Tony Thorne

zany #etymology #wordorigins #language

Vortigern, the Arthurian villain, was such a big deal that we get an Old English version of his name. Having passed into early Old English, his name was at first something like 'Wurtigern' – he's "Uurtigerno" in Bede. Then, with the U>Y change of umlaut, he appears in the AS Chronicle as Wyrtgeorn.

Get excited! One month to go until the new London Museum opens in Smithfield🎉 Proud @london.gov.uk is a principal funder of this amazing project with City of London✨ Opens on 28 November - mark your diaries📅 www.independent.co.uk/travel/uk/lo...

Slovenia mourns loss of glacier on its highest peak after scorching summer www.theguardian.com/environment/...

The tiny cloud is me…

bbc.com/news/article...

Any advice on what to say at poetry interviews? “A poem is never finished, only abandoned.” --- Paul Valéry (1871–1945) #literature #HigherEd

📣 Language and Cognition is seeking General Editors to join its Editorial Board. The journal welcomes candidates with expertise in all areas of #linguistics research that investigate the intersection between language and cognition ⏳ Apply by 30 November 2026 https://cup.org/48ezdbJ

Stipendiary Lectureship in English Literature 1550-1760 Lincoln College – University of Oxford employmenthero.com/uk/jobs/posi...

"Other benefits include a book allowance (currently £505 per annum), a hospitality credit (currently £604 per annum), and Common Room rights including nine meals per week"

The next #WotY2026 in the WotY Watch is dictionary.com's MAXXING www.dictionary.com/articles/wor...

South African Pan-South African Language Board #WotY2026 is: Madlanga Commission plus: Sign Language WotY: ='oh, I see' Social Media WotY: clock it www.enca.com/lifestyle-to...

uh-oh. #WotY2026 season is here, and so is my annual WotY watch. And the German Youth Word of the Year is RAGEBAIT www.dw.com/en/ragebait-...

Disgusting

Teaching The Handmaid’s Tale? Go beyond the familiar readings with EMC’s CPD webinar exploring Atwood through linguistic style, literary criticism, characterisation and dystopian world-building. With live Q&A. Book by: 8am on 29th October buff.ly/gBRq9eb

The Conviction of Estonia’s ‘Lord Haw-Haw’ Links Russian Intelligence to Moscow’s Interference on Brexit A 'diplomat' who launched the 'Conservative Friends of… https://bylinetimes.com/2026/10/26/the-conviction-of-estonias-lord-haw-haw-links-russian-intelligence-to-moscows-interference-on-brexit/

from Zen Forest: Sayings of the Masters (compiled & translated by Sōiku Shigematsu)

Apply to join the Work, Employment and Society Editorial Board! The journal invites experts in quantitative methodology, disability studies, meaningful work and more to apply. Deadline to apply is this Thursday 29 October, 17:00 GMT. Full details: www.mi-nomination.com/britsocandwes

Your monthly reminder that if you're using ChatGPT to do your science, you're failing your colleagues, community, and all of us. Here, ChatGPT makes up data and presents it as the real thing — then apologizes when confronted.

The UK government wants to shift ties with the global South from an aid-defined hierarchy to genuine partnership. How can this happen in practice beyond rhetoric? New research from @kings-sga.bsky.social on forging partnerships through horizontal cooperation: buff.ly/BAT2EBC

from Zen Forest: Sayings of the Masters (compiled & translated by Sōiku Shigematsu)

Wonderful to stop by @TeddingtonHC’s community day. Lots to celebrate, including the ladies 1 team making it to the National Premier League and seeing Flyerz, their brilliant pan-disability hockey team, in training. Great to learn about the club's community outreach too.

EMC CPD Webinar: Language, Gender and Representation – From Motherhood to the Manosphere and the Media "After many years of teaching the A Level, it's always helpful for me and my students to explore current research." - Hayley Wightman, Fallibroome Academy Book by: 8am on 2nd Nov buff.ly/x9jVa8B

The UN biodiversity summit ends this week. Seabird protection maps where birds gather. Dr Emma Tebbs and colleagues tracked 566 kittiwakes and found their commuting routes cover nearly a third more sea, crossing water earmarked for wind farms. kingsglobalaffairs.substack.com/p/rethinking...

Tonight asking radio listeners to write a rhyming quatrain that includes the words scent, trunk, skate and pitch. Can you?

The Hunter’s Moon will be full tomorrow…

One non-linguistic memory that will stay with me was a frank conversation in thriving central Yerevan with a local, all about current geopolitics. The modern history of Armenia is dark and sad enough, but the situation right now feels like a game of chess in which Armenia can't make any good moves.

Back home now, so this should be the last thing from my Armenia arc. Here are my thoughts from time spent with the wild child of the Indo-European family, concerning the linguistic landscape of Armenia, the lexical makeup of Armenian, and cracking its cracking alphabet. dannybate.com/2026/10/25/a...

It’s only 5pm 🤔

from Zen Forest: Sayings of the Masters (compiled & translated by Sōiku Shigematsu)

Absent friends…

I would rather we did not have more cuts to higher education, but if they’re going to happen, UEA UCU have some good thoughts here on how to avoid (more) cold spots in provision

« Moi qui ne connaissait pas le bonheur d' #aimer qui ne faisait rien d'autre que #vivre à moitié; Moi qui n'avait pour seul #ami que le #vent, qui concevait la #vie comme un mauvais #roman » « Le #bonheur d’aimer » d´Alain Leclercq à #lire en intégralité 👉 lepeupledesmots.com/texte/le-bon... 👈

What does ‘if she were rich’ have in common with the Dutch word ‘maar’ (“but; just, only”) and German ‘nur’ (“just, only”)? ‘Maar’ and ‘nur’ come from Germanic *ne wāʀī (“were it not”); *wāʀī is the ancestor of English ‘were’ in ‘if she were’. Click my new graphic to learn all about these words:

If you are in the Fine City of Norwich this Tuesday, so is @jonnelledge.bsky.social and you can come to hear me ask him questions about his latest book, 31 Inventions that Built Our World: norwichbookfestival.co.uk/whats-on/jon...

If you’re lucky enough to learn a new language in school, you’ll discover new worlds, new adventures. You’ll make new connections, take a different view of life. You’ll see everything through a different filter. You’ll have ‘access all areas’. You gain a great deal with a new language.

EMC CPD Webinar: The New and Wannabe Head of English "I found the course really helpful - I am already in post, but have been thrust in to it due to circumstances. It was helpful to step back and think about the principles behind what I'm implementing." Book by: 8am on 17th Nov buff.ly/avzHLFd

tweezers #etymology #wordorigins #language

literally this comic except he apparently lives in Czechia instead of Nebraska

Check out Alison Killilea’s BOYOWULF here boyowulf.home.blog/about/

Happy Book Birthday to "How to Get Your Name in the Dictionary". While all my books share the stories behind the words, this one is about the people and places behind the words. Villains, heroes, chefs, style icons, inventors, each living an extraordinary life and giving us words. amzn.to/2ygxZMH

"Words the Sea Gave Us", the first book in the Words Series, stuffed with nautical nouns, pirate lingo, and perfect for beachcombers and sailors. "Words the Weather Gave Us", book four, is coming soon. Words Series www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09C39L9VS Pre-order the Weather book link.amazon/B0dbibbaf

EMC CPD Face-to-Face: Starting to Teach A Level Language and Literature "A useful and inspirational course, with lots of ideas provided for activities." - Suzi Williamson, Meopham Book by: 12am, 5th Nov buff.ly/6KiIoLF