“Blitz” is the German word for lightning. The German armed forces pioneered a military strategy they called “Blitzkrieg” — or “Lightning War” — in the late-1930s and early 1940s, and a variation of this strategy was employed in their highly-successful … Continue reading
It’s Graduation Day at Kent State University! This year is extra-special because we have a graduate in our household (thus, our version of the Dutch “backpack on the flagpole” tradition). As of this week, Marci has earned another degree: her … Continue reading
I’m a slow reader, by nature. I like to absorb every word and thought, as much as possible. I appreciate the ways things are written: the language, the pacing, the artistic imagery. I prefer to be thorough, when I read … Continue reading
ἢ τίς ἐστιν ἐξ ὑμῶν ἄνθρωπος, “The… who / what / which… is from you… man…” All right: look for the nominative, the verb, the prepositions, and shift the word order around accordingly. “Which of you men…” I’ve been taking … Continue reading
Our family loves the Olympics (we even created themed snacks to mark the occasion!). They’re such an interesting study in cultural dynamics. For example, this year’s Opening Ceremonies, in particular, reminded me of a strange quirk of international protocol: Naming … Continue reading
I’m active and aggressive when it comes to unsubscribing from corporate e-mail flyers. I prefer to keep a clean inbox. So I excuse myself from as many of the mindless mountains of advertisements I possibly can… Unless they’re in Dutch. It’s weird, but … Continue reading
“It’s the last little bits of lead that weigh the most.” “Unfortunately peanut butter.” Some Dutch expressions make perfect sense in English. Others: not so much. “Helaas pindakaas” — “Unfortunately peanut butter” — only makes sense because of the rhyme (though I actually … Continue reading
I love the imagery of the phrase “holding serve.” The act of “holding serve,” however, isn’t satisfying to me at all. I’ve found myself using this word picture several times in recent weeks. The conversational path to this phrase has … Continue reading
I don’t remember all that much about my Uncle Arlen. Wiry reddish hair, a strong northern accent, a penchant for sarcasm… Mostly vague recollections beyond that. One strong association, however, relates to Uncle Arlen’s feelings about the word “irregardless.” “There is no such word!” he’d … Continue reading
The chart above and the study from which it was produced are a sort of sweet spot of intrigue for me: the place where the love of linguistics, statistics, and the cultures of Europe meet. From my personal experiences in … Continue reading