EngLangBlog

Printing presses kept their letters in cases.

Capital letters went in the upper case.
Smaller letters went in the lower case.

This is why we say ‘UPPER CASE’ and ‘lower case.’

Ok, but what did we call them before the invention of the printing press?

MAJUSCULE and minuscule.

The Persistence and Revival of Cockney: Language and Identity in Twenty-First-Century London* Over the past two centuries, London’s Cockneys have endured perceptions of obsolescence, their dialect and culture often marginalised or deemed outdated. However, the ‘London Talks’ project at Quee...

Can also recommend my paper on the topic. It's interesting and complicted, indeed. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Although, also *don't* go to the Salmon & Ball 😂

Would definitely recommend any teachers or students looking at language diversity and change read this.

Is the Cockney extinct? Newspapers are full of stories about the disappearance of London's historical East Enders. The truth is a lot more complicated

Really, really interesting piece 👇🏼
Newspapers are full of stories about the disappearance of London's historical East Enders. The truth is a lot more complicated www.the-londoner.co.uk/is-the-cockn...

Irish accent mocking worker was unfairly sacked, tribunal finds Karl Davies was working at a ready meal manufacturing site when he greeted a manager in the accent.

Doesn't look like a great ruling (in terms of the seriousness of accent discrimination) from the headline but inevitably there's more to it as you read on.
BBC News - Worker sacked for mocking Irish accent unfairly dismissed
www.bbc.com/news/article...

Thanks Sam!

'Why I speak with a Yorkshire accent despite being born deaf' Gladiators star Jodie Ounsley says it is one of the questions she gets asked the most.

A nice one for #EnglishLanguage A level #accents and #diversity @englangblog.bsky.social

Source: BBC
search.app/8PnGp

The lack of student bursaries for training as an English teacher will only lead to further shortages of specialist English teachers and damage to the subject as a whole. Such a short-sighted decision!

If you want your mind truly blown, try these too...

Love these!

Includes Eng Lang material 👀

I just saw someone use the abbreviation “AI;DR” and I’ll be laughing for a while.

Oh yeah, was very spiky!

Ouch!

This one's interesting about accent attitudes, 'accent recovery' and it even features @christianilbury.bsky.social!
archive.ph/2025.10.05-1...

Staff the barricades! The Telegraph is running its monthly 'we've found another inclusive language guide and we're gonna get mad about it' article. This time, they're angry that women exist in workplaces.
archive.today/dLoSb

Article reads: Woman named as Archbishop of Canterbury in historic first The 63-year-old archbishop-designate is married to Eamonn Mullally, with whom she has two children. Originally from Woking in Surrey, she was the UK's chief nursing officer from 1999 to 2004.

This article manages to name her husband before it names… her.

EMC CPD Face-to-Face: Language Investigations for the AL Language NEA

"Highly informative and a great opportunity to speak to fellow teachers and bounce ideas off one another."

Book by: 8am on 10th October
buff.ly/NxBkvA2

New book published today: "Researching Stylistics: A Student Guide", along with Furzeen Ahmed, Marcello Giovanelli, Caroline Godfrey, Chloe Harrison, Megan Mansworth, Stephen Pihlaja, and Ella Wydrzynska

www.routledge.com/Researching-...

'Magic' pronounced like 'Margarine' doesn't sound like it would spread.

Tony Harrison, poet and dramatist, dies aged 88 Known for his outspoken politics, the author was acclaimed for work in theatre, opera, film and TV but wanted to be thought of as a poet above all

Sad news indeed. Good chance to go back and read 'Them & [uz]' and remember how powerful it still is.
www.theguardian.com/books/2025/s...

Interesting one for Lang Diversity, with nods to gender, social groups, technology, region and class. Still not sure about how she said 'Magic Stars' but there you go...
archive.today/1EXI4

A very narrow view of the English language! www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio...

National Linguistics Day 2025

Free Babels for schools

📅 A reminder that National Linguistics Day is coming up in November! @linguisticshq.bsky.social
📚 Get a free set of Babels for your school, college or library to celebrate

📧 Contact babelthelanguagemagazine@gmail.com

Young Finns snub their mother tongue by reading in English Publishers fear for the future of translated literature as sales of foreign language books rise

"As is the case in neighbouring Sweden, the dominance of English across the internet, social media, film and TV also means it is seen as aspirational for young people to be seen to speak and read in English."

Good article on literary translation, boktok, and more
www.theguardian.com/books/2025/s...

I need to read both these papers!

But is she the one?