Who uses whom?

As far as I'm concerned, 'whom' is a word that was invented to make everyone sound like a butler. -Calvin Trillin, writer.
- This is so true. What's wrong with using who?

The Great Speech Overhaul

The Great Vowel Shift: Around the end of the 15th century, i think, the way we [English speakers] pronounce long vowels started to change.
No one knows why.......
-And that's why English speakers pronounce some vowels differently to like, all of Europe. Its a problem with us, not them ya arrogant....English speakers!

NOTE: One could replace the word arrogant with ignorant there....it all depends of what you know about the English language. Apparently the GVS explains some of our wacko spelling too.

Ah Linguistics

If a creation of yours were talked of as "Awful, pompous and artificial" a long time ago (don't press me for dates), it would have been a nice compliment indeed!
-The etymology of the terms accounts for the change in meanings from "awe-inspiring, magnificent/splendid and made with art/skill" [respectively] to what they are today.

There's a Clue...In the Tags

ITYF that the GVS started around the late 15th century and continued into the 18th century - it's possibly still occuring today.
-Hate acronyms much? In the future i will tell you what GVS is, but a long time in the future.

PEOPLE I KNOW: Do NOT comment and say what GVS is, it ruins everyones fun (yeah no one but u guys reads this but...i have imaginary friends =->)

Etymology. Uhuh

Time changes all things: there is no reason why language should escape this universal law.
-Ferdinand de Saussure, i wish i could say i came up with this .... but that would just be lying.

It, it is??

Reserve is quite another thing to shyness.
-Ah thank you Jane Austen for revealing the intricacies of life.

And a Bayonet's Pretty Scary

Three hostile newspapers are more to be feared than a thousand bayonets.
-You, French Minister of Police in 1800, are yet another who believes in the power of words. I salute you.

Elmo Wants to Play!

Illeism is the act of referring to oneself in the thrid person. Scrubs fans for instance would know that Todd calls himself "The Todd" - illeist!
-Yeah, my maths teacher did it the other day and i looked it up . . . .

Deary Me, Four Days Since Last Post?

A hapax legomenon is a word that occurs only once in the written history of a language, the works of an author or a single text. If the word occurs twice it's a dis legomenon or three times, tris legomenon.
-For instance did you knwo that Gvina (גבינה-cheese) is a hapax legomenon of Biblical Hebrew, appearing in Job 10:10 (i havn't checked that, taking reference.com at its word)

Get Your Quotes Out

Words fascinate me. They always have. For me, browsing in a dictionary is like being turned loose in a bank.
-Haha, I'd just like to say, 'pretty much Eddie Cantor, pretty much.'

TODAY: Nothing special, I just realised I dont have an 'awesome' tag. WHO DOESN"T HAVE AN AWESOME TAG?? Specially if they love the word so much and use it all the time.....

"!"

To use bitter words when kind words are at hand is like picking unripe fruit when the ripe fruit is there.
-Oh Thiruvalluvar, you are so philosophic and so right.

Hung or Hanged? Its Obvious

Strong vowels in verbs will always be superor to their weaker brethren.
-I read a book once, it . . .

Dear Me, the Weakened Form

A word's meaning wil lose its strength slowly over time.
-Well you know, just think about it.