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“Weird” is a weird word
From Beowulf to Shakespeare to you
Jul 8
•
Colin Gorrie
307
28
37
Why the word “mead” shows up in Chinese
Honey words turn out to be rather sticky
Jun 24
•
Colin Gorrie
167
23
16
When will Modern English end?
Or is it already over?
Jun 10
•
Colin Gorrie
219
45
24
How to read Beowulf (and actually enjoy it)
It’s not really about the monsters
May 27
•
Colin Gorrie
194
15
28
The ancient logic of “snuck”
Bad grammar or living fossil of Proto-Germanic?
May 13
•
Colin Gorrie
176
45
29
The Canterbury Commute
Verses composed in Middle English while waiting for the 7:42 train
Apr 29
•
Colin Gorrie
187
31
10
Why you should read Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
This spring’s book club pick
Apr 15
•
Colin Gorrie
221
20
14
Why the verb “to be” is so irregular
The answer is six thousand years old
Apr 1
•
Colin Gorrie
354
67
45
No, Shakespeare didn’t invent those words
Bias, evidence, and the Oxford English Dictionary
Mar 18
•
Colin Gorrie
250
19
26
Leave the em-dash alone
This writing panic has a 500-year precedent
Mar 4
•
Colin Gorrie
364
85
84
How far back in time can you understand English?
An experiment in language change
Feb 18
•
Colin Gorrie
4,495
416
711
Etymology is a growth industry
One year of the Dead Language Society
Feb 4
•
Colin Gorrie
140
56
11
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