Almost everyone uses language, so inevitably almost everyone thinks they are an expert in it. I don’t consider myself an expert, though most of my work requires at least language competence and sometimes actual skill, and I’m certainly not a linguist, but I do look at the blogs featured on this feeds page (too often if the truth be told).
(If you are wondering where the translation-related feeds have all gone, I have put them on their own page.)
Most of the blogs represented here are in English, most of the time, but don’t be surprised to find other languages used. Go with the flow – I occasionally find myself pleasantly surprised at how much I can grasp in languages I have never seen before.
Language On the Net
Omniglot blog
A History of the World in 100 Objects
There’s an very interesting series of programmes on BBC Radio 4 at the moment called “A History of the World in 100 Objects“. The objects come from the British Museum and one of recent programmes discussed an ancient Mesopotamian writing tablet, like the one on the right, from about 3,000 BC. They talk about the invention of writing, and how … [Link]
Name the language
Here’s a text in a mystery language. 
Do you know or can you guess which language this is and where it’s spoken? [Link]
Words at Work
Those Online Headlines
I've been complaining about the many factually challenged Huffington Post headlines for some time. This week, Jon Stewart took up the issue of overheated language in heds.The Daily Show With Jon StewartMon – Thurs 11p / 10cThe Blogs Must Be Crazywww.thedailyshow.comDaily Show Full EpisodesPolitical HumorHealth Care Crisis
One Little Letter
Another in a continuing series of complaints about why we need editors and not technologists writing headlines. Even for the web. I suppose if two bands faced off, we would have a riff. If you can't get through this link, consider yourself saved by a paywall. Opinion: Riff between branches 'almost unprecedented' When President Obama called out the Supreme Court, … [Link]
DCblog
On linguistic dreams
A correspondent writes to tell me of a linguistic dream he just had. As follows:'I had a dream the other night with Significant Linguistic Content. It started out as the standard nightmare (mercifully infrequent these days) that I was teaching in a secondary school, as was the case long ago. But things improved and softened: the kiddies (11-year-olds, I’d say) … [Link]
On language and colic
A correspondent writes to ask whether singing to her baby will help when it's colicky.The power of song over babies has long been recognized. The word lullaby has been in the English language since the Middle Ages – one of several, such as rockaby and hushaby, which show how generations of mothers and caretakers have helped their children fall asleep … [Link]
languagehat.com
WORLD LOANWORD DATABASE.
The World Loanword Database (WOLD) is the most amazing thing I've seen in a while, linguistically speaking. Lameen Souag took time off from thesis-writing to share it, and I'm glad I have neither a thesis to write nor (at the moment) work to do, so I can splash around in it to my heart's content. Here's their description: It provides … [Link]
ZDANEVICH ONLINE.
A Russian correspondent wrote me to say: "as a reader of your blog I see that you are interested in Russian formalistic prose. Here are two novels by Iliazd available for free download." He had excellent insight into my interests; some time back I was interested enough in Ilia Zdanevich, known as Iliazd (Ильяз~ to write most of that Wikipedia … [Link]
Language Log
Isms, gasms, etc.
The linguistic point that is so interesting about the Partially Clips cartoon strip that Mark just pointed you to is that the "suffixes" involved are not all suffixes. The endings of the words are -like, -esque, -ward, -proof, -(a)thon, -riffic, -master, -go-round, -ism, -kabob, -(o)phile, -(i)licious, and -gasm. Of these, I think I'd say (it is a theoretical judgment) that … [Link]
In your face, Reginald
The most recent PartiallyClips: 
(Click on the image for a larger version.) I was disappointed not to find any evidence that over-enthusiastic spell checking has led to actual "moral gelatinism". But badgergasm does have some genuine (if puzzling) web hits. [Link]
Urban Word of the Day
mondaze
a daze you find yourself in due to it being Monday I locked my keys in my car because I was in a total Mondaze. I hate the start of a new work week.
[Link]
LCD Trip
When you watch too much football on your LCD big-screen. Can apply to other sports or programming in which you sit, staring at it for hours. Known to have negative effects on you health. Joe Sixpack gets an LCD Trip every night watching ESPN.We totally LCD Tripped during last year's Superbowl.
[Link]
Wordorigins.org
Last Speaker of Bo Dies
The BBC reports the death of Boa Sr, at 85 years old the last native speaker of the Andaman Islands language of Bo. She was the last native speaker of the tongue for at least thirty years. What I’m not sure about is the hype about it being an “ancient” language. It’s not like the language that Boa Sr learned … [Link]
Resuscitating Languages
In general I’m skeptical about the ability to resuscitate or revive dead languages, but this is an interesting case. NPR reports on the efforts of the Chitimacha tribe in southern Louisiana to revive their language—the last native speaker of which died in 1940. There are about 1,000 Chitamacha tribe members, which is a small, but not impossibly small, group in … [Link]
the world in words
Obama’s new words, Avatar in the Amazon, and a Chinese satirical extravaganza
As Barack Obama enters the second year of his presidency, he’s dropped some expressions — among them, war on terror, associated of course mainly with George W. Bush and AfPak, a conflation of Afghanstan and Pakistan, which didn’t go down too well in Pakistan. In his State of Union speech, Obama didn’t even mention the Middle East. His administration has … [Link]
New York’s polyglot cops, Arabic online, and the planet’s most difficult language
For the latest podcast, five language news stories from the past few weeks, as chosen by The Big Show’s crack language team (Carol and me). 5. Nice and nasty words. 
Our pick of the many lists — here, here and yes, here – for best and worst words of the year and the decade. We like Abwrackprämie – it’s Germany’s word … [Link]
GrammarBlog
Hugh selection
Hugh selection, originally uploaded by GrammarBlog. A great spot here, sent in by Caroline. I imagine there are a few lorries in the Dreams Plc fleet with this error. Perhaps UK based readers might like to see if they can spot more. [Link]
Abuse’s of plural’s and apostrophe’s
It’s time for an apostrophe round-up, because every now and again you just have to kick back and enjoy yourself. Peter Ball sent in this picture from the George Inn near London Bridge station: 
Peter has also helpfully provided a summary of the likely thought process of the chalk-holder in this instance: ‘We appear to have forgotten to pluralise the … [Link]
Talk Wordy to Me
Words of Others | Lost Things
From the story “Feeders and Eaters” in Neil Gaiman’s Fragile Things: I was beginning to wonder whether he had a right arm. Maybe the sleeve was empty. Not that it was any of my business. Nobody gets through life without losing a few things on the way. 
[Link]
Thoughts interrupted
In Monday’s Words of Others, I quoted from chapter of the book “An Artist in Treason” in which our villain, James Wilkinson, has moved to the frontier in Kentucky. One of Wilkinson’s talents was in giving good first impressions to everyone he met (only to borrow, betray, and disappoint later). A description of one such impression gave me a word … [Link]
World Wide Words updates
Weird Words: Adust [New]
It reads like a spelling mistake, but adust takes us back to medieval medical practice. [Link]
Turns of Phrase: Crisitunity [New]
A misunderstanding of Chinese has led to the invention of crisitunity as shorthand for a modern proverb [Link]
You Don't Say
Blast from the past
It is probably not too soon to steel yourself for National Grammar Day on March 4. By way of preparation, and to respond to readers disappointed that the You Don’t Say posts at Baltimoresun.com are no longer accessible, I am reproducing here all four installments of last year’s Grammarnoir serial. (I’m undecided about what to do this year.) GRAMMARNOIRI. Down … [Link]
Must be important; it's on Facebook
One of my readers, a former University of Maryland at Baltimore County student, noticed a couple of articles at Baltimoresun.com that cited Facebook numbers. His comments:Both stories cite the membership of a Facebook group related to the story as a substantial fact (the first in the seventh paragraph, the second in the 18th. Both figures are between 1,000 and 2,000, … [Link]
The Engine Room
Archive
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2 responses so far ↓
1 The End of Civilization As We Know It // Feb 1, 2009 at %I:%M %p
[...] it is declaredly prescriptivist, and the descriptivists might otherwise be over-represented on the Language Stuff [...]
2 Bare-bones HTML or CMS? // Mar 18, 2009 at %I:%M %p
[...] Language Stuff [...]
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