John Gordon Ross

A Man for All Reasons

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Language Stuff

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 » Plural data

Friday 3 October 21:34:56 UTC 2014

Today's xkcd: Mouseover title: "If you want to have more fun at the expense of language pedants, try developing an hypercorrection habit." That should be "…developing another hypercorrection habit", since making data plural in that situation is exactly analogous to using whom in "Whom are you, anyways?". But then, as Ben Zimmer has pointed out to me, that would spoil … [Link]

Language Log » Translating the Umbrella Revolution

Friday 3 October 15:57:46 UTC 2014

Far from prohibiting translation (see the last item here), the young demonstrators in Hong Kong are offering free translation services for the media and others who may be in need of them. The following photograph was shared on Twitter by Newsweek's Lauren Walker: While I'm not sure I'd fully rely on the guy on the left ("translatlive annocement…"), I'm sure … [Link]

the world in words » Cajuns are fiercely proud of their culture, but they’re divided over the word ‘coonass’

Friday 3 October 14:18:30 UTC 2014

Photo: Veronica ZaragoviaPhoto: Veronica Zaragovia Here’s a post from Veronica Zaragovia. The town of Eunice, Louisiana is one of those places that lets you know exactly where in America you are. “I’m the owner of KBON 101.1 FM down in Cajun Country,” says Paul Marx, whose station began broadcasting music in 1997. Much of life in so-called Cajun Country involves the French language, … [Link]

Language Log » Half-fast

Friday 3 October 8:46:27 UTC 2014

From David Donnell: "Not for nothin'," as the native NY'ers say, but I saw this commercial on the idiot-box tonight and was tickled by the play on words. Surprised to google and discover "half-fast" has been around for some time. But the TV ad still makes me laugh! [Link]

Urban Word of the Day » contact sad

Friday 3 October 7:30:00 UTC 2014

When you are made sad by other people's negative comments or attitudes, usually through Facebook posts. "I don't like watching anime. Because I think the people watching it are sad. And that makes me sad." "Dude that's a contact sad." [Link]

Language Log » Tasteless coffee

Friday 3 October 2:22:31 UTC 2014

From "Signspotting around the world: Funny fails", a "Lonely Planet travel signs" feature of CNN Travel, I have selected an ensemble of four signs to illustrate different types of translation difficulties. The first was spotted in a Beijing cafe: Xǐláitè kāfēi 喜来特咖啡 That would be "Xǐláitè Coffee", with "Xǐláitè very much having the look of a foreign name. As a … [Link]

languagehat.com » Historical Synonym Word Clouds.

Friday 3 October 0:53:27 UTC 2014

From “Spiflicated, mopsy, and spondulicks: historical synonyms for everyday things” at the Oxford Dictionaries blog: In Words in Time and Place , David Crystal explores fifteen fascinating sets of synonyms, using the Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary. We’ve turned selections from six sections of Words in Time and Place into word clouds, arranged in a shape related to the … [Link]

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