The New York Times' New Language Columnist

[Shapiro, Fred]

It's just sinking in to me how much of a change this is for the Times.  It means, presumably, that "On Language" is moving from usage nitpicking to a broader focus on words and language, and from amateurism to a more scientific approach.  I doubt that any newspaper language column has moved in these directions before, and for the most important newspaper in the country to do so is particularly noteworthy.

Fred Shapiro

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org