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 » Nicholas Wade's DNA decoded

Wednesday 18 November 21:10:35 UTC 2015

Today's xkcd: Mouseover title: "Researchers just found the gene responsible for mistakenly thinking we've found the gene for specific things. It's the region between the start and the end of every chromosome, plus a few segments in our mitochondria." For background, see "The hunt for the Hat Gene", 11/15/2009. [Link]

languagehat.com » Three String Books.

Wednesday 18 November 19:25:42 UTC 2015

The latest newsletter from Slavica Publishers (see this LH post) brings news that should please anyone interested in the literature of Russia and Eastern Europe: Slavica is pleased to announce the establishment of a new imprint, Three String Books, devoted to translations of literary works and belles-lettres from Central and Eastern Europe, Russia, and the other successor states of the … [Link]

Language Log » Ask Language Log: -er vs. -or

Wednesday 18 November 13:14:02 UTC 2015

From Matthew Yglesias: A few of us at work were talking about why it's adviser and protester but professor and and auditor and after bullshitting around for 10 minutes I thought "maybe I should ask a linguist." Have you ever blogged on this? I don't think that we have, though you can find well-informed discussions elsewhere, e.g. here or here/here. … [Link]

Urban Word of the Day » gods bra

Wednesday 18 November 8:00:00 UTC 2015

Going bra less "She said she was wearing Gods Bra and then I saw her nipples"1st guy: " Those girls are having a Gods Bra party" 2nd guy: "Let's crash it!" [Link]

Language Log » New Mandarin words: "pā" (part) and "lūsě" ("loser")

Wednesday 18 November 3:26:41 UTC 2015

There is a lively March 25, 2015 lecture about the First Emperor of the Qin (260-210 BC), the ruler who unified China by force and bequeathed the name of his dynasty to China for all time. The lecture, with the title "Qín shǐhuáng zài yǐnmán shénme? 秦始皇在隐瞒什么?" ("What was the First Emperor of the Qin hiding?"), is on YouTube. The … [Link]

Archive