Insights Archives - Living Word

Insights Mar 3, 2021

Cockney Rhyming Slang – soon to be ‘brown bread’?

London’s very special Cockney Rhyming Slang is an old, quirky tradition that’s loved by many – not least linguists. However, some experts believe that the slang is slowly dying out. We take a look at the origins and the most important words of this fascinating language. With its origins in...

London city

Insights Feb 28, 2021

Brushing up on sport terminology

Someone wins, someone else loses – but in the universal language of sports, we see the full range of emotions and get to feel part of the action. This year will see some unmissable sports events, and we take a look at some good-to-know phrases. For The Guardian, Sachin Nakrani has listed 21...

busy football stadium

Insights Feb 24, 2021

What alcohol sales and bans during the pandemic teach us about localisation

When it comes to alcohol sales during the current pandemic, countries have taken vastly different approaches based on exactly the same clinical evidence. India, for example, banned the sale of alcohol wholesale, and Norway reopened its alcohol shops in January after an ill-fated attempt to close...

boarded-up pub

Insights Feb 22, 2021

The culture and language of mental health

Leaving out the most complex clinical terms and diagnoses, the language of mental health is typically reasonably straight-forward. We may struggle to find the words to express how we’re feeling, but once we do, they don’t usually involve a lot of complicated terminology. So why is it that...