Tag Archives: Origins
The Wonder of Word Origins
Lifestyle
Lifestyle It’s estimated that we speak around 16,000 words a day, but have you ever thought about where they came from?Etymology shows that language has an amusing if not downright laugh-inducing sense of humor at times. Here are just a few examples of curious word origins.
DudeThis is a word that has certainly done a 180-degree turn: in the 1880s, instead of referring to a laid-back man, it described one overconcerned with his appearance.
FreelanceCredited to Sir Walter Scott’s 1819 novel Ivanhoe, this was a name for a warrior who fought for whoever was the highest bidder (presumably using whatever free lance was available for battle).
GeniusIn fourteenth-century Rome, this moniker belonged to a person’s guardian spirit—a force that watched over them from birth and guided them through life.
MuscleMusculusthe Latin word muscle comes from, literally means “little...
Code-switching: the origins, purpose and pitfalls
Politics tamfitronics Code-switching is a term used in linguistics to describe tailoring your language to your present social context(Image credit: Illustration by Stephen Kelly / Getty Images) published 11 September 2024 Vice President Kamala Harris ruffled some feathers when she appeared to adopt a different tone or accent with a crowd than she had previously during her recent campaign trip to Detroit to talk about labor unions. As videos circulated of the speech, her critics accused her of using linguistic pandering and being inauthentic. However, many rushed to her defense, noting there is a name for what Harris was doing: code-switching.What is code-switching, and why do people do it?Politics tamfitronics Subscribe to The WeekEscape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.SUBSCRIBE & SAVEPolitics tamfitronics Sign up for...
The Surprising Origins and Politics of Equality
Politics tamfitronics Books & the Arts / August 27, 2024Politics tamfitronics Zig and ZagThe surprising origins and politics of equalityA series of new books unearth the long history of egalitarian politics. They also ask whether equality, instead of another political ideal, should be at the center of our politics? New York Stock Exchange, 1895.(Getty)In the chilling speech he gives at the end of the film Margin CallJeremy Irons says that no one should say they believe in equality, because no one really thinks it exists: The very idea camouflages the endurance of hierarchy in an essentially unchanging form. “It’s certainly no different today than it’s ever been,” he explains to an underling. “There have always been and there always will be the same percentage of winners and losers….Books in reviewBasic Equalityby Paul SagarBuy this...
