Websites for Logophiles
Monday June 18, 2007
Are you a logophile--that is, a "lover of words"? The answer most likely is yes if you enjoy challenging (or annoying) your companions with frequent installments of the game "Did you know?" For instance, did you know that . . .
- the word family originally referred to the servants of a household and then to both the servants and the descendants of a common ancestor?
- in Philadelphia the sound of the letter "l" is disappearing from the middle of words such as cellar and dollar?
- "in to" should replace "into" in the sentence, "When the car carrying Mr. Glisan arrived at Bastrop, it turned into the prison"?
- Samuel Johnson excluded the words bang, budge, fuss, gambler, shabby, and touchy from his great Dictionary of the English Language (1755)? (He dismissed the words as slang and did not want to encourage their use by publishing them.)
These observations have been collected from some of our favorite language sites, those listed in Websites for Language Lovers. In the coming months, we'll be adding sites to the list (and we welcome your suggestions), but, if you're a true logophile, just one or two should serve to distract you for the rest of the day.
Online Resources for Writers:
Comments
I have a suggestion: The Word Nerds! An excellent podcast that has proven itself in popularity and longevity. See thewordnerds.org
They have slowed the pace of podcasting recently, but their archives are stuffed with high-production-quality content. As a logophile myself, I have loved them.
Many thanks, Nicolas, for an excellent recommendation. In addition to the lively podcast, the site hosts an active forum. I’ve added it to the page on Websites for Language Lovers.
–Richard
About Grammar & Composition