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
Language Log » A "Japanese" supermarket at Peking University
Gianni Wan sent in this photograph of a sign on the front of a popular convenience store at Peking University: 
The Chinese reads: bóshí xīqū chāoshì 博实西区超市 The second set of two characters refers to the western district of the Peking University campus, not to "Western" style food, and the last set of two characters does indeed mean "supermarket", but … [Link]
Language Log » Micropolitan (statistical area)
Of course I'm familiar with the concept of a "metropolitan statistical area", defined by Wikipedia as "a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area". The United States Office of Management and Budget is responsible for the official list, which comprises 388 MSAs in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. What … [Link]
Urban Word of the Day » Nostache
When a man has a moustache but you can't tell where the nose hair stops and the moustache begins. "Man, Bill has a hell of a nostache going on.."
[Link]
languagehat.com » Oriental(ism).
Victor Mair has a post at the Log taking off from a query by Cortney Chaffin, who says she was bothered by a colleague’s use of phrases like “oriental landscape painting” to describe an exhibit: Anyways, my colleague just so happens to be Korean and after I explained to him why I feel we should not use the term in … [Link]
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