On Language
Encyclopedia
On Language was a regular column in the weekly New York Times Magazine on the English language
discussing popular etymology
, new or unusual usages, and other language
-related topics. The inaugural column was published on February 18, 1979 and it was a regular popular feature. Many of the columns were collected in books.
Columnist
and journalist
William Safire
was one of the most frequent contributors from the inception of the column until Safire's death in 2009. He wrote the inaugural On Language column in 1979. starting it with the greeting: "How do you do. This is a new column about language." In more than 30 years, he contributed more than 1300 installments to the column.
Safire was succeeded by Ben Zimmer, who wrote the column until its final edition on
February 25, 2011.
About the cancellation of the column, the incoming editor of New York Times Magazine Hugo Lindgren
explained this and other changes to the magazine: "It is mine now. I'm in charge. We're going to be doing some significant redesign work, and have a newish magazine by the end of January. The big thing is, I want to create a kind of new identity for the front-of-the-book section. That doesn't mean that everything's being tossed out. We're looking at everything and evaluating what sort of fits."
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
discussing popular etymology
Etymology
Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...
, new or unusual usages, and other language
Language
Language may refer either to the specifically human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication, or to a specific instance of such a system of complex communication...
-related topics. The inaugural column was published on February 18, 1979 and it was a regular popular feature. Many of the columns were collected in books.
Columnist
Columnist
A columnist is a journalist who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs....
and journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
William Safire
William Safire
William Lewis Safire was an American author, columnist, journalist and presidential speechwriter....
was one of the most frequent contributors from the inception of the column until Safire's death in 2009. He wrote the inaugural On Language column in 1979. starting it with the greeting: "How do you do. This is a new column about language." In more than 30 years, he contributed more than 1300 installments to the column.
Safire was succeeded by Ben Zimmer, who wrote the column until its final edition on
February 25, 2011.
About the cancellation of the column, the incoming editor of New York Times Magazine Hugo Lindgren
Hugo Lindgren
Hugo Lindgren is an American magazine and newspaper editor. Since October 2010, he is the editor of The New York Times Magazine.- Personal life :Lindgren lives in New York City with his wife, writer Sarah Bernard. Lindgren attended Duke University....
explained this and other changes to the magazine: "It is mine now. I'm in charge. We're going to be doing some significant redesign work, and have a newish magazine by the end of January. The big thing is, I want to create a kind of new identity for the front-of-the-book section. That doesn't mean that everything's being tossed out. We're looking at everything and evaluating what sort of fits."