Reports

Some say May is the month of youth (for the Roman springtime goddess Maia). Others say May is the month of the old (for the “maiores” or “elders” of Rome). In this Word Stories instalment, we salute May by investigating words that evoke youth and age.

“To and fro”, “right and wrong”: many words pair up in a set order, and if the order is changed, it just sounds wrong. Let’s learn more about these fixed phrases.

March was the first month of the Roman year, partly because springtime road conditions allowed the army to march out again (pun intended). This Word Stories instalment highlights some common words with soldierly roots.

This Language Matters article discusses all familial terms so you can better organize your next family reunion: untangle cousins, sort out your in-laws and navigate distant relations across all sorts of family ties.

Human communities use the subtleties of language to distinguish “insiders” from “outsiders”. This Word Stories instalment shines an etymological spotlight on the way people use language to define themselves and label others.

English can seem virtually inescapable in today’s world, but it has only recently become a truly global language. Let’s look at how this came to be, and what forms the language takes around the globe.

This Word Stories instalment invites you to remember the history behind some common words associated with Guy Fawkes Day, when British loyalists around the world celebrate the failure of a plot to blow up the English Parliament on November 5, 1605.

Have you ever noticed a phrase that repeats itself? This article discusses the usage of reduplication in English, through word formation, intensification and clarification.