Category Archives: Meaning Change

Seman-tech Changes?

Posted on March 14, 2013 by achouston

 We know that languages change over time. Some of these changes are shifts in word usage and word senses. The world of technology changes rapidly, and it’s no surprise that word senses might reflect that. Three English nouns have caught … Continue reading →

Posted in Internet, language and social media, language change, Meaning Change, Word Usage | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Hidden Past of Words: English final -y

Posted on June 27, 2012 by achouston

Consider the following list of everyday English words:  memory, happy, baby, crazy, victory, city, silly, puppy, army For starters, they all end in -y and they can be grouped further as nouns (memory, baby, victory, city, puppy, army) or adjectives … Continue reading →

Posted in etymology, history of language, language change, Meaning Change, Word Usage | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Glass, Bamboo, Curry

Posted on April 4, 2012 by achouston

I was intrigued by a recent question posted at Quora about whether there is a bamboo ceiling in American corporate culture, parallel to the idea of a glass ceiling, but with reference to the experience of Asians’ efforts to become promoted to … Continue reading →

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Bootstraps

Posted on January 9, 2011 by achouston

The word bootstrap is pretty common nowadays and shows up mostly as a verb. It is used frequently in the context of Internet and technology enterprises and refers to the process of getting things done, built, or advanced without much … Continue reading →

Posted in etymology, language change, Meaning Change | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Meaning in Motion

Posted on August 17, 2010 by achouston

The word ‘post’ as a vertical pole appears in a number of standard expressions in English:  lamp post, fence post, hitching post, goal post. Hitching posts for horses are pretty rare nowadays, but at one time they were quite common. … Continue reading →

Posted in Meaning Change | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

By and Large

Posted on July 12, 2010 by achouston

Here are three sentences pulled semi-randomly off Google, all using the expression ‘by and large’. By and large they are a group of passionate cyclists who take pride in building some darn good mountain bikes! By and large they are … Continue reading →

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