Snap Language

Third Person Comments on Social Media: The Art of Being a Jerk?

A tongue-in-cheek discussion about why some people leave third-person comments on social media. Are they socially inept or just jerks?

Teaching Prescriptive Grammar as a Linguist

 A discussion about how a linguist who promotes descriptivism can teach prescriptive grammar. The article includes a related video.

Prescriptive and Descriptive Grammar

Short article about the differences and similarities between the prescriptive and descriptive approaches to grammar.

Reading Purposefully

Learn techniques for reading purposefully, which helps you improve your reading comprehension and retention. The article includes tips for reading purposefully as a study skill.

How to be an Effective Online Learner

 During the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic, students were thrown into virtual learning regardless of preparation. This article discusses simple steps for students to be more effective in virtual learning.

Five Reasons English is Supposedly Weird

 From a linguist’s perspective, English is no more or less weird than other languages. Non-linguists erroneously believe English is somehow unique due to improperly analyzing inconsistencies and irregularities in the language.

Contronyms in English

 Antonyms express opposite concepts such as hot and cold or stay and go. Did you know that English has words that are antonyms of themselves? How do we resolve the ambiguity? What are the implications for vocabulary learning?