Under the volcano
As Sicilians say, Mamma Etna gives more than she takes away
The end of the schtick
The Last Jewish Joke by Michel Wieviorka
How speech flowered from an ancient root
Connective tissue between Classical Western and Indian languages
The joy of old English
Interest in language was once the domain of antiquarians and clergymen
Bernard-Henri Lévy
France’s celebrity philosopher, war reporter and professional pessimist
The beginning and end of conversation
A catholic sift through humankind’s advent and our eventual, formative babbling and beyond.
Profile: Noam Chomsky
The American linguistics professor who is forever at odds with his country
Twists of the tongue
When competing languages collide, demography eventually supersedes prestige
Most Read
The martyrdom of Young Bob
On ebbing power of the political influencer
Losing control of the narrative
The British establishment no longer sets the terms of public debate over migration
How the Southport riots broke Starmer’s government
A combination of authoritarianism and hypocrisy proved fatal
UK defence readiness is indefensible
Silence is no longer an option — Britain’s Chief of the Defence Staff must resign
Stop ignoring the Islamisation of our democracy
The British state is bending to Islamism, not attempting to defeat it
Badenoch in the bindweed
The Conservative Party leader might please no one by trying to please everyone
Marketing masters
Catching the eye of a buyer in the social media era
Countryside counter-attack
A ban on trail hunting reveals a government more interested in cultural punishment than rural survival
The right does not need religion
We should not mourn the end of the Quiet Revival
The tyranny of memes
Modern would-be assassins are products of the internet
The fateful road to the great dictators
Weimar Germany / Red Dawn Over China
An elusive eatery
Total failure, redeemed by souvlaki and chips at the kebab stand
Quinlan Terry
He kept the flame of classicism alive at a time when it burnt very low
The emperor’s old advisor
McSweeney’s performance before MPs suggests age and experience hasn’t brought clarity — only better excuses
What does it mean to be free?
Women are caught between different experiences of freedom and loss
The meaning and meaninglessness of Makerfield
Andy Burnham has triumphed — but can he maintain his success?