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April 26, 2016 edition

Do you know which word in the English language has the longest entry in the Oxford English Dictionary? Well, if you don't already know, it might surprise you, as it did me. It is 'set'. Yes, humble 'set'.
One reason the entry is so long, apart from the many different meanings this word has as both a noun and a verb, is because of all the different ways the verb 'set' combines with a preposition, giving new meanings. Think of 'set up' (versus upset), 'set down', 'set out', 'set about', 'set on', 'set off', 'set to', and on it goes. In the dictionary-length competition, the word 'set' is closely followed by 'put', another amazing word, with its combinations: 'put in', put out' (versus output), 'put up' (versus 'put up with'), 'put off' (versus offputting), and so on. This is an absolute nightmare for non-native speakers mastering English.

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More Word Watch articles in other editions

March 29, 2016 edition

If you watch TV news pretty much anywhere in the world, the announcer opens with a 'Good morning', or 'Good evening'. Unless it is a global 24-hour repeat news channel, that is. Actually, there will probably be two studio announcers reading in turn from the teleprompter and occasionally turning to look at each other. And it will probably be one male and one female. The point is, there is a format that emerges in the US, which is copied the world over.
Greetings and salutations are part of replicated situations. Move the format from one country and language to another, and the new language will come up with something to match. Like saying 'Good morning' or 'Good evening'. The verbal greeting is translated as part of the replication.

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March 1, 2016 edition

One of the first things we want to know when we learn another language is how to say 'thank you'. We are in a situation where we would say 'thank you' in English, and we want to know how to say it in the language of that situation. We check the translation app on the phone, or ask someone. We are probably given a word, and that's what we learn to say.
Usually it all works well. But there are potential problems. We don't know how else the word is used beyond that situation. Nor do we know if people say 'thank you' for the kind of situations that we do in English. We don't really know how equivalent the 'thank yous' are.

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