The Science of Language

Language Log: Snow-word progress: glacial at best

Geoff Pullum did his best to sound optimistic a few weeks ago when a reader sent in a reasonably well-informed treatment of the "Eskimo snow words" myth from the Holland Herald, the in-flight magazine of KLM Airlines. This respite from the usual drumbeat of media misinformation was notable enough to catch the attention of Michael Quinion at World Wide Words and Nathan Bierma at the Chicago Tribune, who both shared Geoff's sanguine sentiment that there was "progress at last" on the snow-word front.

Here's the powerpoint that I used during the last bit of class on Tuesday. I may use more of this presentation when we talk about language acquisition.

From Language Log: Stupid wild over-the-top anti-linguist rant

Another standard-issue English-going-to-hell rant, if you can bear it, was published today in The American Spectator under the heading "Among the intellectualoids: Our inarticulate future." The author is Christopher Orlet. Naturally, linguists get a drubbing. Orlet's gloss on the meaning of "prescriptivists" is "those who would uphold grammatical standards". Linguist David Crystal's reference to prescriptivists as "linguistic Stalinists" (a nice analogy, actually, and historically justified) evidently marks him out as a creature of evil. The coming total destruction of all ability to communicate in English "suits some linguists fine", says Orlet. Linguists don't care even if change leads to "a future where communication resembles the squeals and grunts of . . . Neanderthals . . . , even if it leaves mankind with the inability not only to examine and express complex ideas and concepts, but to express anything beyond mere animalistic impulses." Totally over the top. Where does he get these ideas? Is there a single linguist who has ever said anything to support this raving? I glory in the English language, study its complex syntax with great interest, write books on it, and insist on my students writing it accurately and correctly. What am I, chopped liver? At which kinds of parties does Orlet meet the "linguists" of which he speaks, and what do they smoke there? Not that I would want to attend, I suspect.

From Language Log: The snow words myth: progress at last

It is not all gloom as regards the media's treatment of language. There are happy stories too. Ash Asudeh just sent me a little "whaddya know" piece headed "Snow Speak" that he scanned from an airline magazine (Holland Herald, published by KLM). It had an illustrative drawing of an Arctic hunter, and it was about snow words. Yawn, I thought. But this one was a real surprise. They had actually been talking to a linguist, it seems, or had at least once met one in a bar somewhere, and although what they said was not accurate, it was a lot closer to being accurate than the familiar nonsense that has been repeated so many times:

Just a "heads up" about the kind of expectations I have for participants in this course. This video is an example of the energy and enthusiam that I want to see: