Monday, December 2Royal Holloway's offical student publication, est. 1986

Tag: Change

Our Changing Language
Features

Our Changing Language

Mansplaining and hangry, acorn and buttercup – words that made the news for different reasons. The new list of words joining the dictionary in January 2018 has been revealed. Several times a year, new words are added to the Oxford English Dictionary, words that have already become integrated into our society. This January, the BBC has reported that over 1,000 words have been added. Mansplaining and hangry are just two of these, both originating online. An article from The Guardian by Alison Flood reported that ‘Mumsnet’ was asked for advice when compiling the new list of words. Our language is increasingly drawn from technology – words used on the internet and on texts. Remember the introduction of selfie? The new list includes e-sport and e-liquid, once again words related to techno...
Debrief: Polly Goddard
Features

Debrief: Polly Goddard

I had the pleasure to visit Polly in her family home in Fleet where she lives with her parents, younger brother and grandmother. Polly kindly met me at the station and walked me to her house. We chatted about school, how our days had been so far and engaged in some general chit chat as we approached her house. Her room, decorated with a sweet plum purple paint, is lined with strings of polaroids containing images of family and friends. She sits on her patchwork covered sofa next to her desk, very neatly arranged with all the stationary a young academic could need. We start by discussing her initial diagnosis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia. She recounts getting ill and the doctors originally thinking that she had tonsilitis. It was in fact her mum that persisted in saying “this isn’t Po...
Northerner venturing South
Lifestyle

Northerner venturing South

I’ve always been slightly paranoid about my origins and I know I'm not the only Northerner who feels this way. I was born in Chesterfield and moved up to Liverpool when I was four. When I decided to move down South for university, or, to be precise, 222.7 miles down South according to Google Maps, it was safe to say that my extremely Northern grandma was more than slightly concerned. My parents encouraged me to go where I wanted, and had no qualms about it. Their only warning was that I would have to get the train home to visit them each time I wanted to. My grandma, on the other hand, asked me several times if I wanted to change my mind about the costs of the train fare, the general cost of life ‘down there’ (she meant London, no matter how many times I told her Royal Holloway was in S...