This is a really good read: pretty complimentary about the actual paper and what it sets out to look at but quite damning about the media coverage of it and the deficit models being propagated in that coverage. debuk.wordpress.com/2025/11/06/e...

I’ll be talking about this choice on Times Radio at 07.45 London time

We've got one of the big hitters in the dictionary world going for 'vibe coding' as its #WOTY2025. BBC News - 'Vibe coding' named word of the year by Collins Dictionary www.bbc.com/news/article...

Don’t worry. I spoke to BBC Newsround and said everything was fine 😁

The full review is here. Much more promising on GCSE English Language reform than the summaries led me to believe. Perhaps. There is hope... assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6908f7...

There was a link in that Telegraph op-ed to this absolute abomination of a piece by Simon 'Strictly English' Heffer* 😬

This doom-laden op-ed (by a teacher writing for the Telegraph) links the supposed Americanisation of young people's English to screen time, cultural imperialism (although the Telegraph would never use such a wooooke term), the nanny state and unboxing videos. archive.today/cZ4kF

Some messaging etiquette. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

So, for those who are interested, Schools Week are highlighting the key subject recommendations in the curriculum review. Curriculum review: The subject-specific policy proposals share.google/4NrIxx1NMJd7...

This is a more serious word of the year nomination than '6-7'. But also, here we are... A word that should have been consigned to the dustbin of history in 1945 is depressingly relevant again.

My quotes from yesterday's Times stories are being recycled a lot. The stories often make the same frustrating error as in this headline: the survey did not show which "AmEisms" UK kids use most. It showed which ones UK teachers mentioned most. www.cbsnews.com/news/america...

Absolutely delighted to be back at the @engmediacentre.bsky.social for a fun-filled day of Literary Linguistics! Today we’re joined by teachers across the country for our ‘Starting to Teach A level LangLit’ course. Such fun!

This Independent op-ed speed runs the main points from yesterday's Times and @teachertapp.bsky.social story on Americanisms but adds a few nice details and ends with quite a positive view. www.independent.co.uk/life-style/h...

More 🇺🇸 English here 👇🏼 www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...

The 6-7 discourse continues 😬 www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

One long car journey I was so cross with my kids I stopped speaking to them. They kept trying to make me talk. Eventually the seven year old decided to keep deliberately using 'should of' because they know I'm a pedant and it was killing me not correcting their grammar. I'm proud

Hmm... beyond the headline, this is a bit more complex than kids sounding more American. archive.ph/2025.11.02-2...

Ok, take a deep breath. I know it's hard to believe but the Telegraph is running *that* story again. You know, the one railing against inclusive language where they feature quotes from Toby Young and Alka Sehgal Cuthbert and where the term 'woke nonsense' get used.

"Research has revealed that women use three times as many exclamation marks in emails as men. I know, right?!!!!" Lucy Mangan in great form, sadly just a day too late to include in my latest thing for @natefeed.bsky.social 's 'Teaching English's magazine. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

Some tech and language dimensions here: www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

"A thoughtful, fresh re-examination of language in use in Britain and Ireland today." Language in Britain and Ireland, 3rd Edition edited by Susan Fox #Sociolinguistics #EnglishLanguage #Linguistics cup.org/3CrCp7O

*Taps the sign and signals towards the lead moderator's report*

Finally, a good article about 6-7 and about youth sociolect and social meaning in general. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

And another one here (sorry not sorry for the obvious political direction of both of these recent links) about how media representations of migration are *quite* important.

There's a language investigation in here about how ethinicty *might* be a factor in reporting of terror offences, if you've got a strong enough stomach. ⚠️Extreme racism⚠️

#WOTY season 2025 is (already!) upon us as the lexicographers rush to beat their rivals. But if you're interested in the bigger picture of what new words tell us (and don't) about language change and society, have a listen to a few of our previous @lexispodcast.bsky.social episodes.

Dictionary.com goes out early with its 2025 Word of the Year … and it chooses “67,” or “six-seven.” www.dictionary.com/e/word-of-th... I had the privilege of running the site's Word of the Year for a few years, so I’ll share some thoughts (that don’t divulge any privileged info).

It's here... abcnews.go.com/living/story...

I would rather live next door to someone who speaks another language than live next door to someone who doesn’t want to live near people who speak other languages. I know nothing about Person A but I know person B is a shitbird.

So, having read the paper, it's quite intriguing and complex stuff and much more about attitudes and perceptions than actual use. The most recent figures about exclamation mark use are actually nearly 20 years old (Waseleski 2006) and this study doesn't measure use in the same way.

Join us for CPD on AQA’s Worlds and Lives anthology. This online session explores the thinking behind it, the Lit in Colour initiative, and practical classroom strategies to inspire creative and meaningful student responses. Monday 17th November, 4-5pm. www.nate.org.uk/product/gcse...

Why are some academics *still* using X?

Interesting! www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

We've been away for a while but episode 75 is finally here. We talk about accent discrimination, attitudes to teachers' accents and about what accent prejudice tells us about wider social attitudes. #Linguistics open.spotify.com/episode/5wnC...

New episode (number 75!) coming very soon and it's a bumper episode featuring 3 linguists, 1 teacher, 4 podders and a Lang in the News segment.

I just posted about this myself! It reminds me of some quotations from Gwynfor Evans that I used to show my students when I taught the importance of the Welsh language. 👇

Another example of cultural and linguistic imperialism? BBC News - Welsh-speaking inmates 'told to speak English' in prison www.bbc.com/news/article...

We're really keen to get the views of English teachers (in England) about the state of English teaching. If you have a few minutes to fill in our survey, we'd be very grateful.

FREE EVENT AT EMC TOMORROW If you missed the deadline for tomorrow's free EMC Twilight but would like to attend, send an email to [email protected] and we'll look forward to seeing you! Refreshments from 4.30, starts at 5!

Earlier this term @andrewemc.bsky.social saw an inspirational lesson that was carefully planned to allow learning to take place in multiple ways. It was so good he wrote it up as a blog! www.englishandmedia.co.uk/blog/the-sim...

A sensible point in Guardian letters about the long tradition of using daft catchphrases like 6-7...

OK last one on this today, I promise. www.the-independent.com/life-style/6...

Great stuff! Will be looking forward to seeing how this develops and where it leads.

More on that 6 7 trend that no one really wants to know more about... It's 'tyrannising maths teachers' now, apparently. archive.today/a1Z5f

We already have 2025 WOTY action. 'Das crazy' was voted the 2025 German Youth Word of the Year. It beat 'goonen' and 'checkst du,' demonstrating the global impact of English in internet slang. 'Das crazy' is often used when someone doesn't know what to say, inter alia. www.dw.com/en/das-crazy...

From 'dynamic pricing' to 'surveillance pricing' 🤬

Must be getting old (I am) as I've never been less interested... www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

@lynneguist.bsky.social Have you ever blogged about 'of' in the sense of "How good of a guy he was", "How bad of a decision it was"? Have had a quick look and not seen anything but it feels like one you'd have talked about, I'm sure!

Follow the #NoKings hashtag if you want to gather some excellent data for a placard-based language investigation! Here's a great example.

I hate to say it but The Telegraph is running its regular 'woke nonsense' story again. It's *literally* the same story every week, even down to the same cast of talking heads describing it as Marxist thought policing or leftist linguistic gatekeeping. archive.today/0Va2c