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

Omniglot blog » Language quiz

Sunday 15 February 12:33:41 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]

Urban Word of the Day » Butt Buddies

Sunday 15 February 9:00:00 UTC 2015

A term used to describe very very very close friends of the same sex. Almost as if they were gay but they certainly aren't gay. Often seen together 24/7. Dude, I see you and Sean together all the time; are you guys like butt buddies now?! [Link]

Language Log » New, blue, not tea

Sunday 15 February 5:43:08 UTC 2015

A few days ago, next to a Salon de Thé in Bercy Village in Paris, I saw out of the corner of my eye a large poster showing a seriously blue young man labelled as "THE AVENER". My first thought was, hmm, interesting that French yuppies are so seriously into the personification of tea. But then I read the notice in … [Link]

Language Log » BOGO

Sunday 15 February 5:40:20 UTC 2015

Joshua Harwood sent in the following photograph taken at a Samsung display in the major shopping center of Xinyi District, Taipei: The main slogan says: xiànshí mǎi E sòng E 限時買E送E ("for a limited time buy E / one get E / one") The usual way to write the offer of "buy one get one" in Chinese is mǎi yī … [Link]

Language Log » Erection in progress

Sunday 15 February 5:05:21 UTC 2015

Toni Tan sent in the following photograph: As soon as I looked at the sign I burst out laughing. Once I recovered my breath, I had two thoughts: the typography and design are too neat and professional to have been done by a workaday jobber in Chinese-speaking East Asia it reminded me of another sign I wrote about recently: "Everywhere, … [Link]

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