“How Many Words Does You Know?”

That, of course, is the ludicrous question Ali G once posed to Noam Chomsky, and it’s ludicrous precisely because it’s impossible to answer. Equally ludicrous, then, is Paul J.J. Payack’s untestable assertion that, just yesterday at 5:22 AM, English got its millionth word Web 2.0 , which, as far as I’m concerned, isn’t even a word at all.

Next
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE

Of Roots and Adventures

Peter J. Leithart

I have lived in Ohio, Michigan, Georgia (twice), Pennsylvania, Alabama (also twice), England, and Idaho. I left…

Our Most Popular Articles of 2025

The Editors

It’s been a big year for First Things. Our website was completely redesigned, and stories like the…

Our Year in Film & Television—2025

Various

First Things editors and writers share the most memorable films and TV shows they watched this year.…