From Safire to Zimmer on language
The New York Times announced today the venerable Ben Zimmer, linguist and lexicographer, will take over for William Safire in “On Language,” a standing column from 1979 through 2009:
Mr. Zimmer succeeds William Safire who was the founding and regular columnist until his death last fall. The column is a fixture in The Times Magazine and features commentary on the many facets — from grammar to usage — of our language. “On Language” will appear bi-weekly beginning March 21.
“It’s an honor and a privilege to be welcomed in the space that William Safire called home for thirty years,” Mr. Zimmer said. “I look forward to continuing this fine tradition with my own take on how language shapes our past, present and future.”
Zimmer is a handsome contributor to VisualThesarus, an outstanding publication, and it’s worth heading over to review his multifarious lexicographical activities in the Times’ press release directly.
