vocabulary news stories on Newser

Sheen Teaching Kids New Word: 'Rehab'

Polly Davis Doig — Sat, 07 May 2011 09:42:09 CDT

In his relentless pursuit of Father of the Year honors, Charlie Sheen is giving his 2-year-old twins vocabulary lessons. "I am teaching them words, because they're speaking now," Sheen tells TMZ. But not just any old words: "I'm teaching them the word 'rehab' so they always know where their mom...

Radio Exec Bans 'Flee,' 'We're Back,' and 'Death Toll'

Nick McMaster — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 16:38:00 CST

Anchors and reporters at WGN radio in Chicago have a new job requirement: Don't say any of the station's 119 undesirable words and phrases on the air. Randy Michaels, CEO of parent company Tribune Co., wants information delivered in a more down-to-earth manner, without "newsspeak." On the Voldemort list: "vehicle,...

Oldest English Words Include 'Two,' 'Three'—But Not 'Four'

M. Morris — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 13:59:41 CST

"I," "we," "two," and "three" have existed for tens of thousands of years, making them among the oldest words in the English language, new research reveals. Computer analysis of Indo-European languages helped isolate "the ways we think words change and their ability to change into other words," a researcher tells...

'Green' Tops 2008's Most Annoying Terms

Nick McMaster — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 12:23:28 CST

Did you get your fill of mavericks this year? Or companies claiming to go green? Those words made Lake Superior State University’s list of the most overused words and phrases of 2008, the AP reports. Other annoying winners: Carbon footprint First dude Bailout Wall Street, in comparison with Main Street

Top New Phrases of 2008

Jason Farago — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 10:55:02 CST

2008 will be remembered not only for a historic election and financial gyrations, but for the words and phrases that came into use this year. Ben Schott, author of Schott's Almanac , lists some of 2008's most interesting neologisms in the London Times . Terrorist fist jab : A blunt Fox News-ism to...

'Bailout' Named Word of the Year

Peter Fearon — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 06:20:05 CST

The word "bailout," in frequent use in newspapers, magazines, and TV thanks to the economic meltdown, has been named Merriam-Webster's 2008 Word of the Year, reports the AP. It was the word most looked up on the company's online dictionary, edging out other newly prominent and worrisome terms like "trepidation,...

PBS Unleashes Martha for Vocab Help

Kate Rockwood — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 16:59:59 CDT

What if the family dog ate alphabet soup by mistake? Susan Meddaugh answered her 7-year-old son’s question by writing a book, Martha Speaks , which has now become a PBS show about the talking dog. PBS hopes it will teach challenging vocab—"diminish," "concoct," and "courageous" are on the list—by...

Depressed Dads Make Kids Less Literate

Katherine Thompson — Wed, 07 May 2008 13:20:35 CDT

About 10% of new fathers show signs of clinical depression—a rate twice that of other men—and that can have a noticeable effect on their children, an American Psychiatric Association study finds. Sad dads interact less with their progeny, which means less bedtime reading and a smaller vocabulary by...

The Most Useless Words of 2007

Nick McMaster — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 18:00:51 CST

Do you roll your eyes every time a newscaster calls a coincidence a "perfect storm"? Cringe the thousandth time a teenager invokes "random"? The faculty at Lake Superior State University shares your vexation. Here are some selections from the school's list of words and phrases to be "banished" for "Mis-Use,...