Comprehensibility and standardness- April 3, 2008 Step 1: A language maven M contrasts two (roughly) equivalent variants X and Y, labeling them standard and non-standard respectively (or, more starkly, "correct" and "incorrect") and proscribing Y. This is the labeling phase. Step 2: M attempts to...http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/005521.html Ernie Banks gets apostrophized- April 2, 2008 When the Chicago Cubs unveiled a statue of beloved player Ernie Banks outside Wrigley Field earlier this week, there were murmurs of horror among the enemies of apostrophe abuse. The granite pedestal of the statue was inscribed with Banks' famous...http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/005520.html Pennsylvania blather- April 2, 2008 With the Democratic presidential primary in Pennsylvania still three weeks away, political reporters have a lot of column inches to fill and are no doubt looking for creative ways to combat the campaign trail's proverbial fear and loathing. Take...http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/005519.html Important safety information- April 1, 2008 If you have strong concerns about English usage, science reporting, language analysis, lexicography, or linguistic atrocities of any kind, you should use Language Log. It is well known for its delayed release. For best results daily use is recommended. Although...http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/005518.html Speculative semiotics of Northern European product names- April 1, 2008 Richard Morrison's 3122008 column for The Times (London) ran under the title "The very Ikea: Denmark takes the floor in an entertaining feud", and began like this: Not since Shakespeare declared that something was rotten in the state of Denmark...http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/005517.html |