John Gordon Ross

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 » Coming Home to Irish

Thursday 17 August 12:18:54 UTC 2017

While I was in Ireland last month I went to an interesting talk by Michael McCaughan at which he launched his book, Coming Home: One man’s return to the Irish Language. I have just finished reading the book, and found it very interesting. Although he had to study Irish in school, like everybody else in Ireland, he wasn’t able to … [Link]

Language Log » He lapsed into the passive voice

Thursday 17 August 7:33:07 UTC 2017

Mark Landler recently published an article in the New York Times under the headline "Where Predecessors Set Moral Standard, Trump Steps Back." Unlike his predecessors, he notes, the current president has rejected the very concept of moral leadership: On Saturday, in his first response to Charlottesville, Mr. Trump condemned the violence "on many sides." Then he lapsed into the passive … [Link]

Urban Word of the Day » Ride Critic

Thursday 17 August 7:00:00 UTC 2017

Any passenger for Uber or Lyft that gives you a bad rating over the most ridiculous thing you can imagine. I got a text, an email and an alert on my mobile device from (ridesharing company) about how dirty my car is. Came to find out it was a fucking ride critic that complained about the water spots on the … [Link]

languagehat.com » Fastness.

Thursday 17 August 0:06:56 UTC 2017

Today’s mail brought a very welcome package: a copy of Trevor Joyce’s Fastness: A Translation from the English of Edmund Spenser . The “About the Author” page begins “For fifty years, since publication of his first book in 1967, Trevor Joyce has been a unique voice in Irish writing,” and the second paragraph reads: His early work explored possibilities of the … [Link]

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