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

Language Log » The category boundary paradox

Wednesday 20 September 18:09:33 UTC 2017

Today's SMBC: The aftercomic: [Link]

Language Log » Kazakhstan goes Latin

Wednesday 20 September 15:17:02 UTC 2017

Excerpts from "Kazakhstan: Latin Alphabet Is Not a New Phenomenon Among Turkic Nations", by Uli Schamiloglu (a professor in the Department of Kazakh Language and Turkic Studies at Nazarbayev University in Astana, Kazakhstan), EurasiaNet (9/15/17): Kazakhstan’s planned transition to the Latin alphabet raises complex questions. While alphabets may not be important in and of themselves, they play an important role … [Link]

Language Log » C is for contrafibularity

Wednesday 20 September 8:42:23 UTC 2017

Better late than never: [Link]

Urban Word of the Day » tea off

Wednesday 20 September 8:30:00 UTC 2017

When you and a friend compete to drink as many twisted teas as possible in one sitting. "Yo Kyle, we're f*cking having a tea off on saturday." [Link]

Language Log » They call the wind 'Maria'?

Wednesday 20 September 7:59:22 UTC 2017

I hope you appreciate the wisdom of the new policy on naming hurricanes that was announced here on September 11. The latest brutal storm to devastate the islands of the eastern Caribbean would not have been named for the mother of Jesus; it would have been named "Hurricane Malaria." That's more like it. Nasty names for nasty stuff. You know … [Link]

Language Log » Cultural invasion

Wednesday 20 September 1:44:21 UTC 2017

Article in South China Morning Post (9/19/17) by Jasmine Siu: "Activist fined HK$3,000 for binning Hong Kong public library books in ‘fight against cultural invasion’ from mainland China: Alvin Cheng Kam-mun, 29, convicted of theft over dumping of books printed in simplified Chinese characters" A radical Hong Kong activist was on Tuesday fined HK$3,000 for dumping library books in a … [Link]

Archive