A review of Shapes for Sounds by Timothy Donaldson. An interview with Arika Okrent, author of In the Land of Invented Languages (and more). A look at the top ten geekiest constructed languages. A review of books on the English language. The words that make the English: Language is more subtle and complex than we think — speech reveals national character. Hovorte po slovensky: Slovakia criminalises the use of Hungarian. Tucker Childs is using digital technology to study and record one of Africa’s many dying languages. Swahili swerves into the internet age: Historic language of East African traders adapts to modern world — it's even on Facebook.  A review of I'm Not Hanging Noodles on Your Ears: And Other Intriguing Idioms from Around the World by Jag Bhalla (and an interview). The idiotic joys of idioms: Idioms are not only great fun, they also cast fresh light on the less rational workings of the human mind (and more). The return of the epigram: Can 21st-century Twitter rescue the wordplay mastered by 1st century Romans? Johann Hari on lies, damned lies and the double-speak to expunge. A look at what your choice of words says about your personality. How much skrilla for fro-yo? UCLA slang book spells out lingo. John Bassett McCleary's The Hippie Dictionary is a 720-page archive of a now-vanishing lexicon.