chapter 6 “The Archaeology of Language” of his book The Horse, the Wheel, and Language , David W. Anthony uses the colonization of North...

In linguistic circles Jacob Grimm (1785-1863) is better known for his discovery of phonetic changes in the development of Proto-Germanic th...

The discrepancy between spelling and pronunciation of words is perhaps the most difficult part of learning English as a second language. Or ...

Ever wonder about the a- tacked in front of some verbs? Where did it originate? Does it (or did it) have any special meaning? We're f...

Here in Saskatchewan , we are coming up to a provincial election. Each district in which a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA for short...

In the last post I quoted a newspaper columnist’s dismay at the degradation of English, particularly the incorrect use of who and whom . Li...

After several years of receiving catalogues in the mail from The Great Courses [www.getgreatcourses.com] I finally ordered one (my wife actu...

The English language developed in England so to understand the history of English we must explore the history of England . The earliest in...