On Language

The first article I published in a national magazine was a 1978 Newsweek essay about the word "cute." Since then, more than any other subject, I've found myself bewitched, bothered and bewildered by the never predictable and always intriguing course of the American language.--BY

You Go, Companion

What to call Paul Wolfowitz's special lady friend.
Read the article at Slate.com


Y'all

The strange and contested history of a Southernism.
Read the article at Stop Smiling online


Pardon the Interjection

The Internet, and the rise of "awwa," "meh" and "heh."
Read the article at Slate.com


My Heart Belongs to 'Mother.'

One man's protest against mom.
Read the article at www.nytimes.com