All around us, words seem to be under assault. Newspapers and bookstores are shutting down in droves, and the rules of grammar get lost in our effort to communicate faster and shorter. Critics decry, “Grammar is dead.”

But language is very much alive, changing with times and trends. This blog highlights the good, the bad, and the sometimes hilarious aspects of language in a world that’s becoming smaller and faster, thanks to technology.

It shows that language, while sometimes clunky and limiting, is all we’ve got. It doesn’t just shape how we view the world — it IS how we view the world. And now more than ever, it’s important to preserve our brains’ ability to use and process language with agility, as well as the publications that challenge us to think deeply and differently.

So, welcome to ‘This Wonderful Word’ — my love-blog to language that’s part media criticism, part linguistic trivia and trends, and entirely the ramblings of a devoted word nerd.