Mansplaining is the death of discourse: Polarization and the loss of nuance  

by Brandy | Mar 11, 2022

Not a clickbait title or anything ™   The Overton window is the concept that there’s a widow of acceptable opinions/policies which are held by the mainstream of any given generation, but which moves on a generation-by-generation basis. Historically the...

Your argument is a building, and that makes perfect sense  

by Brandy | Feb 21, 2022

Metaphor is the concept of a word or phrase which stands for an abstract concept. Sort of like using words as iconography – this one thing is like this other thing, not because they are the same but because it makes sense to understand the one in the context of the...

The polysemy of over   

by Brandy | Feb 5, 2022

Or, what is polysemy and how does it work? This blog is about the concept of polysemy and how surprisingly common it is in the simplest of words. And as an example, I’m going to use the unassuming word “over”.   So, Polysemy – say it aloud, it rolls very...

Daddy? And the creepy crawlies that bear the name

by Brandy | Jan 14, 2022

Few words could be more dichotomous than “daddy”. Why is that? Often we create words and they go into a category to define a subject. Subject object categorization. This word defines this category of things. Think about when you see little kids playing....

Newspeak & Political Correctness: Considering Linguistic Relativity in the Context of Excluding Words from the Lexicon

by Brandy | Apr 12, 2021

Political correctness – either defined as a draconian attempt at thought and speech control, or an egalitarian movement to use language in ways which are inclusive, intersectional, and respectful, depending, of course, on which quarter of the political compass...

”Saving Face” or the Grammatical Loopholes of “Polite” Language

by Brandy | Mar 21, 2021

The Ridiculous Application of Metonymy & Pragmatics   In every culture, there are standards for politeness, what is okay, what is not okay, and why. In many instances, “politeness culture” is good. In most cases, the term “politeness” is a colloquialism,...

Is It Ever Okay to Use “Me” At the Start of a Sentence?

by Brandy | Mar 25, 2020

While many of us are rigorously taught to avoid using “Me” at the start of sentences, a wealth of literature, popular media, and art exist to blatantly contradict this rule. From the popular hashtag #meandtheboys to classic songs like ‘Me and Bobby McGee’...