Tag Archives: word

Charlottesville, Boston, Berkeley and the Desecration of the First Amendment

August 19, 2017 Speaking my mind today may be impolitic. However, because what I fear most is the silence following the premature death of the First Amendment, speak I must. I am reminded of Paul’s recital of his unblemished pedigree: … Continue reading

Posted in critical thinking, language, politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

50 Years Ago: My 15 Minutes on the Front Page

Posted in education, history, language, memories | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Sticks, Stones, and Mayhem in the Marketplace of Ideas

In a lifetime of writing, I have spent many grueling hours perfecting the art of the compelling introduction–to say nothing of the time spent crafting clever and thought-provoking titles. For my current topic, however, I am afraid that I have … Continue reading

Posted in education, history, language | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A Napple, a Norange–and a Numpire

In the third grade, we guffawed about Little Johnny, who left out the P when reciting the alphabet because it was running down his leg. Those of us with more highbrow tastes in humor also found amusing his further adventures: … Continue reading

Posted in humor, language | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Shared Experience, Shared Language: A Review of Lakoff and Johnson on Metaphor

Each of my efforts to write about George Lakoff and Mark Johnson’s Metaphors We Live By uncannily comprises a demonstration of its thesis. As I started to plan my review, I wrote, I am late to the dance—referring to the … Continue reading

Posted in books, language, metaphor, review, writing | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

It Quacks Like a Duck

I have learned many important lessons since beginning this blog three months ago, and I have relearned many others. Already this morning, I have experienced one of each (in reverse order): I know a minuscule amount; and Amazon Prime is … Continue reading

Posted in education, language, metaphor | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Ode to OED (and Friends)

When I was a girl in the dusty mining town of Globe, Arizona, with the sulfur odor in the air when the wind blew from the west, our house had a living room, a kitchen, two bedrooms, and a bathroom … Continue reading

Posted in books, education, language | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The Mering Chronicles (cont. from 6/11)

Hang-ups, hanging out, and hanging on I visited Dr. Mering’s office often to receive assistance with my writing, to ask for suggestions for outside reading, or simply to satisfy his curiosity about how “this girl from a little mining town in the West” … Continue reading

Posted in education, history, memories, people | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The Issue Issue

I can’t pinpoint when issue reared its euphemistic head and took the place of problem or difficulty in the general parlance, but the usage is now of epidemic proportion. The media are replete with sidebars about anger issues and relationship issues and weight issues. Students’ excuses for late homework … Continue reading

Posted in language, politics | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Bathroom Words

Since March 23, North Carolina has been embroiled in a war of words about the so-called “bathroom bill,” House Bill 2, whose most controversial—and, notably, most innocuous—provision states, “Local boards of education [and public agencies] shall require every multiple occupancy bathroom … Continue reading

Posted in language, politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments