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 » Carrying coals to Newcastle
An idiomatic way to say a task is pointless is to say it’s like carrying coals to Newcastle – Newcastle, in the north east of England, used to be a major coal mining area. In French the equivalent is porter de l’eau à la rivière (to carry water to the river). In German they say Eulen nach Athen bringen/tragen (to … [Link]
Language Log » "A year ago, we don't win tonight".
Ron Stack writes: Here is Manager Terry Collins on the Mets' victory over the Marlins last night: “A year ago, we don’t win tonight. It’s a different mentality in our clubhouse now." I'm almost certain LL has covered this time-shifted present tense but since I don't even know what to call it I couldn't do much of a search. So, … [Link]
Language Log » Style guide
Today's xkcd: 
Mouseover title: "I honestly didn't think you could even USE emoji in variable names. Or that there were so many different crying ones." [Link]
Urban Word of the Day » Driver's License Weight
The weight a person reports on his or her driver's license which is anywhere between 5 and 20 lbs. less than the person's actual weight. "I'm cutting out carbs so that I can get down to my Driver's License Weight."
[Link]
0 responses so far ↓
There are no comments yet...Kick things off by filling out the form below.
You must log in to post a comment.