Fig. 1. Still from Langfocus YouTube Channel.       Paul from the Langfocus Youtube Channel, states Shakespeare, one of the most known writers of all time, wrote thirty-eight plays and 150 poems. However, they’re not so easy to understand because they were written in Early Modern English during the years 1590-1613. Shakespeare not only made an impact on culture, but more importantly on today’s English language – an extensive one at that.      aul continues that it has commonly been asserted that Shakespeare “created” 1700 words that are used in Modern English. However, Paul states there needs to be a reassessment of that claim because although the words do appear in writing for the first time in Shakespeare’s works, that didn’t necessarily mean Shakespeare wrote them since these words might have been in widespread use colloquially. Additionally, some of the 1700 “created” words also appeared in earlier, more obscure literatur...

Fig. 1. Still from A Way With Words. I am new to A Way With Words’ YouTube channel, and while I often go to the beginning of a channel to get a better idea of its content, this time I watched/listened to the most recent uploaded entry titled, “Care Package.” Narrated in podcast style, its creators, author/journalist Martha Barnette and linguist/lexicographer Grant Barrett, talk about everything language, including questions and sharing stories.     CARE PACKAGE: In this particular episode, they explore the origins of the several words and phrases, one of them being Care Package. The hosts explain that it was actually an acronym for an organization formed in 1946 called Cooperative for American Remittances to Europe. This organization formed to fight poverty and hunger during WWII. In essence, they sent food and items overseas to people who were in need, but within time, the organization sent food and items all over the world. ...