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
Wordorigins.org » vet
Extreme vetting, or the detailed investigation into a person’s background, has been in the news of late as the term of art used by Donald Trump to describe what needs to happen to refugees seeking to enter the United States. Putting aside the fact that existing investigatory measures are already quite thorough and that Trump does not provide details on … [Link]
Language Log » Poetry and reality
Today's SMBC: 
Mouseover title: "New rule: Anyone referring to X as the poetry of Y must have actually ever read a poem." Not strictly relevant to the Neil deGrasse Tyson discussion, since linguistics is a science and all. But still. Note the the licensing of negative-polarity "ever" by "must have actually": "Anyone referring to X as the poetry of Y … [Link]
Urban Word of the Day » daymare
A vivid, unpleasant mental image (as in a nightmare) conjured in broad daylight, such as an impending crash, or a thought of a loved one in distress, which can cause a strong emotional response such as fear or horror. Scott still isn't home from the game, and I'm having such a daymare! I know he's stretched out on the pavement … [Link]
languagehat.com » Revenge of the Copy Editors.
As a copy editor myself, of course I enjoyed this piece by Thomas Vinciguerra, which begins: Backed by the cheery fiddle and guitar of Tom Moss’s “Gypsy Night Dance,” the bespectacled white-haired gentleman in a blue blazer, striped bow tie, and pocket square is holding forth on the language issue of the day. “I’m sometimes asked,” he tells the camera, … [Link]
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