In a recent post, I wrote about a circular from the Department of Official Language, part of the Indian Home Ministry, encouraging the use of popular English words in place of difficult Hindi terms in official Hindi communications. The Wall Street Journal‘s India blog carries the same news posted a few hours ago, […]

Long time, no see, FiTizens!

We’ve hit December and with that comes the start of the usual reflections upon the year that has just been. On the language side of things, this usually means lists of words that somehow manage to encapsulate or convey the events and general feeling of the year. The past week here […]

Following a series of recent service outages impacting CalMail, the UC Berkeley email system, Berkeley’s Information Services and Technology organization (IST) announced Monday that it was implementing a major change in communications technology, effective immediately. Dubbed “CowMail,” the new system will involve rapidly phasing out email and other forms of electronic communication in favor of […]

Ever wonder how Mount Diablo got its name?  What the “San” in San Pablo means, or what an “alcatraz” is?

California’s diverse toponymy comes from its rich cultural history — places like Ohlone Park, Sonoma, Solano, Petaluma, Marin and Napa all originate from the indigenous peoples of the area (Ohlone, more→