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
Omniglot blog » New Year
A Multilingual Happy New Year! [Link]
Language Log » All the way with U in 2016/7
From Li Wei on Facebook: Here's Li Wei's explanation: The numeral 16 is read in Chinese as 'yi liu' which sounds like the phrase 'all the way'. U is homophonous with the Chinese word 'have'. The Chinese character after U means 'you', duplicating the syllable. 17 is read as 'yi qi', homophonous as 'together'. The last two characters mean 'going … [Link]
languagehat.com » Disowning Your Native Language.
I don’t normally post about things hidden behind paywalls, but Yiyun Li’s “To Speak Is to Blunder” (New Yorker, January 2, 2017) is so good I’m making an exception. It’s one of the best things I’ve read about someone’s personal relationship to language; I’ll provide a few excerpts so you can get the feel of it: Years ago, when I … [Link]
Language Log » EU English again
A.S. sent in a link to the 2016 edition of Misused English words and expressions in EU publications, from the European Court of Auditors: Over the years, the European institutions have developed a vocabulary that differs from that of any recognised form of English. It includes words that do not exist or are relatively unknown to native English speakers outside … [Link]
Language Log » Manchu film
Xinhua claims "Yīnggē lǐng chuánqí 莺歌岭传奇" ("Legend of Yingge Ridge") to be the first film in the Manchu language. I could only find this trailer for it on Tudou (Manchu speaking appears to start around 2 minutes in). The Tudou link doesn't work well, has too many intrusive ads, and requires Flash. Use this YouTube version which is much, much … [Link]
languagehat.com » Sesenta y Ocho Voces.
Another great language-preservation initiative, from Mexico, as reported by Andrew S. Vargas for Remezcla: Sesenta y Ocho Voces, Sesenta y Ocho Corazones (also known as 68 voces), is a new initiative from Mexico’s government Fund for The Culture and Arts (FONCA) that seeks to elevate Mexico’s 68 indigenous languages by preserving their myths, legends, poems, and stories in the form … [Link]
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