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 » Days of the week in Nagoya
In "Hybrid writing in East Village, New York" (9/1/16), we looked at the playful combination of a Chinese character with Roman letters in the name of a Korean-Japanese restaurant, 木hursday, and we expanded our field of vision to encompass the names of the days of the week in languages across Eurasia. Now Nathan Hopson takes us to Nagoya, Japan, where … [Link]
Language Log » Mixed literary and vernacular grammar
Radio Free Asia has published an article about a wheelchair ridden human rights activist named Li Biyun: "Rights Activist 'Takes Refuge' in U.S. Embassy in Beijing: Relatives" (9/1/16) The article is accompanied by this extraordinary photograph: 
The photograph was taken on September 6, 2013 in Foshan city, Guangdong province. Of course, it is remarkable that so many people would openly … [Link]
Language Log » Meaning good
Corey Williams, "Donald Trump to visit Detroit Saturday", AP: For Trump, courting black voters is a challenge. Most polls show his support among black voters is in the low single digits. Many blacks view some of his campaign rhetoric as insulting, and racist. "Donald Trump does not mean any black people any good," said Crystal Jackson, who has owned the … [Link]
Language Log » Cantonese then and now
Carmen Lee sent in two items pertaining to Cantonese. 1. This is a true story: – Many years ago before police departments, hospitals, etc., had interpreters, a man was injured in a car accident in a Midwest town. – He was taken to a hospital, and he kept repeating an expression /phrase /term that the doctors and nurses couldn't understand. … [Link]
languagehat.com » Dobro Lyudi.
Having finished Sergei Aksakov‘s wonderful Семейная хроника, which I had read years ago in its English translation as The Family Chronicle 
Language Log » Character amnesia down under
From Brendan Corney, a Chinese teacher in Melbourne, Australia, who relays a good anecdote of how bad character amnesia has gotten among native speakers: I was hand marking some student work, and I wrote the character 冷* by hand. A native Chinese student teacher, who has a Master's degree in Chinese as a Second Language, came up and corrected my … [Link]
Urban Word of the Day » peasantvision
Television channels you get without a cable or satellite TV subscription. I can't afford digital cable, but I still get some good shows with the rabbit ears on peasantvision.
[Link]
World Wide Words: Updates » New online: Nimrod
Why is 'Nimrod' a mighty hunter in the UK but an inept person in the US? [Link]
World Wide Words: Updates » Updated online: Isabelline
A tale about the colour 'isabelline' links it to a famous siege. [Link]
World Wide Words: Updates » Updated online: No soap
Where does the old Americanism 'no soap' come from? [Link]
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