Once upon a time, I encountered the word epistemology and its forms only in academic writing. Lately, I’ve been seeing it all over the place, often unaccompanied by any definition. Election-deniers are said to exist in a “parallel epistemological bubble.” David Brooks writes about an “epistemological crisis,” the “epistemic regime,” and the “epistemic process.” Lies … Read more
A sentence in a biographical piece in the Washington Post about the gifted librettist Randy Rainbow got me thinking about syntax and linking verbs: His closest friend became his caustically funny maternal grandmother. The writer may have chosen the verb became in order to avoid overused was, but, although numerous grammar resources assert that become … Read more
Until recently, I thought that most English teachers shared my view that mastering a standard form of English is the acquisition of a desirable skill that is as much a basic of a general education as learning the four math functions. I never viewed acquiring a second dialect as a betrayal of one’s home dialect … Read more
During the recent unsettled times, I have come across a new word (new to me) to describe an extralegal maneuver to seize power in a country that has an established government: autogolpe. autogolpe (noun): a situation in which a nation’s leader, who came to power by way of legal means, retains a hold on office … Read more