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
languagehat.com » A World of Languages.
A nice infographic by Alberto Lucas López: There are at least 7,102 known languages alive in the world today. Twenty-three of these languages are a mother tongue for more than 50 million people. The 23 languages make up the native tongue of 4.1 billion people. We represent each language within black borders and then provide the numbers of native speakers … [Link]
Language Log » Extravagant claims for the number of "Chinese" speakers
Journalists keep repeating the same bunkum about "Chinese" having 1.197 or even 1.39 billion or some other ridiculously large number of speakers. Countering a Washington Post article, I debunked this notion in "Maps and charts of the world's languages" (5/1/15). Around a month later, the same claim was made in "INFOGRAPHIC: A world of languages – and how many speak … [Link]
Language Log » Annals of Euphemism: That "intervening ungenteel participle"
Several people have written to me about the obituaries for Vincent Musetto, the author of the famous NY Post headline "Headless Body in Topless Bar". My favorite is by Margalit Fox ("Vincent Musetto, 74, Dies; Wrote ‘Headless’ Headline of Ageless Fame", NYT 6/9/2015), who points out that The corresponding headline in The New York Times that day proclaimed, genteelly, “Owner … [Link]
Language Log » More on Dior's "Quiproquo" cocktail dress
Last week (6/5/15), we examined the fantastic calligraphy on a dress created by the great French fashion designer, Christian Dior (1905-1957), that is currently on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art: "Christian Dior's 'Quiproquo' cocktail dress and the florid rhubarb prescription written on it" During the course of the discussion carried on in the comments to the post, many … [Link]
Urban Word of the Day » Shit the Fuck Yeah
Exclamation for when something is just too cool for any other phrase. "I just got us tickets to the … show.""Shit the Fuck Yeah!"
[Link]
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