About a decade ago, I read a blog written by a linguistics student who proclaimed, “Prescriptivism must die!!!” He was talking about the school of thought that believes that textbooks and other ...

The Scripps National Spelling Bee is here, representing one of the most vigorous — and prestigious — academic competitions in America. Unsurprisingly, a competition as renowned as the national ...

My 11-year-old son recently reported with horror that the word "funner" has been added to the dictionary. "What's wrong with that?" I asked. He gaped. "IT'S NOT A WORD." "Sure it is," I said. "Little ...

Most people walk around believing they have a pretty good sense of how English works. We learn the alphabet, pick up some ...