Language Stuff

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 » That Silent Inner Voice.

Thursday 14 January 21:41:06 UTC 2016

Keely Savoie reports on a phenomenon that’s always fascinated me: That inner voice that enunciates the written words you read comes in many different forms. Some say it sounds like the spoken voice. Some say it sings. And others say it is someone else’s voice entirely. Whatever the voice sounds like, it performs an important function in interpreting the written … [Link]

Language Log » More rare characters in Taiwan

Thursday 14 January 13:00:18 UTC 2016

Not too long ago, we looked at some "Difficult Taiwanese characters" (11/8/15). By "difficult Taiwanese characters", I am referring to sinographs that literate Mandarin speakers are unfamiliar with. The same situation obtains for Cantonese. See, for example: "Cantonese and Mandarin are two different languages " (9/25/15) "Cantonese novels " (8/20/13) "Hong Kong Multilingualism and Polyscriptalism " (7/26/10) "Mutual Intelligibility of … [Link]

Language Log » Three words

Thursday 14 January 11:40:01 UTC 2016

As I write this, I'm sitting in the middle of intend.agree.aware. Or alternatively, cèdre.permettre.lune. Or, if you prefer, ambara.özüne.konuyu, or эпос.стукнуть.напрасный, or geflogen.aufhält.vollkommen, or mdogo.sokoni.yapenda, or … What is this? and maybe more important, why? Basically, it's a URL for the surface of the earth. According to Fréderic Filloux, "Addressing 4 billion People in Three Words", Monday Note 11/30/2015: Last week … [Link]