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 » The Heart’s Hidden Crocodile.
I’ve just discovered one of those literary allusions that were common currency in the 19th century but that have largely been forgotten since. In his once well-known novella Atala (1801), Chateaubriand has his hero say: Le cœur le plus serein en apparence ressemble au puits naturel de la savane Alachua: la surface en paroît calme et pure, mais quand vous … [Link]
Language Log » A prosodic difference
In “Political sound and silence II” I noted a large difference in measures of speaking rate across the Weekly Addresses of the past three American presidents: N Speech (sec.) Silence (sec.) Total (sec.) Mean Duration % Speech Words WPM (overall) WPM (excl. silence) Bush 2008 48 8262 1976 10237 213 0.807 24483 166.9 206.9 Obama 2010 50 9840 2884 12724 … [Link]
Language Log » More covfefe
The covfefe fun continues. My personal favorite is the covfefe recipe: And then there’s Riane Konc, “Covfefe…For Her“, The New Yorker 6/1/2017: Covfefe is for the flat-earthers. For the woman who doesn’t just believe what she’s told. We salute you, freethinker. We see you on the basketball court, trying to dribble a Frisbee. You’re a Covfefe woman. There’s a tweet … [Link]
Language Log » Slightly unfair, but funny
Today’s xkcd: 
Mouseover title: “The top search for every state is PORN, except Florida, where it’s SEX PORN.” And the lesson doesn’t just apply to maps, of course… [Link]
Urban Word of the Day » donutations
The expectation of a donation of a donut. (Usually ends in heartbreak.) She brought back home a cookie, and totally crushed my donutations.
[Link]
languagehat.com » Decline in Diversity of English Dialects.
The University of Cambridge has produced an English Dialects App that is allowing them to track how dialects are doing: Regional diversity in dialect words and pronunciations could be diminishing as much of England falls more in line with how English is spoken in London and the south-east, according to the first results from a free app developed by Cambridge … [Link]
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