“Grammar do’s all the Art and Knowledge teach, According to the Use of every Speech … ” (1712)

Updated on March 4, 2021 … It’s National Grammar Day! What better way to celebrate than to take a journey through the podcasts, blogs and tables* of grammar and language-usage land. A lot of the old familiar grammar and usage blogs — like so many of the planet’s blogs — have sadly fallen by the proverbial wayside. However, others pop up, with new, fresh voices, and as long as Earthlings continue to write and talk, there will be people talking and writing about how we do just that. Here’s a guide to some of the most lively and articulate grammar and usage commentators whom you can listen to, read — or even meet on the street …

Podcasts:

Accentricity
This is a podcast about people and how they talk. About accents, and why we care about them. About languages, and how they refuse to be controlled. About why there is no such thing as bad grammar, no language is more important than any other language, and every voice is valid.

The Allusionist
Adventures in language with Helen Zaltzman.

A Way With Words
A public radio program about language examined through history, culture, and family.

Because Language
A podcast about linguistics, the science of language. Linguists Daniel Midgley and Hedvig Skirgård — and smart person Ben Ainslie — tackle topics like language change, language and society, language technology, and of course the dreaded Words of the Week.

en clair
forensic linguistics, literary detection, language mysteries, and more

Lingthusiasm
A podcast that’s enthusiastic about linguistics by Gretchen McCulloch and Lauren Gawne. A lively, deep, language-y conversation with real linguists!

Slate‘s Lexicon Valley
Lexicon Valley is a show about language, from pet peeves, syntax, and etymology to neurolinguistics and the death of languages. Hosted by linguist John McWhorter.

The Vocal Fries
The podcast about linguistic discrimination. We are the Vocal Fries, and we teach you how not to be an asshole about language.

Blogs:

Arrant Pedantry  Jonathon Owen is a linguist, editor, writer, and book designer with a master’s degree in linguistics from Brigham Young University. His thesis explored the effect of copyediting on edited usage. This is where he blogs about editing, usage, prescriptivism and descriptivism, and other language issues. Vibe: Irreverent, detailed, comprehensive, nerdy.

Grammar Girl :: Quick and Dirty Tips ™ Has tips and grammar exercises to help you learn and remember all the grammar rules on punctuation, word choice, and more. Mignon Fogarty is a former magazine and technical writer, and an entrepreneur.  Vibe: Instructive, accessible, straightforward, helpful.

Grammarist is a blog devoted to English grammar and usage. Team of unnamed editors/contributors. Vibe: a straightforward compendium of usage, spelling, grammar, style, words and phrases.

Grammarphobia  Grammar, etymology, usage, and more, brought to you by Patricia T. O’Conner and Stewart Kellerman. Between them, they have written five books about the English language and have more than half a century of experience as writers and editors. Vibe: Relevant, expert, informative, eclectic, accessible.

LanguageHat  is written by Steve Dodson, a copy-editor currently living in western Massachusetts after many years in New York City. Vibe: Serious, nerdy, comprehensive, academic.

Sentence First  is an Irishman’s blog about the English language: its usage, grammar, styles, literature, history, and quirks. Stan Carey is a scientist and writer turned editor and swivel-chair linguist. Vibe: Wide-ranging and eclectic subject matter, accessible and informal.

Separated by a common language Observations on British and American English by an American linguist in the UK. M Lynne Murphy is Reader* in Linguistics & English Language at the University of Sussex; made the shift from expat to dual citizen; teaches & researches semantics, pragmatics and psycholinguistics. Vibe: Detailed but accessible; expert perspective on the endlessly fascinating differences between British and American English.

Sesquiotica is things sesquiotic. Sesquiotics is three times as good as semiotics. Lend me an ear and a half! A word isn’t much good if it can only mean one thing at a time. Words are delicious and intoxicating. They do much more than just denote; they have appearance, sound, a feel in the mouth, and words they sound like and travel with. All of these participate in the aesthetic experience of the word and can affect communication. So why not taste them like a fine wine? Vibe: Detailed, nerdy, entertaining.

Shop Talk – With these pages and posts, the editors and staff of the Chicago Manual of Style hope to bring clarity, education, and amusement to anyone who works with words. Vibe: Topical, good for talking shop.

Wordlady is about the fascinating, fun, and challenging things about the English language. I hope to entertain you and to help you with problems or just questions you might have with spelling and usage. I go beyond just stating what is right and what is wrong, and provide some history or some tips to help you remember. Katherine Barber, “Canada’s Word Lady”, is a best-selling author and media personality. Vibe: Detailed, informative, relevant, eclectic, knowledgeable.

You Don’t Say – John E. McIntyre writes about language, usage, journalism & arbitrarily chosen subjects. (At the Baltimore Sun.)

Last but not least (please excuse the self-promotion): Glossophilia – dedicated to observing, discussing, celebrating, dissecting, and marveling about the English language in all its usage and abusage. Louise Barder is a dual British-American citizen who has enjoyed two careers — in publishing and the classical music business. Vibe: informal and irreverent.

Not a blog or podcast, but an important must-visit grammar destination:

*Grammar Table – The history of Grammar Table is simple: on September 21, 2018, writer/teacher/language lover Ellen Jovin picked up a folding table in her Upper West Side apartment, carried it outside, and stuck a grammar sign on it. She was hoping that people would come by to ask grammar questions and chat about language, and that’s just what happened! It took maybe 30 seconds for the conversations to begin, and they have been continuing ever since.

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