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 » Hating Mondays more than Garfield

Monday 18 May 22:50:12 UTC 2015

Today's "Dilbert" (5/18/15): Alice's statement, "I hate Mondays more than Garfield," relies on the shared social knowledge that Garfield, the feline title character of Jim Davis's long-running comic strip, hates Mondays. (See here for visual proof.) Wally must surely share in this knowledge, given that he mentions Garfield's lasagna-appropriating ways in his response. And yet he is intentionally misinterpreting Alice, … [Link]

languagehat.com » Malaise and Pooter.

Monday 18 May 21:02:33 UTC 2015

Jennie Erin Smith‘s TLS review (freely accessible) of Frederik Sjöberg’s The Fly Trap , besides being fun to read (see excerpt below), taught me two new words. The review begins: “Malaise traps are tent-like contraptions that intercept flying insects with mesh and, taking advantage of their urge to fly up towards the light when faced with an obstacle, shuttle them upwards … [Link]

Urban Word of the Day » get these hands

Monday 18 May 7:00:00 UTC 2015

Ur about to get your ass beat James: Ur ugly nigga Nick: Bitch ur about to get these hands! [Link]

Language Log » Shooting all members of biker gangs

Monday 18 May 4:37:54 UTC 2015

A headline writer is apparently economizing on punctuation: Nomaan Merchant, "Police: 9 dead in Texas shooting all members of biker gangs", MyFoxDetroit (AP). Obligatory screenshot: Thor Lawrence observes that "One might have expected more fatalities from three gangs being involved". [Link]

Language Log » Sleight of 'quite'

Monday 18 May 4:23:59 UTC 2015

John Gertner, "‘Elon Musk,’ by Ashlee Vance", NYT /17/2015: He is now, quite arguably, the most successful and important entrepreneur in the world. Matt Hutson writes: “Arguably” is often used to temper an argument, so “quite arguably” should temper it even more. But here “quite” has the effect of strengthening the argument rather than strengthening the tempering of the argument. … [Link]

Archive