Linguist, lexicographer, radio host, public speaker

Category: The Words


  • New Home for the Double-Tongued Dictionary

    In 2004, I started the Double-Tongued Dictionary as a lexicographical sandbox. Now it’s a part of A Way with Words, the public radio program I co-host and co-produce. Read the announcement here. And while you’re there, check out the new website for the radio show. It was a long time coming and worth the wait!

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  • My Eighth Annual New York Times Words of the Year List

    My eighth annual New York Times words-of-the-year list is live. The words I included are just a fraction of the hundreds of terms I considered. I had to leave out many worthy candidates, but you’ll no doubt see them come up in the 2011 “word of the year” vote held by the American Dialect Society…

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  • What are your words of the year for 2011?

    Over the next week I’m polishing the Big List I’ve been gathering all year for my eighth annual words-of-the-year piece for the New York Times. What words or phrases shouldn’t I miss? Ideal entries will be newish (they don’t have to be brand new) or newly important, widely used or widely discussed, or they should…

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