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Featured Topic: Language Theory

Though it sometimes causes headaches, copyeditors need a little language theory now and again to keep up with changes. In today’s News Roundup: why you can keep the reason why, the problem with the phrase “correct grammar,” and the fallacy of those ultraconserved words.

• “The Reason Why This Is Correct”: A reason not to edit the reason why. (Arrant Pedantry)
• “Michael Gove and “Correct Grammar”: Let Me Explain This Slowly”: Why “correct grammar” is a misnomer. (The Guardian)
• “Do ‘Ultraconserved Words’ Reveal Linguistic...

In the early 1900s, Anna Jarvis campaigned to make Mother’s Day an official holiday because she wanted to honor her mother after she had passed away and thought others should honor their mothers, present or passed. Anna’s mother, Ann Jarvis, founded Mothers’ Day Work Clubs that focused on sanitation. Anna’s petition was finally successful in 1914 when President Woodrow Wilson made Mother’s Day a national holiday. Today mothers are celebrated on the second Sunday of May with phone calls, flowers, cards, photos, brunches, outings, gifts, and special attention.

When Anna petitioned for a Mother’s Day, she specifically wanted the singular possessive form. She wanted to emphasize the personalized honoring of one’...

Western Psychological Services (WPS) is seeking an editor to join its team in Torrance, California. Torrance is in southwestern Los Angeles County, near Redondo and Manhattan Beach, and was one of the finalist in the 2011 “All-American City Award.” Established in 1948 to help WWII veterans readjust to civilian life, WPS now provides assessment and therapy materials for psychology and education professionals around the world. The Creative Therapy Store is a division of WPS.

The editor will edit and proofread assessments, manuals, marketing materials, books, and other documents; help...

There’s something diverting about getting food before you get your meal. But that’s exactly what appetizers are. Of course, in many restaurants in the U.S. today, the appetizers menu includes dishes that will satisfy your hunger, not just stimulate your appetite. Unless you’re sharing with a large group, many of today’s appetizers can’t really be considered appetizers at all. Which got me thinking about appetizers of the past.

The Italian antipasto was the first pre-meal word to hit English. First used in 1590, Italian cured meats and pickled vegetables were making their “before meal” appearances in the English vernacular. Not until a century and a quarter later (1714) did the...