17 June 2019
What is it about language that gets people so hot under the collar? That drives them to spend hours arguing with strangers on the internet, to go around correcting misspelt signs in the dead of night, or even to threaten acts of violence? The languages we speak are central to our sense of self, so it is not surprising that their finer points can become a battleground. Passionate feelings about what's right and wrong extend from the use of "disinterested" to what gay people are allowed to call themselves. Here are some of the most memorable rows, spats and controversies.
