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Welcome to Wordwizard

At Wordwizard we're interested in English, in particular the origins of English words or phrases, and English usage. But we're also happy to discuss any interesting aspect of the English language with like-minded people, and try to help anyone with a tricky letter or other writing project. To start, do visit our Clubhouse. You can see a list of some of the most recent discussions below: (you need to log in, or if you are not already a member, join the club to ask a question or contribute to an existing discussion). Do make sure you Search to see if the topic you want to discuss has already been covered (our archives date back to 1996).
But that's not all the site has to offer. Use the menus at the top of the page to browse through all that we have to offer and perhaps even to contribute. If you want a quick insight into all we offer, have a look at the sitemap.
Whatever you're looking for, we hope you enjoy your visit. Do let us know if you think we can improve the site or maybe just to tell us we're doing a great job!

 Some quick hints 

If you are just looking for the meaning of a word (with an outline of origin), have a look at our extensive list of links to reliable online dictionaries and other resources or try Merriam-Webster or the Compact Oxford English Dictionary. 500 online dictionaries are covered by OneLook.
You will also find a wealth of useful links to other language-oriented sites in our Links pages and a browse through our Clubhouse will always provide interesting and stimulating discussion.

 

 Today's Diary Entry 

Peter Kalm

At the Niagara Falls: When you are at the Fall and look up the river you may see that the river above the Fall is everywhere exceeding steep, almost as the side of a hill. When all this water comes to the very Fall, there it throws itself down perpendicular! It is beyond all belief the surprise when ...

Read the full entry here.


See all our diaries here.

 Some recent discussions 

Get ahead in life (1 post), Thu Sep 02, 2010 11:38 am
The BBC's use of quota... (17 posts), Thu Sep 02, 2010 12:26 am
a loose man (not a woman) (8 posts), Thu Sep 02, 2010 12:04 am
have a wash (not a bath) (21 posts), Wed Sep 01, 2010 11:55 pm
Aural/oral (8 posts), Wed Sep 01, 2010 11:48 pm
Truth and antioxidants (11 posts), Wed Sep 01, 2010 9:03 am
Marine Biology (1 post), Wed Sep 01, 2010 8:05 am
Nationality idioms? (26 posts), Tue Aug 31, 2010 1:29 pm
Started rough, isn't it? (30 posts), Mon Aug 30, 2010 11:42 am
NYT article on language (8 posts), Sun Aug 29, 2010 2:34 am
beat me to it (4 posts), Sat Aug 28, 2010 6:18 pm
Gets touchy (2 posts), Sat Aug 28, 2010 7:46 am
Know something like th... (12 posts), Fri Aug 27, 2010 11:33 pm
math lesson (6 posts), Fri Aug 27, 2010 2:45 am
problems,problems (2 posts), Thu Aug 26, 2010 4:01 pm
Three plus a fourth (2 posts), Wed Aug 25, 2010 12:47 pm
Pushing the right buttons (2 posts), Wed Aug 25, 2010 10:43 am
a good old joke (1 post), Tue Aug 24, 2010 7:32 pm
throw an insult (6 posts), Tue Aug 24, 2010 5:34 pm
bloody nora (20 posts), Tue Aug 24, 2010 12:41 am
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swiped this FB status ... (2 posts), Mon Aug 23, 2010 6:34 am
Mean grandpa has lost ... (15 posts), Sun Aug 22, 2010 9:12 pm
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 Language news 

India-China joint venture lost in translation

The [Indian] air force's plans to hold its first-ever joint exercises with the Chinese air force have hit turbulence. The hiccup: language barriers. Plans may be afoot to conduct joint exercises with China's People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) in 2012, but top air force officers fear not knowing each
other's language could be fatal in the skies.

A senior air force officer said, "Finding a way around language barriers is crucial if we have to conduct joint air maneouvres with China. It is a huge hurdle."

...

Here's how dangerous miscommunication can be: In 1993, Chinese pilots flying a US-made MD-80 were attempting to land in heavy fog at Urumqi in northwest China.

They were flummoxed by an audio alarm from the plane's ground proximity warning system.

Just before impact, the cockpit voice recorder picked up one crewmember asking another in Chinese: "What does 'pull up' mean?"

Read more here.

Date: 16 Aug 2010


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Competition

Wordwizard will shortly be starting a series of writing competitions - strictly for fun. Watch this space for more information!

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