Geoff Nunberg
Story Archive
Monday
Columbia Journalism Review set up a misinformation newsstand in Manhattan in October 2018, in an effort to educate news consumers about the dangers of disinformation in the lead-up to the U.S. midterm elections. Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
'Disinformation' Is The Word Of The Year — And A Sign Of What's To Come
Tuesday
Review
Book Reviews
Ironic, Informal And Expressive, 'New Rules Of Language' Evolve Online
Fresh Air
Ironic, Informal And Expressive, 'New Rules Of Language' Evolve Online
Tuesday
Opinion: Even A Grammar Geezer Like Me Can Get Used To Gender Neutral Pronouns
Friday
Computers use algorithms to do everything from adding up a column of figures to resizing a window. iMrSquid/Getty Images hide caption
Algorithmic Intelligence Has Gotten So Smart, It's Easy To Forget It's Artificial
Wednesday
Thanks to the presidential election, "socialism" and "capitalism" were Merriam-Webster's most-looked-up words of the year in 2012. Richard Drew/AP hide caption
Thursday
Opinion: Migrant Girl's Death Reveals A Need For More Interpreters Along The Border
Wednesday
President Trump addresses the crowd during a rally in Houston in support of Texas Sen. Ted Cruz on Oct. 22,. During the rally, he described himself as a "nationalist," and encouraged his supporters to use the word. Loren Elliott/Getty Images hide caption
Opinion: 'Nationalist' Arises, With Myriad Connotations, As The Word Of 2018
Friday
Thursday
Tuesday
Opinion: U.S. And U.K. Remain United, Not Divided, By Their Common Language
Thursday
Wednesday
"However people map out the geography of American political tribes, they always exempt themselves and their neighbors," Geoff Nunberg says. Gary Waters/Ikon Images/Getty Images hide caption
As Fissures Between Political Camps Grow, 'Tribalism' Emerges As The Word Of 2017
Wednesday
An art exhibit at the de Young Museum in San Francisco celebrates 50 years since the famed Summer of Love. Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
50 Years After The Summer Of Love, Hippie Counterculture Is Relegated To Kitsch
Tuesday
An 1894 engraving depicts chapter 18 of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. De Agostini Picture Library/Getty Images hide caption
The Enduring Legacy Of Jane Austen's 'Truth Universally Acknowledged'
Tuesday
After Years Of Restraint, A Linguist Says 'Yes!' To The Exclamation Point
Monday
Linguist Geoff Nunberg says that people often use spurious quotations to create a version of Abraham Lincoln that suit a political purpose. Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
Lincoln Said What? Bogus Quotations Take On A New Life On Social Media
Thursday
Tuesday
Linguist Geoff Nunberg argues that the media's decision to bleep or otherwise block out a particular word can result in concealing information the public needs to know. dane_mark/Getty Images hide caption
Not Fit To Print? When Politicians Talk Dirty, Media Scramble To Sanitize
Tuesday
The media have used a variety of epithets to describe white working-class Trump supporters. Linguist Geoff Nunberg says these terms embody the class contention that is central to this year's election. Dan Bannister/AWL Images RM/Getty Images hide caption
Thursday
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a town hall meeting in Roanoke, Va. Evan Vucci/AP hide caption
Tuesday
Irked By The Way Millennials Speak? 'I Feel Like' It's Time To Loosen Up
Wednesday
Is the English spelling system irrational? Gary Waters/Getty Images/Ikon Images hide caption
Changes To French Spelling Make Us Wonder: Why Is English So Weird?
Wednesday
Monday
Linguist Geoff Nunberg notes that while workers in today's "gig economy" may have more freedom than they had in years past, they also have less security. Hong Li/Getty Images hide caption