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 Mermaids who Dried Out.
Patricia Palmer,a Senior Lecturer in the Department of English, King’s College, London, writes about English, Irish, and Ireland in an article first published in 2005; once again, the linked piece is long and complex enough it defies summary, so I’ll just quote a few bits to whet your appetite: We lived in a landscape of strange and obdurate names. My … [Link]
Language Log » "Beautiful" in the Constitution of the Chinese Communist Party
James Wimberley notes that, among the recent additions to the Constitution of the Chinese Communist Party, is this section: The basic line of the Communist Party of China in the primary stage of socialism is to lead all the people of China together in a self-reliant and pioneering effort, making economic development the central task, upholding the Four Cardinal Principles, … [Link]
Urban Word of the Day » office rage
noun; A fit of violent anger by an office worker due to nonperformance by equipment. Normally directed at printers, computers, phones, etc. Similar to: road rage. The printer is jammed and Susan has a meeting in 10 minutes. She's got a horrible case of office rage today.
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Language Log » Scarf 'em up!
Is there a linguist in your life? Puzzled for a present that might really shiver their timbers? I know it seems like we're all living on a higher plane, laser-focused on abstractions beyond the merely corporeal, but we do enjoy a worldly indulgence now and then. Consider, for example, these beautiful IPA-print scarves (and other merch) available on Redbubble from … [Link]
languagehat.com » Imagining Sanskrit Land.
A long Utne article by Patrick McCartney, a visiting fellow at the Australian National University, is structured around his search for “a village somewhere in India where everyone speaks Sanskrit”: Approximately seven years ago, during an Internet search for information about these villages, I came across a clip on YouTube about a Sanskrit-speaking village called Jhiri. In this nationally syndicated … [Link]
Language Log » Spretchy
From Dafydd Gibbon: Student at Jinan University, Guangzhou: Professor, what is a spretchy? Me, puzzled: A spretchy? Student: Yes, a spretchy. Me: Sorry, no idea! Student: But you told us to put the results of the experiment into a spretchy! Me, trying to hide a smile: Oh … a spreadsheet … Dafydd describes this as an example of the "peril … [Link]
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