Latest Comments

• Poll names Chomsky as world's top intellectual

  Sat Nov 28, 2009
  • My vote's for Umberto Eco - not that I've read all the contributions that they've all made! But his novels are just so good. Anyway, glad to know that these awards are around and getting attention. Usually it's the celebrities or sportsmen and women.

• Language is Power: Let Us Have Ours

  Thu Nov 26, 2009
  • This is not to say that English should not be taught. Of course it should. But the reality in northern Australia is not whether maintaining language hinders a child's future but whether the best of life's opportunities are available to all.

• Salute to Dell Hymes, Linguist and Anthropologist, 82

  Mon Nov 23, 2009
  • Hi BlaiseP, Thanks for dropping by and sharing your experiences. We can all draw inspiration from Dell Hymes - how wonderful to have made such a contribution to life, and to draw out such paths for younger minds to follow. ML

• Salute to Dell Hymes, Linguist and Anthropologist, 82

  Mon Nov 23, 2009
  • Professor Hymes encouraged his disciples to study every living, breathing form of discourse they could lay their hands on, things like table talk; myths, legends and riddles; courtroom testimony, political oratory, funeral laments and leave-taking conversations.

• From Language Gap to Feminism: History of the Term 'Ms'

  Mon Nov 23, 2009
  • Hurrah for language change with common sense! So perhaps I should change my own title now to 'Ms Linguistics'...

• Push to Simplify Credit Card 'Gobbledygook'

  Mon Nov 23, 2009
  • It's a shame when people oppose plain language when it works for the consumer. I know that lawyers are trying to cover every situation in their clauses, but the fine print on many contracts is just ridiculous.

• School Report Cards to Start Making Sense

  Sun Nov 22, 2009
  • "They are meant for teacher to parent and teacher to student, and parent to student," added Goodman, inspired by retired teacher Tom Sullivan, who is on a crusade to improve report cards after he couldn't make sense of his grandson's Grade 4 report.

• Queen's English Society chief admits that he was a poor speller

  Mon Nov 9, 2009
  • Dr Lamb said that spelling mistakes could have serious consequences. “If we don’t do something to rectify the situation there will be chaos.

• English at work is 'weird'

  Thu Nov 19, 2009
  • Interesting that the deputy education minister of Malaysia has said this. I thought that Malay was keen to school in English? Perhaps I'm mistaken. But I do agree with him - if the best language to express themselves and understand each other in is Malay, then why not use that in the workplace?

• AFP: China stifles Obama charisma

  Wed Nov 18, 2009
  • At least two of the four youths Obama picked to ask their own questions were later identified as Communist Youth League members. Nothing new for the Chinese government I think.