Latest articles by Arika Okrent
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The many failures of the 'I before E except after C' rule
feature The one general language rule that most people remember from school is not a very good rule at all
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14 abstract nouns we need to bring back
feature Fiercety, seriosity, debonairity...
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Fun with the interactive Algonquian language map
feature If you don't know your Plains Cree from your Innu, this map can help
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18 famous literary lines perfectly paired with rap lyrics
feature "Turning and turning in the widening gyre/ I won't stop rockin' till I retire"
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Fun with The Great Language Game
feature How's your Tagalog?
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The letter O: Made complex by 17th century calligraphy
feature In the hands of master calligraphers, the humble O can shed its simplicity, its symmetry, and even its bounded borders
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Google vs. Sweden: The linguistic war over the word 'ogooglebar'
feature The lovely, bouncy word means "something unable to be found on a search engine." And Google doesn't like it
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16 reasons why putting 'twerk' in the dictionary is no big deal
feature Miley Cyrus' twerking was awful. The word's inclusion in the dictionary? Not so much.
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What makes a word the word of the year?
feature A brief examination of how "science" topped Merriam-Webster's 2013 list
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How does an exception prove a rule?
feature Wouldn't it do just the opposite? Doesn't it prove that the rule does not hold for all cases and is therefore not a rule at all?
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How do you pronounce 'Sochi'?
feature So-shee? Sah-chee? So-chee?
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What your Facebook updates say about your age
feature By analyzing Facebook posts, a new study uncovers which words best distinguish age groups from each other
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15 tricky words — and how to pronounce them hilariously wrong
feature Beware of YouTube videos bearing pronunciation advice
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Why the government should never, ever meddle with language
feature The fluidity of language is a testament to democratic values
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The 5 linguistic styles of exciting goal calls
feature "GOOOOOOOOOOAL!" is but one possibility
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22 songs that write themselves, from the Songwriter's Rhyming Dictionary
feature "Mildewy, St. Louis, chop suey" — it just needs a tune!
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11 mots merveilleux recently added to the French dictionary
feature The term "French kiss" is finally being captured in the eponymous language with a single word: galoche
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18 apple varieties with badass names
feature Bloody ploughman? Razor russet? These aren't your grandmother's apples.
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7 ways we could tell that AP tweet was a fake
feature Take out your red pens, folks
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How ABC gave viewers a taste of what it's like to be deaf
feature Switched at Birth took a big risk — and it paid off
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The right way to quit your job in Klingon
feature You're probably doing it wrong
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The bizarre syntax of 'sexiest man alive'
feature Who talks like this?
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11 beautiful alphabets from ancient and medieval times
feature Go way beyond Helvetica
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Is Faulkner's 'as I lay dying' grammatically incorrect?
feature Musician Sufjan Stevens has sparked a controversy with his open letter to Miley Cyrus
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