John Gordon Ross

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 » Ningbo pidgin English ditty

Sunday 13 July 15:19:27 UTC 2014

While visiting Ningbo last month, Barney Grubbs snapped this picture of a doggerel song featuring English words in local transcription at the Museum of the Ningbo Commercial Group ( Níngbō bāng bówùguǎn寧波幫博物館): Website, Wikipedia article. The photograph is not clear (even with a magnifying glass it's hard to read), so a typed version is given below. [Update: Barney sent a … [Link]

languagehat.com » Title Case for Bird Names.

Sunday 13 July 14:21:20 UTC 2014

Martha Harbison has a painfully funny piece in Audubon about the history and significance of that magazine’s decision to mandate title case for bird names (e.g., “Bald Eagle” rather than “bald eagle”). Here’s a sample: A group of magazine editors, scientists, and communications professionals, convened by Audubon’s VP of Content, Mark Jannot, was asked to hash out, once and for … [Link]

Urban Word of the Day » Smellfie

Sunday 13 July 7:00:00 UTC 2014

To discretely sniff ones underarms for stank before venturing out in to public areas as to not offend other with fowl body odor. Hey man you ready to go?Yea but first, let me take a smellfie. *sniff*Yea we good, let's dip! [Link]

Omniglot blog » Language quiz

Sunday 13 July 5:54:22 UTC 2014

Here’s a recording in a mystery language. Can you identify the language, and do you know where it’s spoken? Share [Link]

languagehat.com » Mucket.

Sunday 13 July 0:21:20 UTC 2014

A delightful NY Times article by Jon Grinspan called “How Coffee Fueled the Civil War” (thanks, Eric!) is worth reading for any coffee lover (there are tasty quotes like a soldier’s “what keeps me alive must be the coffee” and Gen. Butler’s “if your men get their coffee early in the morning you can hold”), but what brings me to … [Link]

Archive