crime against humanity

Weird Al Yankovic’s latest album, Mandatory Fun, showcases his knowledge of grammar with the song “Word Crimes,” a parody of last summer’s controversial hit “Blurred Lines.” Among his peeves, Weird Al discusses the use of literally, whom, casual text speak, and apostrophes. Linguists view Weird Al’s new song as a teaching moment, though perhaps not of the variety that language enthusiasts might expect. On Language Log, Ben Zimmer stresses that Weird Al’s …

Today, former Oakland, California, transit police officer Johannes Mehserle received the minimum possible sentence in the controversial death of a teenager on January 1, 2009. The incident and subsequent trial have prompted outrage and violent protests.  Today’s decision brings attention to the legal meanings of  three verbs : “charge,” “convict,” and “sentence.” They appear in the news constantly, but do you know what each term actually describes? Let’s begin …