Suitcase words have many potential meanings, and their interpretation is highly context-dependent

Just because you have not been radicalised, it doesn’t mean you are not being manipulated.

In this second series on troublesome words, I want to look at common problems for people learning English as a second language.

Raising bilingual children can be challenging, but it is also rewarding — for parents and children alike.

There are probably hundreds of millions of habitable worlds in the universe. So where are all the aliens?

I discuss the evolution of English between the Middle Ages and the Modern Era

Legal English is often so obscure that it has its own term: legalese.

Ambiguity in communication is inevitable given the limitations of language, the arbitrary nature of signs, variability in how they are interpreted, and the evolution of meaning.

Harry Potter is an excellent way to introduce children to moral philosophy and mythology, as well as encourage critical thinking

When popular culture uncritically employs familiar motifs of secret societies plotting to control humanity, it can also have real-world consequences.

It’s one of those odd quirks of language that makes true bilingualism so difficult to achieve; in French, the person who will be missed (“tu”) is the subject of the verb and the person experiencing the feeling (“me”) is the object, whereas in English it is the opposite.

I consider myself very lucky to have dual nationality; I have two countries. Two cultures. Two languages? It’s complicated…

Brexit could never work, because there was no consensus among ‘Leavers’ of what they were seeking to achieve. Not only were their objectives not aligned, they were fundamentally opposed on many issues.

How compassionate management can create happy, flourishing employees who are more productive, more loyal, and less likely to move on.

“ Activité ” is another one of those words that is superficially similar to its English equivalent, with the same etymology and many...

Poor corporate communication is so ubiquitous that it has almost become a cliché in itself. The Internet abounds with articles and memes ...

Ambient pessimism is so pervasive that our society’s problems can seem intractable, but this fatalism can become a self-fulfilling prophecy that puts democracy itself at risk.

The fall and rise of the humble baguette.

How improving carbon sequestration in the soil by 4% per year could offset practically all new carbon emissions and help farmers adapt to the reality of climate change.

Bill Bryson claims that “200,000 words are in common use” in the English language compared to “a mere 100,000” in French. The case of “métier” certainly goes some way to helping me believe that statistic.