The order of adjectives in English: a fascinating rule

The Curious Library Mouse: Nibbles of Orthographic Oddities Today, while reading a Swedish magazine published in English, a word jumped out at me - the spelling of the word "impostor" ("imposter" in the article). So I had to have a closer look. The word impostor originates from Latin, both noun and verb respectively (impostor, impostoris - n., imponere, "to impose" - v.). The Oxford Dictionary* lists the first etymology use of the word impostor to 1586 (The Renaissance, the reign of Elizabeth The I would likely bring language renewal). There seems to be no etymology of the word "imposter" per se, at least not in the Oxford Dictionary. There are however, etymologies for the words impostress (1614), imposterous (1562-1665), impostery (1656). It seems that phonetic language use and the tendency of English nouns to end in -er may have given us the spelling of the word imposter, as written today. Another factor contributing to this hybridization of the word from its Latin purer version, may be due to differences in pronunciation between US and British English. These orthographic variations can be found in other words such as conductor/ conducter (from the Latin verb "conducere"); preceptor/precepter (from the verb "praecipere" - to teach). Variations in language also include lexical variations (lorry/truck), dialect variations (If I began to name the variations in Norfolk dialect for instance we would go down a rabbit hole...) or standardizations. These are probably the most known and prevalent today so that I actually cannot write "s" in British English in place of "z", without a disapproving tech squint at my spelling. *Quoted from the Oxford Dictionary. All rights reserved.

IF English is your second language, this prompt can help you LEARN how to improve your English. "I am a native ______ speaker, can you help me improve this email?" When you tell it what you speak natively, it can compare your expectations of sentence structure with English and teach you the principles of how the two languages are different. Don't just have AI correct your emails. Have AI teach you.

I've a new open access article published today. The machine translator’s visibility: A postphenomenological analysis of machine translation compares human and machine translation in use. It's part of the forthcoming Translation Spaces special issue 'Is Machine Translation Translation?', coedited by Dorothy Kenny, Mary Nurminen and Félix do Carmo. Details are at https://lnkd.in/e9-GjpSg

The Center for Plain Language has created a five-step checklist will guide you through the plain language process. It will help you develop content that’s right for your organization. Step 1: Identify and describe the target audience Step 2: Structure the content to guide the reader through it Step 3: Write the content in plain language Step 4: Use information design to help readers see and understand Step 5: Work with the target user groups to test the design and content Each step has explicit advice on the logistics of making it work. The document or site works when target users can find what they need, understand what they find, and act on it confidently. https://lnkd.in/dZM2U2DZ Image Description: A cartoon-type background. In the center, a speech balloon. In the speech balloon are the words, "Five Steps to plain language." Under the speech balloon are two colored rectangles. The top one says, "Learn what they are." The bottom one is the Center for Plain Language logo, which has two speech balloons on the left. The name Center for Plain Language. And their tagline, "Make it clear."

The Language Gap: What We Don’t See, We Don’t Understand. When we talk about language, most people think of talking. We measure how well a child speaks, how many words they use, how clear their speech sounds, and how confidently they can hold a conversation. But spoken language is only one part of the picture. Language develops in several interconnected ways: - Receptive language – understanding what we hear and read - Expressive language – how we organise and share our thoughts in words - Written language – turning ideas into structured sentences and paragraphs - Reading – decoding symbols and constructing meaning We often assume that if a child can talk, they can understand, and if they can speak, they can write. Yet these are different systems that rely on distinct skills and brain pathways. A child might have strong verbal skills but still find it difficult to follow instructions, express complex ideas, or organise their thoughts in writing. When that happens, we can mistake the struggle for disinterest or lack of effort, when in fact it is a language load problem, not a behaviour problem. Understanding the differences between verbal, receptive, expressive, and written language is more than academic. It is the key to effective teaching, therapy, and support. When we start to see language as layered and connected, we can begin to close The Language Gap.

Ever typed a whole paragraph… only to realize it’s in the wrong language? 😓 I still remember five years ago, when I was working on my graduation project. I often switched between Arabic and English, and sometimes I wrote whole paragraphs before I noticed I was typing in the wrong language. The issue is simple: we can change the input language before typing, but not after. No shortcut, no quick fix — just retyping. That’s unnecessary cognitive load 🧠 for multilingual users. 💡 Good design should help people recover easily from small mistakes and adapt to how we actually work — not the other way around. Imagine hitting a single shortcut and instantly switching your text to the correct language ⌨️✨ A simple idea, but a big step toward designing for real human behavior.

"However, the language bias extends directly into peer review. One study shows that abstracts written in “native-like” English were rated higher for scientific quality than identical ones in “non-native-like” English." https://lnkd.in/di45H3R5

What does 'oxymoronic' mean? “Oxymoronic” is an adjective describing something that contains an oxymoron: a figure of speech in which two contradictory or opposing ideas are combined to create a unique or thought-provoking expression. The term “oxymoron” comes from the Greek words oxys (sharp, keen) and moros (foolish, dull), illustrating the contradictory nature at the heart of the word itself. Oxymoronic phrases often add humor, irony, or depth to language by pairing words that logically seem incompatible, such as “bittersweet,” “deafening silence,” or “jumbo shrimp.” In literature, oxymorons are widely used to highlight complexity or paradoxes in characters, situations, or emotions, enriching the reader’s understanding. Calling something “oxymoronic” means it exhibits this quality of contradiction, often making a statement that’s puzzling or striking. While oxymorons might seem confusing at first glance, they reveal the nuanced and layered nature of language and thought. In everyday speech, oxymoronic expressions help people convey irony or emphasize contrasts in a concise way. The word “oxymoronic” itself can sometimes be used playfully or critically to describe ideas or statements that seem self-contradictory or nonsensical. Example sentences: “The politician’s promise was so oxymoronic that listeners weren’t sure whether to laugh or be frustrated.” “Her oxymoronic comment, ‘organized chaos,’ perfectly captured the messy but functional state of her studio.” “The novel’s title, ‘Silent Thunder,’ is intentionally oxymoronic, setting the tone for a story full of paradoxes.” 200 Translators, 35 languages - vertaalkabaal