When avid couponers get together, the conversation might seem like a foreign language to the uninitated.

And a message on an online couponing forum can seem like complete gibberish -- nothing but alphabet soup to a coupon novice.

A typical back and forth might go something like this:

Question: IVDSO BOGO IP Qs on Cheerios. It's DH's favorite. PLMK.

Answer: No BOGO Qs, but have five Catalinas for 50 C/O. (DND). Will trade for BTFE or FARs.SASE.

Say what?

Here's the translation:

A wonderful headline ("Sit. Stay. Parse. Good girl!") attracted me to this New York Times story about a border collie who knows more than 1,000 nouns and appears to understand verbs. It mentions a Nova episode about dogs' intelligence.

A friend's Facebook status update reminded me that I wanted to write about the honorific ma'am. Some women don't like to be called "ma'am." I do.

I love North Carolina dialects. I have one myself -- western Piedmont. I ran across this nifty site today. Take the North Carolina Dialect Quiz and see if you can distinguish among North Carolina regional dialects. One speaker on the quiz sounds just like my mother, born in 1929 in Hickory.

You can also learn more about why people in parts of North Carolina speak the way they do. The quiz is part of the North Carolina Language and Life Project.

If you want to hear more examples of authentic North Carolina dialect, go to the International Dialects of English Archive. My kinfolks sound like North Carolina #17.

National Grammar Day is Wednesday, March 4.

The American Dialect Society chose bailout as the word of the year for 2008. Here is the news release from the society. Among the other nominees: shovel-ready and game-changer. The trend started by references to "Joe the plumber" caught on like wildfire. Just call me Pam the Copy Editor. I like thought showers, a term coined to avoid using brainstorming. I can't wait to hear someone in my workplace say, "Hey, I need some ideas. Let's have a thought shower session on this problem."

The news release also gives the words from past years. Remember pajamahadeen from 2004? I didn't either. I did remember metrosexual from 2003, information superhighway from 1993 and potty parity from 1990. Those terms seem quaint now.

The New Oxford American Dictionary chose hypermiling for its word of the year. The word refers to efforts to get the maximum gas mileage from your vehicle. 

Webster's New World Dictionary said overshare was the top word for 2008. It means giving too much personal information about yourself. I disdain the word, even if I do indulge in the practice.

See this post for other words of the year links.

Two pieces from the New York Times take on subjects I have written about recently, but with much more wit and sophistication.