Branwen66
In omnibus requiem quaesivi, et nusquam invenii nisi in angulo cum libro. (Thomas à Kempis)
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BA (Hons) Greek Lit and Text Linguistics
Displaying Results 1 - 104 (of 104) for All Content
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The End of the DayAt the end of the day, there is nothing left to lose.
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Micro-Story Contest: Business SenseYou win some, you lose some.
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The Language of FallThe fall season is a cultural package. An important part of this package is a "fall language", i.e. a subset of vocabulary used a lot in this mellow and melancholy season that marks the transition into winter. -
What is Protein S Deficiency? Simple Answers to Basic QuestionsProtein S deficiency is a blood clotting disorder. Its chief characteristic is the predisposition to excessive blood clotting, especially in the deep veins of the legs. -
The Language of Labor DayLabor Day is a cultural package. An important part of this package is a "Labor Day language", i.e. a subset of vocabulary used a lot in the days preceding and culminating on the first Monday in September (US). -
Magical MacGuffins in Greek MythologyGreek myths abound in MacGuffins, i.e. (mostly) magical objects that set up the story and keep it in motion. -
Flash Fiction Contest: NocturneIn the night, anything is possible. Or not. -
Titles of the Greek God ZeusThe Greek god Zeus had innumerable roles and responsibilities. As a result, his worshipers came up with hundreds of epithets (titles) to express them. -
Fun Trivia About the Sirens in Greek MythologyWho or, for that matter, what were the Sirens in Greek mythology? -
Weird Births of Gods in Greek MythologyEver wondered why so many Greek gods are, well, weird? It could be that their bizarre gestational circumstances and births had something to do with it. -
False Friends Between English and FrenchEnglish and French share a fair number of lexical false friends, i.e. words that look similar, or even identical, but have (often wildly) different meanings. -
Greek Gods that Got the Cold ShoulderThe gods of Greek mythology were all-powerful and immortal, but far from immune to the occasional romantic brush-off. -
False Friends Between English and SpanishEnglish and Spanish share a fair number of lexical false friends, i.e. words that look similar but have different meanings. -
Essentials of Latin Grammar: An Introduction to the Accusative CaseDon't let the Latin accusative scare you off with its recriminatory name: It is all a misunderstanding! -
What is Protein C Deficiency? Simple Answers to Basic QuestionsProtein C deficiency is a blood coagulation disorder. Its chief characteristic is the predisposition to excessive blood clotting, especially in the deep veins of the legs. -
The Language of the 4th of JulyThe Fourth of July is a cultural package. An important part of this package is a "Fourth of July language", i.e. a subset of vocabulary used a lot in the weeks preceding and culminating on July 4th. -
Fun Trivia About Nymphs in Greek MythologyIn Greek mythology, nymphs are spirits of lower rank, who are attached to the location they live in. In some ways, they resemble the "genius loci" of Roman mythology and the fairies of Western European folklore.
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False Friends in the English and Italian LanguagesEnglish and Italian share a fair number of lexical false friends, i.e. words that look similar but have wildly different meanings.
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Essentials of Latin Grammar: An Introduction to the Genitive CaseThe genitive case in Latin is a fairly straightforward grammatical category, easier for the beginner to grasp than, say, the dative or the ablative.
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False Friends Between English and GermanEnglish and German share a fair number of lexical false friends, i.e. words that look similar but have wildly different meanings.
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Uncommon Names for Common, and Not so Common, PhiliasThe suffix -philia is attached to words that denote affinity and propensity, ranging from hobbies and occupations (as in bibliophilia and oenophilia) to pathological states (as in necrophilia).
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What is Neutrophilia? Simple Answers to Basic QuestionsThe term "neutrophilia" indicates an abnormally high number of neutrophils in the blood. Neutrophils are white cells that help the body fight off bacterial and fungal infections.
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False Friends in ShakespeareIn linguistics, "false friends" are words that look similar, but mean different things. Shakespeare's English, i.e. Early Modern English, abounds in false friends to Modern English.
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Adventures in English Word Change: Strengthening and WeakeningWord meanings change constantly. When a word undergoes semantic strengthening, its meaning becomes more intense. When it undergoes semantic weakening, the word shifts from a stronger to a weaker meaning.
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Uncommon Names for Common, and Not-so-Common, ManiasThere are common manias (capnomania) and uncommon manias (pyromania); old manias (Beatlemania) and newer ones (Pottermania). But sometimes the hardest part to figure out is: Which is weirder? The mania or the name?
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Adventures in English Word Change: Generalization and NarrowingWord meanings change constantly. When a word undergoes semantic generalization, its meaning and application become broader. When it undergoes semantic narrowing, the word shifts from a general to a more specific meaning.
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Essentials of Latin Grammar: An Introduction to the Dative CaseThe dative case in Latin can be tricky, as its usage ranges from the everyday and concrete to the abstract and obscure. However, if your remember a few simple guidelines, the Latin dative needn't be a headache.
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English Words with the Suffix -onymEnglish compound nouns with the suffix -onym are about words and naming. They provide valuable information about how language works.
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Latin Words, Phrases, and Abbreviations Commonly Used in FootnotesFootnotes contain special words and phrases, mostly abbreviated and in Latin. These Latin abbreviations are keys to understanding the notes and navigating the bibliographic information.
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Eponymy in English: English Words Derived from Greek Mythological FiguresEponymy is a process of lexical derivation. Scores of personal names, both of real people and fictional characters, are the source of everyday words in English.
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Vampires in Greek MythologyAre there vampires in Greek mythology? It all depends on your definition of a vampire.
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Highlights of Greek Mythology: The Scandalous Sex Life of ZeusThe amorous conquests, infidelities, and sexual escapades of Zeus were notorious in the ancient world.
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The Language of Mother's DayMother's Day is a cultural package. An important part of this package is a "Mother's Day language", a subset of vocabulary used more purposefully, it would seem, in the weeks preceding and culminating on the second Sunday of May (US).
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Romantic Poetry Quotes for Wedding VowsIf your religion and tradition allow for personalized wedding vows, why not look to poetry for inspiration?
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Winter LullabyA tiny little tale of motherhood, life, and death.
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Infamous Moms from Greek MythologyWhen you think "mom", you probably don't think along the lines of, say, murder, incest, or cannibalism. Right? Well, the ancient Greeks kind of did. In their myths, anyway.
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The Language of April Fools' DayApril Fools' Day is a celebration of deception. It's amazing to see how many words there are in English to describe every facet and nuance of deception.
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Adventures in English Word Change: Amelioration and PejorationWords have lives of their own. During the lifetime of a word, change appears to be the only constant. Word meaning can change dramatically in a relatively short time.
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Common Legal Terms in LatinThe Romans were obsessed with the law. They loved pondering the law, studying the law, arguing about the law. No wonder that legal terminology is predominantly of Latin origin. Here is a sampler of common Latin legal terms.
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The Language of EasterEaster is a cultural package. An important part of this package is an "Easter language", i.e. a subset of vocabulary used a lot in the weeks preceding and culminating on Easter Day.
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Famous Love Quotes from Romantic MoviesWhat is love? We can feel it, but can we define it? Gifted screenwriters have tackled this challenge, and here's what they've come up with...
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A Little DeathNot everyone has reason to celebrate Valentine's Day...
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Collective Nouns in English: A Bunch of OddballsNowadays we can easily get away with a group of this and a bunch of that, but things were a tad more complex back in the 15th century, when most collective nouns originated. Are collective nouns a thing of the past?
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The Heart in the Works of ShakespeareThe heart is a powerful cultural symbol. In Shakespeare's works we find a compendium of the metaphorical usage of the word "heart".
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The Language of Valentine's DayValentine's Day is a cultural package. An important part of this package is a "Valentine's Day language", i.e. a subset of vocabulary used a lot in the weeks preceding and culminating on February 14th.
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Commonly Used Yiddish Words and Phrases in Modern EnglishIn his bestselling classic, "The Joys of Yiddish", Leo Rosten remarks: "Yiddish is the Robin Hood of languages. It steals from the linguistically rich to give to the fledgling poor." English has adopted many Yiddish words and stylistic devices.
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Romantic Valentine's Day PoemsLove makes us feel completely alive.
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Do You Hate Christmas? How to Be a Holiday SurvivorGoogle "hate Christmas" and you'll get almost 2 million hits. Google "holiday blues" and you get just under 1.5 million hits. So... what is it with all the hype on Christmas?
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Christmas Villains We Love to HateThe "good vs. evil" story theme becomes particularly relevant at Christmas time. We love to hate Christmas-hating villains.
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The Language of ChristmasThe Christmas holiday is a cultural package. An important part of this package is a "Christmas language", a subset of vocabulary used a lot in the weeks preceding and culminating on December 25th.
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Great Christmas Mysteries - Is Your Christmas to Die For?Christmas is the time of good cheer and love and peace and good will among men, right? Well, maybe. How about losing yourself in a delicious murder mystery?
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The Language of HalloweenHalloween is much more than a holiday: it's a package. There's special Halloween candy, Halloween costumes, Halloween colors and decorations. There is also a "Halloween language", a subset of vocabulary used a lot in the weeks preceding and culminating on October 31st.
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Fun Facts About BooksBooks are a lot of things to different people, but they can be fun to all. Here is a sampler of books that share some fun distinction, grouped by fun fact.
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Interchangeable Greek Words and Phrases in Modern EnglishThe influence of Greek on the English language has been strong and widespread. Together with Latin, Greek helped shape the morphological character of the English vocabulary.
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Commonly Used Spanish Words in Modern EnglishSpanish loanwords in English may not be as numerous as those of Latin and French origin, but they are just as varied, widespread, and influential.
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Commonly Used Latin Words and Phrases in Modern EnglishEnglish and Latin share a long and varied history. Latin roots, words, and phrases entered English either directly or through French, and enriched it in a manner that no other language parallels.
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The Italian Language LegacyThe dawn of the Italian Renaissance triggered the direct influx of Italian vocabulary into the English language. Ever since, Italian has been a major source of lexical supply.
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The German Language LegacyEnglish and German belong to the Indo-European family of languages. In addition to words shared through common ancestry, English, being an insatiable word borrower, has incorporated a wealth of German words and phrases into a wide range of semantic fields
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Common Foreign Words and Phrases in EnglishAccording to a famous paraphrase of a quote by James D. Nicoll, "English doesn't borrow from other languages. English follows other languages down dark alleys, knocks them over, and goes through their pockets for loose grammar." And loose vocabulary, we might add.
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What is Neutropenia?The term "neutropenia" signifies a shortage of neutrophils in the blood. Neutrophils are white cells that help the body fight off bacterial infections. Neutropenic patients are more susceptible to infections and less successful in fighting them off.
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What is Eosinophilia? Simple Answers to Basic QuestionsEosinophilia is the medical term that describes an abnormally high eosinophil count. Eosinophils are white blood cells that help the body fight off certain infections. Eosinophilia is a case in point that there can be too much of a good thing.
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The Cycle of Life and Death in Greek MythologyIn ancient Greek mythology, the cycle of life and death and the hope for a serene afterlife are encapsulated in the myth of the goddess Persephone.
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What is Hereditary Spherocytosis?Hereditary Spherocytosis is a congenital disorder of the red cells in the blood. The degree of severity ranges from very mild and asymptomatic to severe and life-threatening.
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What is Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP)?ITP is a rare bleeding disorder. It affects men and women, children and adults; it can be mild or severe; acute and short-term or subtle and chronic; and most of the time it is caused by an immune malfunction that makes the body turn against itself.
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How to Cope With Chronic Renal Failure (CRF) in Elderly CatsIt doesn't make sense, does it? You brought kitty in for his yearly check-up, and now you are being bombarded with words you don't understand: CRF, BUN, creatinine, erythropoietin... But there is one word that you understand only too well: terminal.
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What is Trichomoniasis?Trichomoniasis is a very common sexually transmitted disease. It infects both sexes, but, for reasons as yet uncertain, it appears to have a higher incidence in women.
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Chlamydia Infection: The Silent STDChlamydia is one of the most widespread STDs worldwide. What is more, chlamydia infection is highly asymptomatic: More than half of infected men and as many as 85% of infected women do not have any symptoms at all, but they can still pass the infection to their partners.
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What is Glanzmann's Thrombasthenia?Glanzmann's Thrombasthenia is a genetic platelet disorder. It is extremely rare, it affects both men and women, and can be very severe. The condition is named after the Swiss pediatrician Eduard Glanzmann who first described it in 1918.
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What is Bernard-Soulier Syndrome?Bernard-Soulier Syndrome is a bleeding disorder. It is rare, hereditary, it affects both men and women, and can be severe.
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Women, Love, and Marriage in Classical AthensIf your views on matrimony run along the lines of "love and marriage go together like a horse and carriage", rest assured that the carriage in question is not a Greek chariot. In classical Athens, love had nothing to do with marriage, while women had no say in either.
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The Art of Writing in the Age of E-MailThe convenience of e-mail is a double-edged sword: On the one hand, we can communicate our thoughts faster than ever; on the other hand, the speed of e-mail communication encourages all sorts of errors. Can they be avoided and how?
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Thrombocytopenia 101: Simple Answers to Basic QuestionsThrombocytopenia is the medical term that describes a low platelet count, i.e. a deficiency of platelets in the bloodstream. More often than not, platelet deficiency has no symptoms or presents with subtle signs.
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What is Autologous Blood Transfusion?Autologous blood transfusion is regarded as a safer alternative to transfusion with donor blood. In autologous transfusion, the patient is transfused with his own blood (or blood components), but first he needs to meet certain requirements.
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What's so Special About Vitamin E?Antioxidant, free-radical scavenger, anticoagulant, immunity booster: Is vitamin E for real?
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Uncommon Words for Common (and Not so Common) PhobiasThere are common phobias (claustrophobia) and uncommon phobias (arachibutyrophobia); old phobias (hydrophobia) and newer ones (Europhobia). But sometimes the hardest part to figure out is: Which is weirder? The phobia or the name?
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The Way to a Good Mood is Through the StomachFood has power over us. Big time. The bank of our emotions has a branch in the digestive system through chemical messengers called neurotransmitters. Can this power be controlled and how?
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Highlights of Greek Mythology: Hermes, a God with Many FacesIf you are familiar with the FTD or the Goodyear logo, then you already know of Hermes. In works of art, Hermes is often portrayed wearing his trademark winged hat, but in his numerous feats and adventures he wore many more hats. Shall we count the ways?
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Word Games: WellerismsWellerisms are an idiosyncratic genre of wordplay: hard to define, at times impossible to interpret, silly, sardonic, and irreverent. They have been around for almost 50 centuries, but their allure, although somewhat faded, is far from extinct.
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What's so Special About Vitamin K?Vitamin K may not be as well-known as, say, Vitamin C or the B vitamins, but it is just as important to your good health. Find out what makes vitamin K so special.
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Esperanto 101: Simple Answers to Basic QuestionsImagine a simple language with a 100% phonetic spelling and pronunciation, whose grammar can be summed up in just sixteen rules. Is it for real?
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Plasmapheresis 101: Simple Answers to Basic QuestionsTrauma and burn victims, patients with immune deficiencies or blood clotting disorders need regular transfusions of plasma and plasma products. Learn about plasmapheresis, a special kind of blood donation, a special way to save lives.
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Plateletpheresis 101: Simple Answers to Basic QuestionsPeople undergoing chemotherapy or suffering from leukemia, certain types of anemia, and blood coagulation disorders need regular platelet transfusions. Learn about plateletpheresis, a special kind of blood donation, a special way to save lives.
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Take Control of Your FinancesSaving money is not a question of extra cash. It is a question of determination, focus, planning, commitment, and control of your financial circumstances. You can save money even if you are not making much. Here are 10 easy ways to start (and commit to) a savings plan.
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Word Games: Tom SwiftiesThe Tom Swifty is a form of wordplay that pokes fun at the excessive use of adverbial dialog attribution. Tom Swifties originated in the 1960s, as a humorous reference to the writing style of the Tom Swift juvenile adventure novels.
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Hepatitis B 101: Simple Answers to Basic QuestionsHepatitis B is a very common viral infection of the liver. Although highly infectious, it can pass unnoticed with minimal or no symptoms.
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Tips for the Slow Cooker NewbieLooking to combine a hectic schedule with the nutritious indulgence of homemade cooking? With slow cooking you get the best of both worlds!
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New ACP Guideline Calls for Individualized Risk AssessmentMammograms have been around for over 30 years and to this day there are no widely accepted substitutes. According to a new ACP guideline, the risks of screening mammography for healthy women between the ages of 40 and 49 may outweigh the potential benefits. What now?
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Colposcopy: Understand the Procedure, Fight the Stress!A colposcopy is the diagnostic procedure of choice after abnormal Pap test results. Here is a summary of what it's all about.
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Menopause 101: Simple Answers to Basic QuestionsMystically referred to as "the change", menopause is an unavoidable and irreversible life stage. However, it does not have to be an ordeal.Also published on:
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Hepatitis C 101: Simple Answers to Basic QuestionsHepatitis C is caused by a blood-borne virus that attacks the liver cells. Although highly infectious, it can pass unnoticed with minimal or no symptoms.
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Credit Score 101: Simple Answers to Basic QuestionsHow can a single number have such a big effect on your life? That's exactly what your credit score is, a number, and it does affect your life. Big time. Find out how to achieve and maintain a high credit score.
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Caring for the Geriatric CatAging causes both physical and behavioral changes in cats. While old age may be inevitable, it mustn't exclude good quality of life. There are things you can do to help your cat make a smooth transition into old age and keep enjoying his time with you.
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HPV 101: Simple Answers to Basic QuestionsGenital HPV is currently the most common STD. However, there is still a lot of confusion about its transmission, diagnosis, and connection with cervical cancer. Here are the answers to 10 basic questions about HPV infection.
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Delphi, Greece: Celebrated Monuments in a Unique LandscapeOnce regarded as the center of the world, Delphi is both a unique archaeological precinct and a popular tourist attraction.
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Common Latin AbbreviationsHow dead is Latin? This list of common abbreviations will show you that Latin is part of everyday English usage.
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Do It Yourself: Learn a Foreign LanguageWhatever your reason for wanting to learn a foreign language, you can do it yourself. There is an unbelievable wealth of learning resources out there to get you started.
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Staying on the Diet: It's Simpler Than You ThinkIt is hard enough to take the plunge and go on a diet, but it can be even harder to stick to new dietary habits. However, keeping this long-term commitment doesn't have to be agony.
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The Positive Pap Smear: What to Do After the Dreaded CallNews of a positive Pap test is enough to induce a panic attack. Alternatively, there are ways to use this experience as a step towards a proactive attitude and a healthier lifestyle.
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Hyperthyroidism in Elderly Cats: Watch for the SignsAn overactive thyroid gland can cause kitty serious health problems. How to watch for the signs and prevent a treatable condition from becoming life-threatening.
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Romantic Comedy:The Same but DifferentMany claim that the romantic comedy genre has been done to death and that audiences are too jaded to care. Is there a way for romantic comedies to recapture their freshness and originality?
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Romantic Rebels with a CauseWhat about romantic comedies that do not have a traditional "happy ending"? Do they retain the cathartic power of the genre? Does love redeem even if the boy does not get the girl?
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Romantic Comedy: The Road to RedemptionThe liberating power of love is a central theme in romantic comedies. The audience experiences the cathartic power of the genre by empathising with the lovers and their predicaments.
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Romantic Comedy: The Unsettling GenreIn this second instalment, romantic comedies are examined in the context of rebelliousness vs conformity. What is it that sets romantic comedy protagonists apart from other genres?
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Romantic Comedy: Traditional Roles and ExpectationsThis is the first part in a series of articles on the background and functions of romantic comedies. Through numerous examples drawn from both classic and contemporary films, the readers become acquainted with the nuts and bolts, as well as the quirks, of the genre.
