I’ve had a lot of terms sent in over the last year or so. Hundreds of people have been generous with their knowledge, sharing words from their local areas, from their memories of childhood and from their professional expertise. Each submission is a treasure and I’m very grateful for them all whether they arrive alone or in a cluster. Several people have offered whole troves of words but this week I was sent a truly magnificent haul from Bryan Miller, who 20 years ago started a similar project to mine but focusing on the English uplands. Bryan has collected hundreds …

There’s recently been revived interest in a story that I think I first heard about in Robert Macfarlane’s essay “A Counter-Desecration Phrasebook“. Back in 2007 the Oxford University Press announced a new edition of their Junior Dictionary (aimed at 7-9 year-olds) and it was noticed that a number of nature words that had been in previous editions were now absent, in their place were a selection of new words like “broadband”, “voicemail” and “blog”. In all, 47 words for plants, animals and natural landforms were cut in 2007. My reaction to this was a mixture of sadness and dejection. The …