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 » Labiality and femininity

Friday 26 December 21:08:01 UTC 2014

I recently got this note from Bill Labov, following up on a conversation about UM and UH (see "UM / UH update", 12/13/2014, for a summary), I've been thinking about the female preference for the labial gesture in hesitation forms, and this returned me to the issues raised by Gordon and Heath in their paper on sex and sound symbolism (Matthew … [Link]

languagehat.com » The Hedgehog and the Fox.

Friday 26 December 16:33:52 UTC 2014

I’ve just started James Turner’s Philology: The Forgotten Origins of the Modern Humanities (thanks, bulbul!), and I’ve stumbled right out of the blocks. The very first words of the Prologue are: “In his Adages (1500) the great humanist Erasmus of Rottersdam quipped, ‘The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog one big thing.’” Now, in the effete intellectual circles to … [Link]

Urban Word of the Day » omw2syg

Friday 26 December 15:14:36 UTC 2014

On my way to steal your girl. *Hair & outfit on fleek, driving a new car" Guy: I'm omw2syg [Link]

languagehat.com » Xmas Loot 2014.

Friday 26 December 1:03:08 UTC 2014

I’m back from my sister-in-law’s, full of her excellent cannelloni; herewith for those interested the presents of LH relevance that I have received (there was also the traditional scotch and some good music): The Extraordinary Decade: Literary Memoirs , by P. V Annenkov Challenging the Bard: Dostoevsky and Pushkin, a Study of Literary Relationship , by Gary Rosenshield Midnight at the Pera … [Link]

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