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 » Words for cereals
Over at this post — "Of shumai and Old Sinitic reconstructions" (7/19/16) — last week we had a lively discussion on Eurasian words for "wheat". I'd like to pursue the subject now on a slightly different, but related, tack. Let us look at the names for the most important cereals in English, Chinese, and Japanese*: wheat // xiǎomài 小麥 (lit., … [Link]
languagehat.com » Wooder, Wooder Everywhere: That Philly Accent.
“Mo Rocca takes a look at the unique sounds of Philadelphia” in this five-minute video clip for CBS. Bonus: he talks with an actual linguist, Meredith Tamminga; I’m pleased to say that I guessed correctly that, as her website puts it, “Tamminga is a Frisian surname.” (Via the Log.) [Link]
Urban Word of the Day » basic white girl
A female who conforms to her surroundings and claims she is unique. She often drinks Starbucks, wears Ugg boots in August, and posts selfies on social networking sites every. single. day. Also uses hashtags that don't have anything to do with the picture itself. Girl 1: Hey, let's go to Starbucks and wear leggings with Uggs! Girl 2: OMG YES. … [Link]
Omniglot blog » Stuck in Paris
I had a pleasant wander around Montreal yesterday morning, and a nice lunch in Vieux Montréal, then headed to the airport. It wasn’t very busy, so I got through security in no time, and didn’t have too long to wait for the plane. On the flight from Montreal to Paris I was sitting between two Tunisians – a old guy … [Link]
Language Log » Political vocabulary and Brother Cream
BBC News has a nice article by Tzu-Wei Liu on "The politics of a martial arts book fair in Hong Kong" (7/26/16). The article is accompanied by six photographs; I will focus on the two that interest me most (because they are both language related), the third and the sixth. Here's the third photograph: 
It shows Pang Chi-ming, chief of … [Link]
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