archive
Opinion
What The Word 'Compromise' Really Means
July 19, 2011 Linguist Geoff Nunberg says the compromises we refuse to make say the most about our character. "Sometimes we stand on principle for the heady satisfaction of showing that we can't be pushed around," he says.
Opinion
Bad Apple Proverbs: There's One In Every Bunch
May 9, 2011 The phrase "a few bad apples" is much more popular now than it was decades ago. Linguist Geoff Nunberg says the phrase may owe its popularity to a change in meaning — and The Osmond Brothers.
Opinion
'We're Broke': Empty Bank Accounts, Empty Meaning?
March 24, 2011 Linguist Geoff Nunberg says everyone's using the phrase "we're broke" these days to justify cuts in government programs and services. But what does "we're broke" actually mean? The answer, says Nunberg, is trickier than you might think.
Commentary
How Traumatic Events Change Our View Of Language
January 20, 2011 Linguist Geoff Nunberg reflects on the recent shooting in Tucson, Arizona, arguing that traumatic events make people self-conscious about their language — and perhaps, rightfully so.
Commentary
Knowing Geoff Nunberg's 2010 Word Of The Year
December 15, 2010 Well, no, we're not going to tell you. No, no, no. Not even if you ask politely. But here's a hint: It's a "primordial one-word response" that perfectly encapsulates the aura — no, make that the prevailing zeitgeist — of 2010.
Opinion
Was Jane Austen Edited? Does It Matter?
November 17, 2010 For most readers, the beauty of Jane Austen's style lies in her elegant syntax and punctuation. Now, an Oxford scholar has created a furor by suggesting that the credit for Austen's style should really be given to the man who edited her novels. But linguist Geoff Nunberg remains skeptical.
Commentary
Maybe We All Need Some 'Sensitivity' Training
September 7, 2010 Linguist Geoff Nunberg says the word "sensitive" was complicated long before it was political. These days, "sensitivities" can be a stand-in for a lot of different attitudes — some more defensible than others. Our modern stress on sensitivities, he says, probably set back cultural understanding as much as it has advanced it.
Commentary
Puns In Country Music Songs Done Right
September 3, 2010 Puns have long been a part of country music songs — think of song titles such as George Jones' "She Took My Keys Away, and Now She Won't Drive Me to Drink" or Lee Ann Womack's "Am I the Only Thing That You Done Wrong?" Linguist Geoff Nunberg says that the genre's willingness to play with lyrics and song titles uncovers new layers of meaning.
Opinion
Refudiate? Repudiate? Let's Call The Whole Thing Off
August 3, 2010 When Sarah Palin used the word "refudiate," she took a lot of flak — both for saying she coined the word deliberately and then comparing herself to Shakespeare. Linguist Geoff Nunberg says political slips and errors aren't half as interesting as the way people react to them.
Books
Haiku Takes To Twitter, 140 Characters At A Time
June 14, 2010 The pithy, 17-syllable poems fit neatly into Twitter's 140-character limit. "Twaiku" has taken off. Linguist Geoff Nunberg says the pervasive little poems have filled the cultural space that was once occupied by light verse.
Opinion
I Pledge Allegiance To Linguistic Obfuscation
March 30, 2010 Linguist Geoff Nunberg says what makes the pledge important isn't the meaning of the words — it's the way we've managed to keep the words from meaning much of anything at all.
Pop Culture
'Equation,' 'Gingerly' And Other Linguistic Pet Peeves
February 23, 2010 Linguist Geoff Nunberg doesn't enjoy everything about the English language. There are phrases that get on his nerves and words that he prefers not to use. And Nunberg says he's not the first person to have linguistic pet peeves — nor will he be the last.
Pop Culture
A Sensitive Subject: Harry Reid's Language On Race
January 21, 2010 Condescending? Or merely clueless? Linguist Geoff Nunberg parses the Senate majority leader's comments about the president's skin color and diction — and how the media have responded.
Opinion
Geoffrey Nunberg: 'The I's Don't Have It'
November 17, 2009 Counting words has become a popular new device in assessing political speech. The number of first-person singular pronouns in a speech can turn a modest public figure into a pompous politician. Linguist Geoffrey Nunberg suggests that counting words isn't very revealing unless we consider their context as well.
Play And Power In William Safire's Words
October 6, 2009 It takes one to know one: Linguist Geoff Nunberg discusses the apolitical, prosaic prowess of the late New York Times conservative wordsmith, William Safire.
