Tag Archives: English

Word Myths: Debunking Linguistic Urban Legends by David Wilton

Posted on December 20, 2005 by Hong

The book seemed to have started as a website. The book was surprisingly uninteresting to read (at least in trying to keep my attention). Maybe I was expecting more colorful back stories or it could have been Mr. Wilton’s writing … Continue reading →

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Do You Speak American? by Robert MacNeil and William Cran

Posted on May 17, 2005 by Hong

I have not seen the PBS documentary, but this is its companion book on the American dialect and how they are changing. Some of it was interesting, but I thought they lacked the depth and I felt that it was … Continue reading →

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Going Nucular: Language, Politics, and Culture in Controversial Times by Geoffrey Nunberg

Posted on December 9, 2004 by Hong

Another collection of interesting articles by Mr. Nunberg. I really enjoyed it. However, my brain can’t seem to hold on to much of the actual contents. :p As with his other collections, it’s pretty convenient to carry around for reading … Continue reading →

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The Way We Talk Now by Geoffrey Nunberg

Posted on October 11, 2004 by Hong

Geoffrey Nunberg is a linguist often featured on NPR’s “Fresh Air”. I’ve always found his comments on the language usages and origins fascinating, so when I heard about his current collection, Going Nucular: Language, Politics, and Culture in Controversial Times, … Continue reading →

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Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation by Lynne Truss

Posted on September 15, 2004 by Hong

I first heard about this book on NPR (as usual). Although I thought the joke was a bit weak, I liked the concept of the book. The book was not like a reference book on punctuation although it describes several … Continue reading →

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The Language of Flirting

Posted on May 24, 2002 by Hong

I was going to say something, but I don’t think it’s that interesting. :p I guess I will just note that it’s an order of magnitude more difficult for me to flirt in English than in Korean. Since I grew … Continue reading →

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Fooling Oneself

Posted on June 23, 2001 by Hong

On a personal reflection… I don’t have much accents in my English even though I spent the most of my first 24 years in Korea. This often puts people around me and myself in a bit awkward (?) place. For … Continue reading →

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