Linguistic Lesson of the Day
Steven L. Taylor
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Tuesday, October 19, 2010
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2 comments
“The word alcohol – al kohl – is Arabic in origin, like many other words that begin with “al,” like algebra, algorithm, alchemy, and Al Gore.”
And there you go.
Source: Psychology Today, “Why Intelligent People Drink More Alcohol.”
About Steven L. Taylor
Steven L. Taylor is a Professor of Political Science and a College of Arts and Sciences Dean. His main areas of expertise include parties, elections, and the institutional design of democracies. His most recent book is the co-authored
A Different Democracy: American Government in a 31-Country Perspective. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Texas and his BA from the University of California, Irvine. He has been blogging since 2003 (originally at the now defunct Poliblog).
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Thanks to the difficulty of calculating carbon offsets using Roman numerals, Al Gore also introduced Arabic numerals to western culture.
I just read the post about Christine and the First Amendment and some of the comments. I find I need a drink.