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 » "Faux-cul" and "vraie vulve"

Sunday 1 February 13:21:31 UTC 2015

Outsiders to American politics are probably somewhat puzzled by the narrative background of the Chris Christie PAC acronym story. I mean, LMFAO, fine, but what's a PAC? and who's Chris Christie? And why did American Bridge think it was funny to turn "Party Rock Anthem" into "Traffic Block Anthem"? All obvious to us here in the U.S., but probably mystifying … [Link]

Language Log » LMFAO

Sunday 1 February 11:34:35 UTC 2015

The URL for Chris Christie's new political action committee has occasioned a certain amount of innocent merriment, because LeadershipMattersForAmerica.org naturally suggests the acronym LMFAO, normally interpreted as "laughing my fucking ass off": Evidence that the distribution of capital letters is original: This will probably not start a trend of PACs with amusing acronyms, but we can always hope. [Link]

Urban Word of the Day » Fuckit list

Sunday 1 February 8:00:00 UTC 2015

The list of things you meant to get done before you die, but now realize you're never going to get around to. My "Fuckit list": Yeah, I was going to write the Great American novel before I died, but I got busy. Also, you're going to have to clean the gutters without me. Fuck it. [Link]

Omniglot blog » Language quiz

Sunday 1 February 6:09:23 UTC 2015

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

Language Log » Myopia in East Asia

Sunday 1 February 3:49:16 UTC 2015

[The following is a guest post by Dr. Ian Morgan of the Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia and Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China. It is in response to "Chinese characters and eyesight" (11/12/14), which generated a lot of interest and discussion, and which references the work and views of Dr. Morgan.] I came … [Link]

languagehat.com » Two Idioms.

Sunday 1 February 1:13:15 UTC 2015

I’ve recently had my attention drawn to two idioms, an ambiguous English one and an opaque Russian one: 1) Punching above one’s weight. Harley Cahen wrote me as follows: I just stumbled upon your remarkable and effective 2002 demolition of David Foster Wallace’s infamous Harper’s essay. At one point you write: “OK, even I am getting tired of this. It … [Link]

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