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 » Curse Words as Dialect Maps II.
Last year we discussed Curse Words as Dialect Maps; now Stan Carey at Strong Language has a much wider selection in his post Sweary maps 2: Swear harder. He says he “went searching for swears and euphemisms” and found “some intriguing – and visually very appealing – patterns of rude word use in contemporary discourse”; there are maps for af … [Link]
Language Log » Brain Wars: Tobermory
Joe Pater's Brain Wars project "is intended to support the preparation of a book directed at the general public, and also as a resource for other scholars": The title is intentionally ambiguous: “wars about the brain” and “wars between brains”. As well conveying the some of the ideas being debated, their history, and their importance, I plan to talk a bit … [Link]
Wordorigins.org » Etruscan Tablet Found
Seventy letters and punctuation marks make this find one of the longest surviving examples of the Etruscan language. Little is known about the language, and every single find has the potential to vastly increase our knowledge about the language, the Etruscan people, and their culture. This particular find is not a gravestone, which makes it especially valuable since most of … [Link]
Urban Word of the Day » Fresh Air Break
A way to say "ciggarette break" without your boss knowing that you're going to have a smoke. Especially useful in non-smoking environments. The term "fresh air" can also be used to mean "ciggarette" but is not typically necessary and doesn't sound right in most contexts. Employee 1: I'm going out for a fresh air break Boss: Ok, just be back … [Link]
Language Log » The mostest and the bestest
Photograph of a sign in Hangzhou: 
The first line of the sign says: Hángzhōu zuì yōuxiù de chǎohuò diàn 杭州最优秀的炒货店 ("Hangzhou's most outstanding shop for roasted seeds and nuts") The original zuì 最 ("most") on the sign has been written over with the character zhēn 真 ("truly"). The reason for this will be explained below. The second line of the … [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.