Most of us learnt that ‘a’ goes before consonants and ‘an’ before vowels – and most of us were only half-right. This Learning ...

Steve in Glendale wrote to tell me about a snag he hit recently when writing about a blogger on a National Public Radio website. “When I just typed ‘a NPR blogger’ it didn’t sound right. It sounded ...

LPs - but is one 'an LP' or 'a LP'? A question from Marta in Poland: I am writing to ask about indefinite articles before a consonant sound. I know this is the reason we say 'a university' although 'u ...

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A while back, when office work was still a thing and I was surrounded by people called “colleagues,” I wrote a sentence on a piece of paper then walked to several co-workers’ desks. “Would you read ...

Would you drive a SUV called a Himmer? Phonetic symbolism refers to the notion that the sounds of words, apart from their assigned definition, convey meaning. A new article applies this theory to ...

Al Jazeera television aired an audio tape this week it claimed was recorded by Osama Bin Laden. Administration sources told MSNBC Wednesday that they believe the tape is authentic. How do you ...

When we listen to a familiar language, we easily discern the starts and stops of words, even when they're barely there. It ...