Thought corrupts language, language corrupts thought. Clever man, that George Orwell. This is very true, and politicians and leaders have been riding on it for as long as they’ve been visible. With phrases like “friendly fire” (shooting your own side), “austerity measures” (we’ll cut whatever we want) and “axis of evil” (we’re the good ones)…

Feminism is a word loaded with controversy – some see it as female domination, or ugly lesbians, or ugly straights who just can’t get a man, or moaning bitches, or they-want-equality-but-they-also-want-me-to-lift-heavy-boxes-aren’t-they-hypocrites? I for one am a feminist advocate. I think that gaining social and economic equality is a good thing. The empowerment of women helps…

This here book is The Secret Life of Pronouns, a fascinating and in-depth study into language. It looks at language of love, lying, personality and – yes – status. The surprising conclusion is that the most important words in determining these things are the words we don’t think about: personal pronouns (I, you, we) and…