Arika Okrent

Arika Okrent

@ArikaOkrent
Writes about: language
Linguist, author of In the Land of Invented Languages, lives in Philadelphia, talks with a Chicago accent.

articles

11 Spam Comments That Look Like Drunk Thesauruses (And Why)

Nothing is certain but death, taxes, and spam comments on your blog. One way to avoid repeating the same comment over and over without having to write thousands of different original comments is to replace the words in one comment with various synonyms. ... READ ON

articles

Pop Song Titles are Losing the Love

Love. It's the drug, and a battlefield, and a many splendored thing. It takes time, it will lead you back, and it don't cost a thing. Is there any topic that has inspired more pop songs than love? ... READ ON

lists

7 Ways We Could Tell That AP Tweet was a Fake

On Tuesday the twitter feed of the Associated Press was hacked, and a fake tweet about President Obama being injured in an explosion at the White House was sent out. Any eagle-eyed editor, however, could tell from the form of the tweet that something was not quite right.... READ ON

lists

The Pig Latins of 11 Other Languages

Rules of language games in other languages may also vary, but here are some general guidelines for fun in 11 different languages.... READ ON

lists

5 Pairs of Countries That Americans Confuse

There are some place names that just sound so similar, we'll keep mixing them up no matter how little they have to do with each other.... READ ON

questions

When and Why Did People Start Saying "Um" When They Talk?

Reader Darren wrote in to ask, "When and why did people start saying um when they are talking?"... READ ON

articles

9 Extremely Pretentious Latin and Greek Plurals

Here are some uncommon but etymologically sound plurals that you may employ for petty pedantry at your own risk. You are better off using them in the fun way, though they are most likely to be received as confusing.... READ ON

questions

What's the Real Origin of "OK"?

It's amazing that we ever got along without "OK." But we did. Until 1839.... READ ON

lists

11 Totally Redundant Place Names

On the 11th day of every month, we post a whole bunch of 11 lists. Arika Okrent gets us started with a look at tautological place names.... READ ON

lists

How to Converse Properly: 18 Tips From Old Etiquette Books

This is how you should talk to people, at least according to old guides to etiquette.... READ ON

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