TO GRAMMAR’S HOUSE
Identification, please
From “front-runner” to “casino mogul,” editors must be careful when applying identifying words and phrases to people.
(ISTOCK)
Language is no barrier for the Bruins
- The Bruins have a multinational roster of players who speak nine languages, led by captain Zdeno Chara, who is fluent in six — and learning Italian.
IDEAS | THE WORD
Supercalicontentious
- Who coined the longest nonsense word in America? It’s a touchy subject.
IDEAS
Why the government can’t write in plain English
- The “plain language” movement wants to abolish bureaucratese. But what if regulations are obscure for a reason?
In Boston, ‘tonic’ gives way to ‘soda’
For most Bostonians, the carbonated drink is now “soda,” not “tonic,” and the final volume of a new dictionary sheds light on the history of the usage.
Lamenting the new medical language
Don’t call them “providers.” Pamela Hartzband and Jerome Groopman are “doctors.” The people they care for are “patients,” not health care “consumers” or “customers.”
Don’t hate me because I’m Comic Sans
- What words say may depend on what they look like.
Mandarin ranked 2d for business
NEW YORK - Mandarin, China’s official tongue, is the top language worldwide for business other than English, according to Bloomberg Rankings.
