Misc

All posts tagged linguistics ↓

English IPA visualizer »

I made this little toy forever ago and didn’t bother putting it on the interweb because, well, it’s totally useless. But I just realized there is NO PENALTY FOR USELESS TOYS ON THE INTERNET.

“Basically … I spend my time trying to make software that will take over your job, whatever it is. It’s rewarding work.”

—Delightful summary of computational linguistics from Michael Reimer

“Such is the dilemma of the linguist, or at least the linguist who has any desire to reach anyone outside their—excuse me, his or her—discipline. A sizable group of people is partial to attending discussions and reading books about language. But what this group wants to hear is antithetical to what scholars of this subject want to say.”

—Ben Yagoda, In Defense of Common English. The cathartic rants on this subject that my friends have endured could fill a book. (I would write that book, but it would be full of graphic profanity, and national bookstores would certainly refuse to carry it.)
Best birthday present EVER!

Best birthday present EVER!

Dictionary pronounces Myanmar “Burma” in British English (Language Log: Fun with pronunciation guides)

Dictionary pronounces Myanmar “Burma” in British English (Language Log: Fun with pronunciation guides)

Bizarro roundup from Arnold Zwicky over at Language Log

Bizarro roundup from Arnold Zwicky over at Language Log

Tumblelog: love the format, not the name

I’m sure we can do better!

  • TUMBLELOG /tʊmbl̩lɔɡ/
    Pros: Mainstream usage
    Cons: Phonetically awkward /l̩l/, tends to collapse to tumblog
  • TUMBLOG /tʊmblɔɡ/ (TUMBleLOG)
    Pros: Solves /l̩l/ problem
    Cons: Prescriptivists will insist this is a bastardized form of “tumblelog” which must be shunned (shunned, they say!)
  • SHLOG /ʃlɔɡ/ (SHort form weBLOG)
    Pros: Concise, somewhat descriptive
    Cons: Someone already decided it refers to “slogging through shit”
  • SHFLOG /ʃflɔɡ/ (SHort Form weBLOG)
    Pros: Slightly more descriptive than ‘shlog’
    Cons: Illegal English consonant cluster, punishment associations
  • SCRAPLOG /skræplɔɡ/
    Pros: Seems descriptive — scraps of the internet
    Cons: Contains “crap”…but actually, descriptive of most tumblelogs, including this one
  • MMMBLOG /mːblɔɡ/ (Mixed Media Micro weBLOG)
    Pros: Perfectly descriptive, valid English consonant cluster, implies deliciousness: inherently awesome!
    Cons: Almost a Hanson song…automatic failure :-(

Clearly I’ve got nothing. Any other ideas?

“Yes, I’m finnich!”

—Even after 8 months, about 150 of my 400 students can neither hear nor reproduce the difference between /ɪʃt/ and /ɪtʃ/. Question mark?

Outwith »

It’s not every day you see a new preposition.