Donation
If you find this blog funny, clever or even useful, you can keep it alive with a small donation. Thank you!
$10.00
-
Recent Posts
-
Join 8,777 other subscribers
Category Archives: Language
Romanic languages
Romanic languages are like the meals at McDonalds: If you know one of them, you know all of them. This – unjustifiedly disparaging – thought came to my mind as I am trying to decide which language to learn next.
Posted in Language
8 Comments
How people found my blog
Some people find my blog because they have subscribed to it (do the same to spice up your life!), some get the alerts about new posts (and much more) through my Facebook page and some people find me through search … Continue reading
2012 Warning
Do you remember the film “2012” by Roland Emmerich? It is (another) disaster film about the end of the world, which has allegedly been predicted for 21 December 2012 by the Maya Calendar. In the film, the earth’s core heats up, … Continue reading
Why I want to learn Italian
I want to learn Italian because it can save lives and prevent espionage plots from being uncovered: A scene from “Inglourious Basterds” in which three US soldiers posing as Italians are introduced by a German actress to a Colonel of the … Continue reading
Posted in Cinema, Italy, Language
Tagged Cinema, films, Inglourious Basterds, movies, Quentin Tarantino
18 Comments
Take your time with good books
I love to read books. So much that I sometimes even read several books at the same time. I also like to talk about books with other readers, I like to receive new suggestions on what to read next and make … Continue reading
Less or Fewer? A Company Name gone Wrong
Today at LSE library, I noticed an advertisement at the inside of a toilet door (the location might have been a foreboding) for a company that offers proofreading services: “Less Silly Errors: Proofreaders of Academic Essays”: Obviously, this company wanted … Continue reading
“Please RSVP”
No, I won’t. Or only after crossing out the “please”. Because I get annoyed by people abusing language. “RSVP” is the abbreviation for the French sentence “Répondez s’il vous plaît” which translates as “Please reply”. Therefore, RSVP does not need … Continue reading
Messing with Mythology
Having no inclination for product placement, I still have to tell you what came to my mind when I was shopping for shaving equipment recently. I saw Gillette‘s “HydraGel” (pictured left) innocently sitting on the shelf, and I was just … Continue reading
Liebe Terroristinnen und Terroristen
Der Unsitte, “Mitbürgerinnen und Mitbürger”, “Studentinnen und Studenten” oder “Arbeitnehmerinnen und Arbeitnehmer” zu sagen, konnte ich mich schon aus sprachästhetischen Gründen nie anschließen. Ich fand es auch nicht notwendig, denn ich bin alt genug um mich an die Zeiten zu … Continue reading
The Happy Hermit 