War, upheavals, invasions and occupations are horrible to live through, but they do wondrous things to a language.

Consider how banal and predictable the English language would be if it were not for the Anglo-Saxons, the Vikings, the Norman Conquest and innumerable other incursions, catastrophes and disasters that English language speakers coped with, fought against and, of course, wrote and sang about.

Some languages developed relatively undisturbed and could therefore, stay relatively linguistically pure. But not English.

The framers of the English language certainly had no intention of creating a world language, but historical circumstance dragged this little provincial dialect onto the world's stage.

I encourage you to do a little homework, and then check out this ten minute summary of the English language - http://www.smithsonianmag.com/video/The-History-of-English-in-10-Minutes.html?goback=.gde_1824973_member_111295930.

There's a lot packed into this short video, so you should definitely review your British history, literature and culture to understand many of the references.

As always, send us any words or phrases that make you crazy and be sure to let us know what it is about English and language learning that you find confounding, infuriating or endlessly intriguing.

Listen, read and speak. Make your new language your own.

My best to you as you make your way through this intriguing , constantly shifting linguistic landscape.

Morf

Also, Morf just might be available to visit your school or agency this coming summer. You can contact him at mmorf@mail.com.

Here's just one example; some languages are agglutinative. Even if you have never seen the word "agglutinative" before (and, I must admit that prior to reading this online article, I had not ever seen that word before). You can see the article here - http://aimdanismanlik.wordpress.com/2012/04/24/do-you-want-to-learn-an-agglutinative-language-think-twice/.

The root word of "agglutinative" is "glu" which, of course, is where we get our English word "glue". So to be "agglutinative" means to "glue" words together. I would guess that every language does this, some more than others. English does it sometimes, German does it a bit more, but look at the website above to see how "agglutinative" Turkish is!

The writer of that article says he is a native speaker of Turkish, and he says that in his language it is possible to write a complete sentence with one word. And he does not mean an English style one-word sentence with an understood subject like "Stop" - he means a full sentence with a subject and verb and the expression of a complete thought.

Take a look at the website; it just might convince you that English is not so difficult after all.

It's been a while since I told you about writing contests. If you have a story to tell, be sure to explore these publishing opportunities.

Chicken Soup for the Soul has an ongoing need for uplifting stories for their anthologies (pays $200.00, plus 10 free copies). http://www.chickensoup.com.

Thrive in Life (online publication) publishes stories on "how people thrive" (pays $75). http://www.thriveinlife.ca.

God Makes Lemonade publishes stories of how "something unexpectedly good happens that never would have happened without something painful happening first" (pays $250 plus 10 free copies): http://www.godmakeslemonade.com.

Thin Threads publishes stories of "moments, events or decisions, each showing how the course of our lives can be redirected for the better" (pays $100): http://www.thinthreads.com.

As always, send us any words or phrases that make you crazy and be sure to let us know what it is about English and language learning that you find confounding, infuriating or endlessly intriguing.

Listen, read and speak. Make your new language your own.

My best to you as you make your way through this intriguing , constantly shifting linguistic landscape.

Morf

Also, Morf just might be available to visit your school or agency this coming summer. You can contact him at mmorf@mail.com.

If you are interested in how words developed - or how they used to be pronounced - you are probably really interested in Etymology. This is not the study of definitions; it is the explanation of what our words meant and how they may have sounded 500 or 2,000 years ago. If you want to learn more (MUCH more) about word origins, check out this website - http://www.etymonline.com/.

English, as we all know, is the ultimate linguistic sponge. Our language, for better, and sometimes worse, absorbs, adapts and mangles every manner of slang, jargon and obtuse words or terms from any vocation, subculture or other language.

But how to make sense of where these words come from?

Here's an absolutely wonderful source if you are interested in all this.

I found a great website that analyzes typical paragraphs and breaks down where individual words (or their components) came from. You can see the details here - http://ideasillustrated.com/blog/2012/04/01/visualizing-english-word-origins/.

Yes, we get our words from everywhere across history and culture, from Greek and Latin roots, from Old French, Old Norse, Old English and Modern American. I find it fascinating to see (in color) which word came from which source.

A key principle to keep in mind is to keep it simple if you want your message to be understood in 500 years or by someone 10,000 miles away. Winston Churchill also recommended keeping it to the basics; “Short words are best and the old words when short are best of all.”

As always, send us any words or phrases that make you crazy and be sure to let us know what it is about English and language learning that you find confounding, infuriating or endlessly intriguing.

Listen, read and speak. Make your new language your own.

My best to you as you make your way through this intriguing , constantly shifting linguistic landscape.

Morf

Also, Morf just might be available to visit your school or agency this coming summer. You can contact him at mmorf@mail.com.

Here is one example. The traditional American response to “thank you” is “you’re welcome.” These days, young people in particular, another term has become common. If I thank a waiter for bringing me water, he will probably respond “no problem” instead of “you’re welcome.”

Certainly my request for a glass of water should not make a problem for the waiter. When I thank the waiter, he does not need to re-assure me that I have not caused a “problem” for him. Bringing customers water and food is his job!

Using newer expressions like “no problem” sounds kind of hip and modern, and is certainly popular, especially among young people, but realize that these phrases are slang and certainly not appropriate for business or professional use. They may include subtle meanings that you do not intend, or may even be contrary to your intention. “You’re welcome” is tried and true, and works for everyone, from your family to the queen of England. If you feel especially enthusiastic, you can say “You’re very welcome!”

The word “no” is very powerful. I try not to use it in friendly, casual speech. As the ultimate expression of negation the word "no" powerfully impacts our subconscious. You can prove this to yourself easily. Simply say the words "no" and "yes" out loud a few times. Of course yes sounds positive and no sounds negative. Think about it. Do you want to sound negative or positive? Even though “no problem” attempts to give a positive impression, having the word "no" embedded in it obscures any positive message.

Have any words or phrases you love - or love to hate? Let us know your favorites. I also welcome you to send us any relevant links or other resources that you think any teachers, students or even just regular people might find interesting or useful.

Listen, read and speak. Make your new language your own.

My best to you as you make your way through this intriguing , constantly shifting linguistic landscape.

Morf

About the author of this entry:

Morf has a B.A.from the Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, USA and an MAT (Master's in Teaching English) from the University of Washington (Seattle, WA, USA). And, as much as Morf loves writing this blog, he is always open to other opportunities either blogging or teaching. You can contact him at mmorf@mail.com.

I live on the West Coast of the United States. Our 'accent' is famous for being 'flat'. That means that we don't have a distinct emphasis expressed by our speech.

Supposedly television news anchors spend time on the West Coast to 'absorb' the even tones of our accent.

But it is possible that we each pick up or even develop our own peculiar ways of saying certain words. One personal example that my students have pointed out is that when I use the word 'always' sometimes I say 'all-ways' and other times I say 'al-ways' ("al" rhymes with "pal" here).

My point here is to speak both correctly and clearly. Watch out for terms like "iced tea" or using terms like "used" (as in "I used to live there") or 'old fashioned'. There's a 'd' at the end of each of those words - be sure to pronounce them - and be sure to use the 'd' when writing those words.

And then there is the word 'pronunciation' – This word is a noun. It comes from the verb pronounce, but it is NOT pronounced like the verb. Say /PRO-NUN-CI-A-TION/, not /pro-nounce-i-a-tion/.

But there are also mispronunciations unique to native speakers. Here is one; the word "interesting" is, at least according to the dictionary, a word of three syllables. Many native speakers pronounce it as if it had two syllables; "intresting".

The best way to sound like a native speaker is to listen to one. Listen as often as you can, and listen closely.

And here is a wonderful word-centered video by the one and only Stephen Fry. Read and listen here for a delightful overview of what words can do - http://vimeo.com/15412319.

As always, send us any words or phrases that make you crazy and be sure to let us know what it is about English and language learning that you find confounding, infuriating or endlessly intriguing.

Listen, read and speak. Make your new language your own.

My best to you as you make your way through this intriguing , constantly shifting linguistic landscape.

Morf

Also, Morf just might be available to visit your school or agency this coming summer. You can contact him at mmorf@mail.com.

Long before a film is made, it is written. Every detail from...

Sometimes a particular actor is in mind as a character is developed on the printed page, but many times the character is developed by the writer and the actor cast for the part does his (or her) best to literally flesh out the written outline.

And, of course, as hard as it might be to believe when we are caught up in the action of the story, every word spoken started as a printed word envisioned by a novelist or screenwriter. And every film (almost) seems to have one memorable line that somehow captures or personifies that film.

Consider these well-known lines:

I'm going to make them an offer they can't refuse.

Here's looking at you, kid.

Go ahead, make my day.

Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore.

Each one of these lines captures the essence of the film - and especially the richness of the character.

But look at these lines as sentences.

They are all direct, in the present tense, have simple uncomplicated grammar and a very clear audience and message - elements of every effective sentence.

Researchers at Cornell University have created a computer program to understand what makes a memorable movie quote (you can see - or hear - details here - http://www.npr.org/2012/04/18/150903304/what-makes-a-movie-quote-memorable).

The principles are simple (which does not mean easy) and apply to every aspect of writing; mostly keep it simple and don't fancy it up.

I've always thought it would be fun to be a script doctor - the one who goes over the near-final edition of a script and fixes it with a sense of attitude and tone of each character. Let me know if you are working on a film.

Listen, read and speak. Make your new language your own.

My best to you as you make your way through this intriguing , constantly shifting linguistic landscape.

Morf

Also, Morf just might be available to visit your school or agency this coming summer. You can contact him at mmorf@mail.com.

And yes, this means I have found yet more websites dedicated to the strange corners of the English language.

For those working on achieving (or eliminating) an accent, here is a brief pronunciation guide. If you look here - http://phrontistery.info/wp.html you can see what the majority pronunciation is. I also find it useful to see that there are also different - but equally correct - pronunciations.

Here's a list of strange, but perfectly legitimate, two or three letter words you can use in Scrabble or other word games - http://phrontistery.info/scrabble3.html.

Another category of words that is actually quite common is the set of words that have become vastly over-used - usually to the point of linguistic numbness. Even if you hear (or use) these words often, that does not mean they should be used. Here's a list of words that have lost their freshness - .http://www.lssu.edu/banished/current.php. This list of stale words for 2012 was compiled by Lake Superior State University.

And, if you are still wondering, melliloquent means to speak harmoniously or sweetly and flexiloquent means to speak ambiguously or to use words of doubtful or questionable meaning. You can see more words which describe categories and styles of speech here - http://phrontistery.info/speech.html.

As always, send us any words or phrases that make you crazy and be sure to let us know what it is about English and language learning that you find confounding, infuriating or endlessly intriguing.

Listen, read and speak. Make your new language your own.

My best to you as you make your way through this intriguing , constantly shifting linguistic landscape.

Morf

Also, Morf just might be available to visit your school or agency this coming summer. You can contact him at mmorf@mail.com.

I always seem to find vastly more on the internet than I can use. Like everyone else I know, I count on other people, or other websites to filter out the best, or most relevant sources for me to use.

Google Docs is yet another ever-expanding resource. If you do anything with documents, you could start at no better place.

Here are just a few things you can do with Google Docs.

If you work in any way with education, check out this list of 50 ways Google Docs can help with education. I guarantee that you will find something useful - if not amazing. http://edudemic.com/2012/04/50-little-known-ways-google-docs-can-help-in-education/

If you are a student, here's a list of 52 Google Docs secrets every student should know about. http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2012/04/52-secrets-students-should-know-about.html

If you are new to Google Docs (as I am), take a look here for an overview of what Google Docs is and how to use it. I think you'll like it - http://computer.howstuffworks.com/internet/basics/google-docs3.htm.

And, if you've been a little too serious lately, check out this website to make a cartoon of yourself. You just might find the creative outlet you've been looking for - http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2011/04/convert-to-cartoon-turn-your-pictures.html.

I love the internet, you never know what little piece of information, story or insight you might stumble into. I incorporate my little discoveries in my classes all the time.

Let us know what links or other resources you find useful or encouraging. We are all learning and making new connections all the time. And sharing makes our journey much richer.

About the author of this entry:

Morf has a B.A.from the Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington and an MAT (Master's in Teaching English) from the University of Washington (Seattle). Morf currently teaches English and writing for a local technical/vocational college with many international students. Morf prefers international and independent films, foods he can't pronounce, music no one else likes and unlikely and ridiculous situations.

And yes, that means I have found yet another cool language centered website.

But before I give it to you, here are some examples of how useful this could be.

How about 'backspackle"; this would be the trail of water and mud down one's back when riding a bike without fenders.

Or how about if you have a double sink and water goes down one drain and up the other? You could call that water 'backspubble". Or how about 'bacne" - which refers to acne on one's back. And what about 'barp' which means to burp and vomit at the same time?

If you have an idea or experience that still needs a term or word, you can send it to Unwords (http://www.unwords.com/).

If you are looking for a word related to a particular category, check out their topic list here - http://www.unwords.com/view/topics.html.

Here are some of my favorites from the insult category; 'Asianly' could be used to describe the unique way Asians do something. Or how about 'blarg' to describe a blog full of bland or predictable ramblings. Here's one of my favorites; what word do you use to describe someone who pushes a door when it says PULL, or who, after several people have tried a locked door, has to try himself 'just to make sure'? The word 'doork' (or 'dourk') seems to fit.

Here's another favorite - 'foxymoron' is used to describe someone who is good looking but undeniably stupid, and whose presence causes contradictory feelings of attraction and repulsion.

After all, are you a 'googru'? That would be someone who knows everything - but only because they look it up on Google.

Have you ever had a really bad day? That could be your ‘kharmageddon’ – when all the bad stuff you’ve done catches up with you at one time - a compilation of karma.

Here’s a word you should be able to use: ‘nunja’ - a nun trained in martial arts.

If you come up with a memorable or useful word, feel free to send it here - https://secure.nanovox.com/unwords/view/submitword.html.

As always, send us any words or phrases that make you crazy and be sure to let us know what it is about English and language learning that you find confounding, infuriating or endlessly intriguing.

Listen, read and speak. Make your new language your own.

My best to you as you make your way through this intriguing , constantly shifting linguistic landscape.

Morf

Also, Morf just might be available to visit your school or agency this coming summer. You can contact him at mmorf@mail.com.

There are several accents, uses and mispronunciations that give away the foreign speaker.

I have a list of the 50 most common mispronunciations to work on - and avoid. Check out the whole list here - http://www.dailywritingtips.com/50-incorrect-pronunciations-that-you-should-avoid/.

The ones that stand out the most to me are uses like "axe" for "ask", and "libary" for "library". With both of these, if your pronunciation is correct, your spelling would be good as well, but if you mispronounce the word, your spelling will be a mess.

Another common mispronunciation is based on a misunderstanding of what the word actually refers to. One example is the term "duct tape". This is tape developed to seal seams of duct work - as in heating and air-conditioning.

I usually hear this pronounced as "duck tape". It is not used to repair ducks!

But there is one company who has taken advantage of the confusion and has taken as their company name the term "Duck Tape".

But there are also mispronunciations unique to native speakers. Here is one; the word "interesting" is, at least according to the dictionary, a word of three syllables. Many native speakers pronounce it as if it had two syllables; "intresting".

The best way to sound like a native speaker is to listen to one. Listen as often as you can, and listen closely.

As always, send us any words or phrases that make you crazy and be sure to let us know what it is about English and language learning that you find confounding, infuriating or endlessly intriguing.

Listen, read and speak. Make your new language your own.

My best to you as you make your way through this intriguing , constantly shifting linguistic landscape.

Morf

Also, Morf just might be available to visit your school or agency this coming summer. You can contact him at mmorf@mail.com.

The earthquake and tsunami in Japan about a year ago took many things - but it also left many things - including thousands of orphaned photographs.

The Lost and Found Project is working to find, clean up and identify photographs left by the tsunami.

Here's an excerpt from the website;

"We all take photographs. A few special ones are cherished, and the rest forgotten. We take pictures when we are having fun, when we want immortalize a moment shared with another person. The photographs you see here were also taken under those circumstances. The depth of emotion might vary from snap to snap, but each one captures a point in time that somebody wanted to keep.

What are we supposed to feel and think when we look at these pictures?

Should we be happy that they were found at all, or sad that they will never be returned to their owners? Or should we simply mourn for the dead? The more I struggle to find answers, the more missing pieces I seem to find.

But without looking at the pictures, I don’t think we’ll see anything at all."

You can buy a poster of these photographs and help financially support the tsunami survivors. Here is the fine print on the posters and making a donation - http://lostandfound311.jp/en/.

For more information on the project, check out the website here - http://lostandfound311.jp/en/.

No matter what disasters we face, if we face them together we can make a difference in the lives of people we will probably never meet.

I love the internet, you never know what little piece of information, story or insight you might stumble into.

Let us know what links or other resources you find useful or encouraging. We are all learning and making new connections all the time. And sharing makes our journey much richer.

About the author of this entry:

Morf has a B.A.from the Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington and an MAT (Master's in Teaching English) from the University of Washington (Seattle). Morf currently teaches English and writing for a local technical/vocational college with many international students. Morf prefers international and independent films, foods he can't pronounce, music no one else likes and unlikely and ridiculous situations.

Also, Morf just might be available this coming summer. You can contact him at mmorf@mail.com.

I think it's mostly laziness but...

If you are serious about writing (which really means you are serious about getting your message across), there are a few simple steps to making your writing much clearer - and usually far simpler.

Here's one category of bad writing that makes me crazy; unnecessary repetition. Redundancy is just another word for it. For example, you don't have to say "7 am in the morning".

Either use "7 am" or "7 in the morning" - not both.

Or how often do you hear someone say something like "She had flour and water and mixed them (both) together".

The "both" in that sentence is completely unnecessary.

Here's yet another all too common example - "He fell (down) from the ladder".

How else would he fall? Up? Sideways?

Give your reader some credit for having at least a basic understanding of gravity.

Here is a list of familiar redundancies; I hope they are not too familiar! Don't use these! http://www.lousywriter.com/grammar_mistakes_redundancies.php

Prune your writing and get rid of any excess (especially redundant) words. Your use of language, for better or worse, is many times your first impression - or even your only impression. There are many people around the world who only know me from my words - and many who I know only from their words.

One more thing, get rid of every "that" if you can. It is usually just a filler. Your writing will be much cleaner and direct without it.

Send us any words or phrases that make you crazy and be sure to let us know what it is about English and language learning that you find confounding, infuriating or endlessly intriguing.

Listen, read and speak. Make your new language your own.

My best to you as you make your way through this intriguing , constantly shifting linguistic landscape.

Morf

P.S. I may be available this summer to visit your school or project. Let me know so I can schedule you in. You can contact me at mmorf(at) mail.com.

Here are only a few examples; I live in the Pacific Northwest corner of the United States - the upper left corner if you are looking at a map.

In my region, I almost never hear or use the term "yankee". If I hear it in conversation, it usually refers to someone from New England - which is the far right-hand corner of the USA. But it usually, or maybe even almost always, refers to a person from that part of the country over two hundred years ago.

But if I hear it in a national or international news program, it refers to all Americans - so, I suddenly become, at least for the moment, to someone thousands of miles away, a "yankee" or even a "yank".

But it doesn't fit very well, so I would never introduce or describe myself that way.

As always, definitions depend on the context. Who is asking? How specific do they want to get? What kind of answer are they expecting?

For example, when I was living in Beijing, China, a common question I faced was "Where are you from?"

Of course I knew where I was from, but the difficulty lay in trying to figure out what kind of answer the asker really wanted. Sometimes "America" was good enough, sometimes "The West Coast of the USA" fit, but sometimes the person asking me had experience or family in the USA, so this person would want a more precise answer. For that person I might say "Washington state" or "Near Seattle" though sometimes, especially for a Chinese person, "Near San Francisco" was close enough.

At some level, it didn't really matter, but it did make me think more about who I am and where "home" really is.

For more detail on this idea of how contextual language is, take a look at this article - http://busyteacher.org/10112-teacher-contextualizing-language-learning.html.

I confess to being a word nerd, and I love the many possibilities and contradictions in a language as flexible and fluid as English.

Send us any words or phrases that make you crazy and be sure to let us know what it is about English and language learning that you find confounding, infuriating or endlessly intriguing.

Listen, read and speak. Make your new language your own.

My best to you as you make your way through this intriguing , constantly shifting linguistic landscape.

Morf

P.S. I might be available this coming summer, so if you would like me to work with your school or program, please contact me at mmorf@mail.com.

For example, in my first sentence I used the word "cajillion". It's a word I use often, and as I think about it, I realize that it might be true that I have never heard any other person use it - except in response to my use of it. (Actually I don't think it has a literal meaning. I use it to mean "some uncountable huge number" of whatever it is I might be talking about.

Other categories of life require considerably more precision. The sciences, for instance, use their own vocabulary, but they also use what we might consider "standard" terms but with specialized meanings.

The word "sign" for most of us means something like an indication or marker, perhaps something like a traffic or roadside sign. In the scientific realm, it is likely to mean either a positive or negative mathematical marker.

The word "skeptic" among most us non-scientists, means something like a critic or opponent, but to a scientist, a "skeptic" is someone who wants proof of every assertion. In a discussion of something like climate change, we should all be "skeptical" but we should follow where the evidence leads.

Here's a chart with a fairly extensive list of words that demonstrate this distinction hidden within a common vocabulary - http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/files/2011/10/table.jpg.

And here's the article that got me thinking about all this - http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2011/10/19/scientists-are-from-mars-the-public-is-from-earth/.

And, to completely change the subject, if you have an absolutely great story suitable for children, consider sending it to David Fickling Books.

David Fickling Books is a story house, and they only publish 12-20 titles a year. They are a small outfit with a worldwide reputation! They look carefully at everything that is sent to them. Check them out here - http://www.davidficklingbooks.co.uk/davidficklingbooks_submissionsguidelines.asp.

Until next time,

Morf

"Linguists estimate that about 2,500 of the world's 6,000 languages are "endangered." One of them is mine: 20th century North American Standard English."

Just when you think you have English all figured out...

When I think back on the English language I grew up with, I marvel at the phrases and slang I hear every day.

Listen to every day conversations - or even media speakers - and take note of what "English" you are hearing.

Consider these examples and let us know what you think passes the "sounds right" rule.

If these sentences sound correct to you, you're afloat in a drifting language; if they don't, good luck finding a nursing home where they'll understand what you are saying.

1. "Thank you very much." "No problem." The answer used to be: "You're welcome."

2. "Me and him went to the Yankees game." In the English I grew up with, "me" and "him" were in the objective case, not the subjective; in current English "I" and "me" and "he" and "him" are interchangeable: "Dad gave he and I tickets to the Yankees game."

3. "Snow and sleet is falling on the city square." Traditional English treats a compound subject as plural. Modern English doesn't know what a compound subject is.

4. "The Dolphins played great in the third period." In the English of a previous generation, verbs took adverbs, not adjectives: "The Dolphins played brilliantly in the third period."

5. "You did real good in your presentation, you're sure to make the sale." In traditional English, you do real good when you do a good thing, and you do really well when your presentation impresses your audience. Also, in traditional English, you put a period or semicolon between one independent clause and another if you don't want to use a conjunction.

6. "We've done alright since we moved to London." In traditional, standard English, "alright" is alwrong. Those of us who care about our words use "all right."

7. "The company has less full-time employees, but the amount of part-timers has grown." In traditional English, "less" and "amount" apply only to non-count nouns like "flour" and "wealth." It says "fewer employees" and "number of part-timers."

8. "The committee made a fulsome study of the problem." According to the dictionary, "fulsome" means something like insincerely flattering. In Modern English, it somehow means "full."

9. "She's an alumni of USC." In the English I grew up with (and Old Latin), "alumni" is the male plural of "alumnus," and she must be an alumna of USC.

10. "So I'm like, ‘What's your problem?'" In traditional English, instead of "I'm like", grown-ups use "I said."

Is your English changing?

For more background on this topic, check out this article - http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2012/02/16/New-English/.

Send us any links or other resources that you think any teachers, students or even just regular people might find interesting or useful.

Listen, read and speak. Make your new language your own.

My best to you as you make your way through this intriguing , constantly shifting linguistic landscape.

Morf