Lone Frenchman Fights to Save Dying Alaskan Language

Staff / Truthdig Aug 10, 2010 It's not entirely clear what, besides a love of linguistics and an apparently compelling documentary, spurred young Guillaume Leduey to launch a one-man campaign to resuscitate an Alaskan language, Eyak (continued). Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Palin Says Refudiate Appears in Fictionary

Andy Borowitz / Truthdig Jul 26, 2010 Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin defended her use of the word refudiate, telling her critics, "Look it up in the fictionary." While claiming that refudiate is a real word, she reserved her right to make up new words in the future. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Sarah Palin Refudiates English

Staff / Truthdig Jul 20, 2010 Move over, George W. Bush, there's a new language butcher and she's on a tear. Sarah Palin loved her made-up word refudiate so much she used it twice -- first in an interview and again on Twitter. Realizing she blew it, Palin corrected the word to refute but then used it incorrectly. Eventually, she compared herself to William Shakespeare and called it a day. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Unsolved Mystery Edition

Staff / Truthdig Feb 17, 2010 Why do Americans refuse to believe crime has been going down for a decade? Why are so many of them foot fetishists? And was Rene "I think, therefore I am" Descartes really murdered with a poisoned communion wafer? Answers to these questions and more on today's list. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Stonehenge Edition

Staff / Truthdig Feb 11, 2010 Is it time to remodel Stonehenge? Is M. Night Shyamalan's latest movie a whitewash? Will the U.S. and China ever go to war? Answers to these questions and more on today's list. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

‘Invisible Things That Might Kill You (but Probably Won’t)’ Edition

Staff / Truthdig Feb 8, 2010 Look out for those TSA body scanners and cell phones, take a minute to ponder the oddest book titles of the year (including "Bacon: A Love Story") and read all about the political collapse of the left, right here on today's list. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Rotten Minds, Shriveled Hearts and Human Souls

Fred Branfman / Truthdig Feb 2, 2010 Should progressives hold themselves to a higher standard than the name-calling and intellectual violence that conservative bloggers routinely engage in? Much could rest on the answer to this question. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

Psychology, Metaphors and You

Staff / Truthdig Sep 29, 2009 Can you tell your metaphors from your synecdoches? These terms may trigger bad freshman English flashbacks, but at least when it comes to metaphors, they're more important than you might think; in fact, they might just be intrinsic to how you think. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

The War on Language

Chris Hedges / Truthdig Sep 28, 2009 Those who seek to dominate our behavior first seek to dominate our speech. They seek to obscure meaning. The English- and Arabic-speaking worlds are each beset with a similar assault on language.The English- and Arabic-speaking worlds are each beset with a similar assault on language. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

William Safire Dead at 79

Staff / Truthdig Sep 28, 2009 The conservative New York Times columnist, Nixon speechwriter and college dropout lost a battle with pancreatic cancer Sunday. In his final opinion column for The Times, Safire wrote about mortality and his intention to reinvent himself at 75. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Basque Militants Suspected in Car Bombing

Staff / Truthdig Jan 1, 2009 In a continuation of the decades-long struggle between the Spanish government and those calling for independence of the Basque territories, a car bomb went off near a Bilbao television station Wednesday. No one was injured in the blast, which authorities believe was set off by the ETA, a militant Basque independence group. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Bill Clinton Doesn’t Want ‘Any S— From Anybody’

Staff / Truthdig Apr 22, 2008 Speaking over the phone to Philadelphia's WHYY, Bill Clinton defended his controversial comments following the South Carolina primary, saying the Obama campaign had played the race card against him. After the interview, apparently neglecting to hang up, the former president could be heard using language not normally aired on public radio: "I don't think I should take any s--- from anybody on that, do you?" Update: Denial. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )