*Metathesis is a fancy word for a pretty common habit of speech.

Michigan Today’s new language columnist remembers her mentor and predecessor, Richard W. Bailey.

The final column from Professor Richard Bailey (1939 – 2011).
 

From ‘astrolabe’ to ‘Walla, bro!’: Arabic’s influence on English.

…or is it Gran Drabids? Listening to the dialect of Michigan.

Tracking down rarities like ‘pheal,’ ‘mondegreen’ and ‘dord’ has never been easier. You can even find their definitions here.

Some of our most expressive words come from Yiddish. Got a favorite of your own?

Why did a dictionary editor tell the great Thomas Hardy to cease and desist?

Well into the 1960s, Ann Arbor was a haven for the German language.