The rise of printing caught English at a moment when the norms linking spoken and written language were up for grabs, and so could be hijacked by diverse forces and imperatives that didn’t coordinate with each other, or cohere, or even have any distinct goals at all. If the printing press had arrived earlier in the life of English, or later, after some of the upheaval had settled, things might have ended up differently.

The rise of printing caught English at a moment when the norms linking spoken and written language were up for grabs, and so could be hijacked by diverse forces and imperatives that didn’t coordinate with each other, or cohere, or even have any distinct goals at all. If the printing press had arrived earlier in the life of English, or later, after some of the upheaval had settled, things might have ended up differently.

\<blockquote>With every piece of content we publish, we aim to:

Empower. Help people understand Mailchimp by using language that informs them and encourages them to make the most of our products.

Respect. Treat readers with the respect they deserve. Put yourself in their shoes, and don’t patronize them. Remember that they have other things to do. Be considerate and inclusive. Don’t market at people; communicate with them.

Educate. Tell readers what they need to know, not just what we want to s…

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The Word Lover’s Guide to New Words

Etymology of “nice”: from Latin nescius “ignorant, unaware,” literally “not-knowing”