Language

The perils of using journalist jargon outside the newsroom | Elisabeth Ribbans
We may know our standfirsts from our datelines, but industry terms when out in the wild must come with explanation, says Elisabeth Ribbans, the Guardian and Observer’s global readers’ editor
Elisabeth Ribbans
31, Jan, 2023 @11:00 AM

May I have a word about… rummaging around on the Antiques Roadshow | Jonathan Bouquet
We know the show turns up gems from the house and garden – but don’t forget the linguistic ones too
Jonathan Bouquet
29, Jan, 2023 @9:30 AM

Welsh winds from the feet of the dead | Brief letters
Brief letters: Cold easterlies | Museum revamps | Minimum service levels | Something to chew on | Eco-friendly soap
17, Jan, 2023 @5:45 PM

‘Queen’ is UK children’s word of the year for 2022
Almost half of the children surveyed by Oxford University Press chose ‘Queen’ as their top word, with ‘happy’ and ‘chaos’ in second and third place
Sarah Shaffi
17, Jan, 2023 @12:01 AM

Lost for words: fears of ‘catastrophic’ language loss due to rising seas
Climate crisis could be ‘final nail in the coffin’ for half of all surviving languages, say linguists, as coastal communities are forced to migrate
Karen McVeigh
16, Jan, 2023 @7:00 AM

Is Iceland’s language a Norse code – or legacy of Celtic settlers?
Gaelic origins of Icelandic words and landmarks challenge orthodox view of Viking heritage, says author
Severin Carrell Scotland editor
04, Jan, 2023 @6:00 AM

Permacrisis, Partygate and mini-budget: the Guardian’s breakthrough words of the year
A trawl of terms used for the first time or with fresh significance reveals the annus horribilis that was 2022
Pamela Duncan, Carmen Aguilar García and Sam Cutler
30, Dec, 2022 @4:00 PM

Hoping to learn another language in the new year? Polyglots may hold the key to success
Australia has a ‘mindset of monolingualism’, despite the fact that hundreds of languages are spoken here. So what sets polyglots apart from the rest?
Donna Lu
30, Dec, 2022 @2:00 PM

Weatherwatch: how the icicle got its name
The Old English word for icicle was once gicel, which has evolved with variants including ‘ickle’, ‘shockle’ and ‘shuggle’
David Hambling
29, Dec, 2022 @6:00 AM

Extremely hardcore discourse: the words of the year that slipped under the radar
Beyond quiet quitting, 2022 was the year everything was ‘wild’ – from tripledemics to red waves
Matthew Cantor
27, Dec, 2022 @6:00 AM

I was asked to invent the next Wordle. How hard could it be?
Wordle is the deceptively simple puzzle that became a global sensation last Christmas. The challenge: to create a rival
David Shariatmadari
22, Dec, 2022 @1:00 PM

Japan chooses ‘war’ as kanji of the year amid Ukraine conflict and Abe assassination
The character, chosen by public vote, reflected feelings about the state of the world and anxiety over living cost pressures
Justin McCurry in Tokyo
14, Dec, 2022 @3:45 AM
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