Oh, that's just marvellous

I use 'marvellous'. But then my idiolect is full of anachronisms (it's great to be able to use words that I know you can just look up quickly if you haven't yet added them to your vocabulary - I love the internet!). Do you use 'marvellous'? Or 'awesome'? This article is very relevant for Language Change - it is worth noting the name of the project and how they are going about it and then finding out more.

http://www.theguardian.com/science/shortcuts/2014/aug/26/british-english-words-endangered-awesome-marvellous

Love these words and phrases (Language Change)

Let's bring some of these back. Which ones do you like best?

http://www.bbcamerica.com/anglophenia/2014/08/20-victorian-terms-seem-oddly-modern/

Welcome new readers

Hello anyone reading this before starting your new course. I am the AS Language Course Team Leader. Here you will find a cornucopia of relevant wider reading. Please feel free to comment or ask questions and please also feel free to answer any questions posed by me or others - your opinion is valued! Do be tactful in your comments as this is a relaxed and friendly space but it is a working environment. When you create your Language blogs, be sure to follow this one to help you easily find relevant wider reading, although you should also read more deeply into topics that interest you and do some more 'academic' reading of theory, textbooks etc. throughout the year. I hope you will enjoy the course as much as I love teaching it.

Article relevant to gender, technology and language change on 'comments'

Comments below articles and other user-generated texts can be a very interesting area to study and comments (like the ones I have asked for in a previous post) can raise everyone's engagement with a text by highlighting issues, giving new perspectives or simply showing interest. But here's an argument to do away with them on journalistic sites because of trolling, flaming etc.  In this particular case it is anti-feminist unpleasantness (of an extreme kind - trigger warning).

http://www.damemagazine.com/2014/08/13/argument-against-free-speech

How to make your readers suspicious

This set of photos shows suspect uses of quote marks/inverted commas. Be advised.

http://www.thepoke.co.uk/2014/08/19/suspicious-quotation-marks/

Pinker on prescriptive grammar rules

This article deals early on with the concepts 'prescriptive' and 'descriptive' which are vital terminology for A2. The writer (who has done some brilliant work on language issues and whose TED talk is worth checking out) then goes on to debunk some grammar rules. It is hard going but worth tackling in bits and really trying to get to grips with as many of the grammar ideas as possible!

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/aug/15/steven-pinker-10-grammar-rules-break

Facebook pages to do with Language

Anyone on Facebook (to capitalise or not dilemma) could follow some useful pages. I have suggested Emagazine in the past and I came across Words, Words, Words today, which I shall provide the link for below. These must be taken with a pinch of salt - just read some of the comments to see the inferno of opinion on 'correct' usage - this will feed in directly to our study of Language Change (prescriptive attitudes) at A2.

If you find any other pages to follow, please comment on this post.

https://www.facebook.com/WordsWordsWordsAndMoreWords?fref=photo

Please comment on what interests you

Summery beautifuls!

Please make comments. That will generate more interest from others because what you think adds a new perspective and helps people pick up on interesting or controversial aspects of a post. It also means I can see what people are reading and finding interesting/shocking/curious and then I can choose my posts more carefuly based on that feedback. I will also know you have been doing your wider reading!

A comment can be a thought, a response, a link to something on the topic, a question, whatever you like, as long as it is 'work-safe'.

If someone asks a question, it is not for me to answer, although I might give my view, but for anyone to chip in - please be commenting as much as possible to make this wider reading experience (and all my hard work on my blog!) more accessible to Language students - my new AS class will be using it too.

Thank you - it was lovely to see some of you on results day and well done!

Comic strips on depression

Oxymoron? Not at all. Some are funny. Some resonate. Some are touching. Some are frightening. Many play on language familiar to those well versed in the topic. Worth reading.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/hnigatu/comics-that-capture-the-frustrations-of-depression?bffbuk

Gender - what can a man say to change harassment culture?

What do you think of this?

http://m.tickld.com/x/next-time-someone-says-women-arent-victims-of-harassment-show-them

Lang and tech article on Wiki edits

This article reveals how a few edits can alter the perspective a reader may have on an issue quite significantly. User-edited content is always unreliable but the agenda that might be behind malicious or manipulative edits should make us far more wary. It also shows why you should get your info from lots of sources and conflate them.

http://www.channel4.com/news/wikipedia-edit-changes-lee-rigby-charles-de-menezes-damilola

Robert Webb on not being an ****hole to women

The idea of relinquishing male privilege is gaining ground. Any thoughts on what he has to say?

http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2014/08/robert-webb-roll-roll-see-man-talking-about-feminism-what-could-possibly-go-wrong

'Funny' article on Bristolian words

Some inaccuracies but relatively amusing and shows the national interest in dialects.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/elliewoodward/you-should-probably-read-this-mind