weekly posts on literature, languages, and learning
As the summer slowly draws to a close, I return to the book I love to re-read this time of year. Sarah Orne Jewett’s 1896 novella The Country of the Pointed Firs is a gentle and relaxing, almost meditative account of an idyllic summer spent in a small fishing village on the coast of Maine. …
Continue reading "Book review: “The Country of the Pointed Firs”"
The first heatwave of the summer is here. Daytime temperatures reach 35°C / 95°F, and I’m barely able to cope with it. Hot weather is most definitely not my thing and I can’t wait for the cool, crispy days of autumn! However, as much as I dislike the heat, I do like talking about the …
Continue reading "Words and phrases to describe hot weather"
I haven’t blogged much about the history of the English language, but the arrival of summer is just begging for a quick introduction to something called Middle English. It's a form of English spoken in the Middle Ages, between the 11th and the 16th century. During that period, Old English underwent massive changes that eventually …
grammaticus 