Word Nerd

• Differences in our Common Language

  The Irish writer, George Bernard Shaw, once described the UK and the US as “two countries divided by a common language”. I’d disagree with George on this one. I’ve found the differences in our use of language to be a wonderful point of unity and discovery. I’ll always remember my confusion when an American coworker…

• Corgis, Lost Lands, and Ryan Reynolds: A Story about Welsh and the Importance of Language

  A Nation with a Heart We have an old proverb here in Wales, “cenedl heb iaith, cenedl heb galon”. That is, “a nation without a language is a nation without a heart”.  And Wales is a nation that almost lost its language. In 1847, Wales was in a state of social unrest. That unrest had…

• Snippets for Starbucks: “Really, a ‘b’?”

  “Really, a ‘b’?” It’s a common response after pronouncing my name then spelling it out for people who need to write it down, whether that be a telephone operator or your friendly neighbourhood Starbucks barista. Do they suspect I was mistaken or do they really want to know more? Perhaps I should always have some…