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, but I do follow the blogs featured on this feeds page.
(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
languagehat.com » Efimok, Efimon.
I was looking through Ivan Shmelyov‘s Лето Господне [Leto Gospodne, The summer/year of the Lord], a loving reconstruction of the religious and folk life of prerevolutionary Russia, when my eye hit on the unusual word ефимоны [efimóny]. Curious, I looked it up in Vasmer (who has it as ефимон, even though it seems always to be used in the plural), … [Link]
Language Log » It was a russet!
Today's Dilbert exemplifies a "Rule of Polite Discourse" that's missing from Wikipedia's version: 
Presenting commonplace and obvious things as if they were worthy of note might be construed as a "face-threatening act" in the sense of Brown & Levinson's politeness theory, on the grounds that it implies an offensively low level of knowledge. But I don't recall having seen an … [Link]
Language Log » Once more vnto the Breach
A comment on a recent post: In reference to: This ties in perfectly with the recent post entitled "Once more on the present continuative ending -ing in Chinese" in two ways: Entitled is incorrect. TITLED is correct. Unless the letters are "entitled" to an ice cream cone. 🙂 This is nonsense, as usual asserted confidently without any evidence. Given LLOG's … [Link]
Language Log » Ensure government big tofu
Sandeep Robert Datta posted this on Facebook, from the Beijing International Airport: 
Bǎofǔ dà dòufu 保府大豆腐 ("Bao[ding] Prefecture uncut bean curd") Bǎofǔ 保府 is short for Bǎodìng fǔ 保定府 ("Baoding Prefecture"), which was the capital of Zhílì 直隶 Province during the Qing Dynasty. Zhílì 直隶 (formerly romanized as Chihli) means "directly ruled" and refers to the fact that the area … [Link]
Urban Word of the Day » employmentally challenged
In today's economy, this word is quite handy when describing those who are currently without a job, jobless, or unemployed. This large group of people may or may not be receiving monthly benefits. They might be actively seeking work and honing in on their resumes or interviewing skills. More often than not, one can assume that they are glued to … [Link]
languagehat.com » New Words in the OED.
The OED new words list is always fun to peruse; the latest, for March, is perhaps more so than usual. (WARNING: If formerly unprintable vocabulary offends you, read no further.) As Erin Gloria Ryan at Jezebel puts it (or whoever wrote the headline for her piece): “Cunty, Cuntish, Cunted and Cunting Added to Oxford English Dictionary.” The base noun (so … [Link]
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