13 October 2011 sees the start of The English Project‘s year-long series of events around the Language of Sport. Any historical study of sport will show you how meanings change over time. Think about how the word ‘amateur’ used to be a term of praise in sport, but is now more frequently a term of abuse, or how the simple word ‘football’ can mean one of many different sports and games depending on time and place. And don’t get me started on how ‘Olympic’ has meant so many different things over time.
There are many ways in which everyone can get involved with this fascinating work. The first is a Sports Tweet of the Year competition. The deadline is very soon, so get tweeting.