A continuation of the series.
Unexpurgated -
Unedited; without deletions.
I prefer the unexpurgated edition of the movie; it's longer but more exciting.
Definition from Wayne State University's Word Warriors.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
Alpine Equipment Epithets
I have been meaning to mention a post that appeared on Johnson, The Economists' language blog, and now seems like an appropriate time as we are in the midst of ski season here in Michigan. The post is about the friendly animosity that occurs between skiers and snowboarders and the names that are used by each to provoke the rivalry in Poland.
According to Johnson, skiers call a snowboard a parapet (windowsill) and snowboarders call skis boazeria (wainscots), thus the title of the post, "Windowsill v Wainscots".
In addition to the brief article, what I found interesting were a couple of comments from readers included this one from AcrossTheStreet:
"Colorado has lighthearted names for its alpine battle of rafters and fly-fishers: Row v Wade."
And this one from Jeremie1:
"In Spain snowboarders are just known as "surferos", as far as I know, but the surferos do use a malicious nickname for skiers, who distinguish themselves by using ski sticks: they are known as "palilleros" - from "palillos", or little sticks, such as toothsticks."
My son, a snowboarder, calls skiers "two-plankers".
So how about you: are you a windowsiller or a wainscotter, a rafter or a fly-fisher, a surfer or a palilleros?
What other labels are out there?
According to Johnson, skiers call a snowboard a parapet (windowsill) and snowboarders call skis boazeria (wainscots), thus the title of the post, "Windowsill v Wainscots".
In addition to the brief article, what I found interesting were a couple of comments from readers included this one from AcrossTheStreet:
"Colorado has lighthearted names for its alpine battle of rafters and fly-fishers: Row v Wade."
And this one from Jeremie1:
"In Spain snowboarders are just known as "surferos", as far as I know, but the surferos do use a malicious nickname for skiers, who distinguish themselves by using ski sticks: they are known as "palilleros" - from "palillos", or little sticks, such as toothsticks."
My son, a snowboarder, calls skiers "two-plankers".
So how about you: are you a windowsiller or a wainscotter, a rafter or a fly-fisher, a surfer or a palilleros?
What other labels are out there?
Image Credits
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Actors and Theta Roles
Ralph Fiennes in The English Patient
Peter Dinlage in The Station Agent
Jack Donner in The Instrument
Picture credits to IMDb
Erik Estrada in The Final Goal
Jack Donner in The Instrument
In Linguistics, referring to the argument structure of a verb is a method for describing the number and type of arguments a particular verb requires.
For example; the verb put, syntactically requires three arguments: a subject, an object and an indirect object. Semantically, put requires that the subject be animate because an inanimate entity is not capable of volition.
John put the book on the table.
The semantic requirements for the arguments of a verb are identified by assigning a certain number and type of theta role to verbs. All verbs have selectional restrictions encoded that supply the semantic relations between a verb and its arguments.
Another example is the verb walk. Walk only requires one argument, a subject, and again the subject must be animate.
John walked.
Following is a list of some of the more common theta roles with credit to UNC.
AGENT
• argument who performs the action or brings about the state of affairs
• an agent is conscious, sentient, animate
• volition or purpose involved in the action being done
• the agent is the prototypical subject (but does not need to appear as a subject!)
• argument who performs the action or brings about the state of affairs
• an agent is conscious, sentient, animate
• volition or purpose involved in the action being done
• the agent is the prototypical subject (but does not need to appear as a subject!)
e.g. Napoleon conquered much of Europe.
The cake was baked by my mother.
The cat peed all over the house.
The cake was baked by my mother.
The cat peed all over the house.
INSTRUMENT
• argument involved in the action (but not the agent)
• can be used by an agent
• non-purposeful, non-volitional by itself
• argument involved in the action (but not the agent)
• can be used by an agent
• non-purposeful, non-volitional by itself
e.g. This key opens the office door.
The thieves used a pick-axe to get inside.
Robin ate the cereal with a spoon.
The thieves used a pick-axe to get inside.
Robin ate the cereal with a spoon.
CAUSE
• argument involved in the action/in bringing about the state of affairs (but not the agent)
• cannot be used by an agent
• non-purposeful, non-volitional by itself
e.g. An epidemic killed most of the villagers.
London was devastated by the fire of 1666.
The Great Depression put thousands of Americans in poverty.
• argument involved in the action/in bringing about the state of affairs (but not the agent)
• cannot be used by an agent
• non-purposeful, non-volitional by itself
e.g. An epidemic killed most of the villagers.
London was devastated by the fire of 1666.
The Great Depression put thousands of Americans in poverty.
EXPERIENCER
• argument that undergoes a sensory, cognitive, or emotional experience
• must be animate/sentient
e.g. Teresa had never seen the ocean before.
Many people fear snakes.
His singing struck her as singularly terrible.
• argument that undergoes a sensory, cognitive, or emotional experience
• must be animate/sentient
e.g. Teresa had never seen the ocean before.
Many people fear snakes.
His singing struck her as singularly terrible.
RECIPIENT
• arguments that receive something (good or bad) in a situation
e.g. They gave all the employees a raise.
I paid my landlord the rent.
He spared me his usual sob story.
• arguments that receive something (good or bad) in a situation
e.g. They gave all the employees a raise.
I paid my landlord the rent.
He spared me his usual sob story.
THEME
• thing acted upon, moved, or otherwise affected by a situation, OR
• an argument which has a property being referred to
• prototypical direct object (but doesn’t have to be a direct object!)
• the “catch-all” (trashcan) of theta-roles
e.g. Napoleon conquered much of Europe.
Pat is very polite.
We put the books on the shelf.
London was devastated by the fire of 1666.
• thing acted upon, moved, or otherwise affected by a situation, OR
• an argument which has a property being referred to
• prototypical direct object (but doesn’t have to be a direct object!)
• the “catch-all” (trashcan) of theta-roles
e.g. Napoleon conquered much of Europe.
Pat is very polite.
We put the books on the shelf.
London was devastated by the fire of 1666.
SOURCE
• the starting point for a movement
• may also indicate where a change (etc.) starts from
e.g. The package arrived from Moscow this morning.
I biked from Carrboro to Durham last night.
Robin frightened me.
• the starting point for a movement
• may also indicate where a change (etc.) starts from
e.g. The package arrived from Moscow this morning.
I biked from Carrboro to Durham last night.
Robin frightened me.
GOAL
• the end point for a physical movement
• may also indicate the end result of a change in possession or identity
e.g. Many actors move to New York.
The magician changed the rabbit into a penguin.
John gave the cake to Mary.
• the end point for a physical movement
• may also indicate the end result of a change in possession or identity
e.g. Many actors move to New York.
The magician changed the rabbit into a penguin.
John gave the cake to Mary.
LOCATION
• the place where an action occurred
e.g. We put the books on the shelf.
Maria sent a package to France.
Lots of good bands always come to Cat’s Cradle.
• the place where an action occurred
e.g. We put the books on the shelf.
Maria sent a package to France.
Lots of good bands always come to Cat’s Cradle.
Returning to the example sentence John put the book on the table, the theta roles are as follows:
John (subject) = agent
the book (direct object) = theme
the table (indeirect object) = location
*It should be noted that some linguists use the terms thematic relations and theta roles interchangeably.
Picture credits to IMDb
Monday, January 24, 2011
Unusual Words Defined: A - Z (Part T)
A continuation of the series.
Origin of TUTOYER
French, to address with the familiar pronoun tu thou, from Middle French, from tu thou (from Latin) + toi thee, from Latin te (accusative of tu)
First Known Use: 1697
tutoyer
transitive verb
: to address familiarly
: to address familiarly
Origin of TUTOYER
French, to address with the familiar pronoun tu thou, from Middle French, from tu thou (from Latin) + toi thee, from Latin te (accusative of tu)
First Known Use: 1697
Definition from Merriam-Webster.com
Image credits here
Friday, January 21, 2011
A Ventriloquist's Phonetics Pitch
A ventriloquist's performance presents the perfect excuse for introducing some of the subfields of phonetics.
Articulatory phonetics: production point of view (rate of vocal fold vibration of the speaker).
Acousitc phonetics: transmission point of view (fundamental frequency of sounds as they travel from speaker to listener).
Auditory phonetics: reception point of view (pitch as perceived by listener).
Articulatory phonetics: production point of view (rate of vocal fold vibration of the speaker).
Acousitc phonetics: transmission point of view (fundamental frequency of sounds as they travel from speaker to listener).
Auditory phonetics: reception point of view (pitch as perceived by listener).
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Correction: Washington Post's Mensa Invitational
Shame on me for posting something without checking the facts first.
According to the American Mensa website, "Since 2005 or earlier, the "Mensa Invitational" has been suspected to be a hoax but no confirmation has ever been made prior to this. So we're here to debunk this urban legend."
"American Mensa, nor any other Mensa entity, has ever been affiliated with The Washington Post's "Style Invitational" column and/or its contests, to the best of our knowledge. It wouldn't surprise us if many of our members have entered the contests — and perhaps even have won — but that would be the limit of the interaction."
For those of you who have not yet seen the annual "contest" results, here they are:
1. Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period of time.
2. Ignoranus: A person who's both stupid and an asshole.
3. Intaxication: Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realize it was your money to start with.
4. Reintarnation: Coming back to life as a hillbilly.
5. Bozone ( n.): The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future.
6. Foreploy: Any misrepresentation about yourself for the purpose of getting laid.
7. Giraffiti: Vandalism spray-painted very, very high.
8. Sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.
9. Inoculatte: To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.
10. Osteopornosis: A degenerate disease. (This one got extra credit.)
11. Karmageddon: It's like, when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it's like, a serious bummer.
12. Decafalon (n.): The gruelling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you.
13. Glibido: All talk and no action.
14. Dopeler Effect: The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.
15. Arachnoleptic Fit (n.): The frantic dance performed just after you've accidentally walked through a spider web.
16. Beelzebug (n.): Satan in the form of a mosquito, that gets into your bedroom at three in the morning and cannot be cast out.
17. Caterpallor ( n.): The colour you turn after finding half a worm in the fruit you're eating.
18. Vowel movement: The inevitable verbal diarrhea that spews from ones' mouth when they have nothing significant to say.
Supply an alternate meanings for common words
1. coffee (n.): The person upon whom one coughs.
2. flabbergasted (adj.): Appalled by discovering how much weight one has gained.
3. abdicate (v.): To give up all hope of ever having a flat stomach.
4. esplanade (v.): To attempt an explanation while drunk.
5. willy-nilly (adj.): Impotent.
6. negligent(adj.): Absent-mindedly answering the door when wearing only a nightgown.
7. lymph (v.): To walk with a lisp.
8. gargoyle (n.): Olive-flavoured mouthwash.
9. flatulence (n.): Emergency vehicle that picks up someone who has been run over by a steamroller.
10. balderdash (n.): A rapidly receding hairline.
11. testicle (n.) A humorous question on an exam.
12. rectitude (n.): The formal, dignified bearing adopted by proctologists.
13. pokemon (n.): A Rastafarian proctologist.
14. oyster (n.) A person who sprinkles his conversation with Yiddishisms.
15. Frisbeetarianism (n.): The belief that, after death, the soul flies up onto the roof and gets stuck there.
16. circumvent (n.): An opening in the front of boxer shorts worn by Jewish men.
And here is a link to "The Style Invitational" humor column at the Washington Post.
Back in January of 2009 I received an email that included the results of Washington Post's Mensa Invitational. There were two categories in this "contest" and I wrote one post about each of the categories. See here and here.
There is no such thing as Washington Post's Mensa Invitational.
It has just come to my attention that each January when dictionaries and other entities release their "Word of the Year" lists, an email announcing the winners of Washington Post's Mensa Invitational circulates. Each year this list of winners is, if not identical, pretty darn close.
According to the American Mensa website, "Since 2005 or earlier, the "Mensa Invitational" has been suspected to be a hoax but no confirmation has ever been made prior to this. So we're here to debunk this urban legend."
"American Mensa, nor any other Mensa entity, has ever been affiliated with The Washington Post's "Style Invitational" column and/or its contests, to the best of our knowledge. It wouldn't surprise us if many of our members have entered the contests — and perhaps even have won — but that would be the limit of the interaction."
For those of you who have not yet seen the annual "contest" results, here they are:
Take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter, and supply a new definition
1. Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period of time.
2. Ignoranus: A person who's both stupid and an asshole.
3. Intaxication: Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realize it was your money to start with.
4. Reintarnation: Coming back to life as a hillbilly.
5. Bozone ( n.): The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future.
6. Foreploy: Any misrepresentation about yourself for the purpose of getting laid.
7. Giraffiti: Vandalism spray-painted very, very high.
8. Sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.
9. Inoculatte: To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.
10. Osteopornosis: A degenerate disease. (This one got extra credit.)
11. Karmageddon: It's like, when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it's like, a serious bummer.
12. Decafalon (n.): The gruelling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you.
13. Glibido: All talk and no action.
14. Dopeler Effect: The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.
15. Arachnoleptic Fit (n.): The frantic dance performed just after you've accidentally walked through a spider web.
16. Beelzebug (n.): Satan in the form of a mosquito, that gets into your bedroom at three in the morning and cannot be cast out.
17. Caterpallor ( n.): The colour you turn after finding half a worm in the fruit you're eating.
18. Vowel movement: The inevitable verbal diarrhea that spews from ones' mouth when they have nothing significant to say.
Supply an alternate meanings for common words
1. coffee (n.): The person upon whom one coughs.
2. flabbergasted (adj.): Appalled by discovering how much weight one has gained.
3. abdicate (v.): To give up all hope of ever having a flat stomach.
4. esplanade (v.): To attempt an explanation while drunk.
5. willy-nilly (adj.): Impotent.
6. negligent(adj.): Absent-mindedly answering the door when wearing only a nightgown.
7. lymph (v.): To walk with a lisp.
8. gargoyle (n.): Olive-flavoured mouthwash.
9. flatulence (n.): Emergency vehicle that picks up someone who has been run over by a steamroller.
10. balderdash (n.): A rapidly receding hairline.
11. testicle (n.) A humorous question on an exam.
12. rectitude (n.): The formal, dignified bearing adopted by proctologists.
13. pokemon (n.): A Rastafarian proctologist.
14. oyster (n.) A person who sprinkles his conversation with Yiddishisms.
15. Frisbeetarianism (n.): The belief that, after death, the soul flies up onto the roof and gets stuck there.
16. circumvent (n.): An opening in the front of boxer shorts worn by Jewish men.
And here is a link to "The Style Invitational" humor column at the Washington Post.
Update: Linguistics in the News and on Jeopardy
In December of last year I posted about the upcoming Jeopardy match that will pit a computer named Watson against two of Jeopardy's winningest contestants ever.
Well I just learned that a practice match was held last Thursday, January 13th and here is a clip from said match.
According to an article about the match on POPSCI, "Watson has a certain self-awareness; it knows it won't get every answer right, and has to pass a certain level of confidence before it will answer. Watson's logo will change color to indicate its confidence: The lines that are part of its "avatar" will glow blue if Watson is confident, and orange if it's not."
And here is some information from the POPSCI article about how Watson handles the difficulties of language.
"The vagaries of language mean that the questions can be interpreted in all kinds of different ways, so merely figuring out what the question is trying to ask provides the majority of the struggle for Watson. To that end, the computer actually comes up with thousands of different possible answers, and ranks them by the possibility of correctness. When we watched the quick match, the top three answers were displayed on screen, as well as the confidence percentage, and the second- and third-ranked answers were usually dramatically incorrect. It's not likely that Watson will confuse, say, the author of one children's book with the author of another. It's more likely that Watson will completely misread what the question is even asking, and come up with an answer like "What is children?"
Certain elements of human language are tricky, too--the stuff that seems like it might be the most difficult (like puns and wordplay) are felt out by "trigger" words in the category name, such as "sounds like." But synonyms are often a bigger problem. In the answer "This liquid cushions the brain from injury," Watson has to determine that "liquid" is in this one case interchangeable with "fluid," and that "cushions" is interchangeable with "surrounds." Humans know what the question is asking instinctively, but Watson has to analyze it from every angle."
Watson ended up winning the practice match with $4,400. Ken Jennings placed second with $3,400 and Brad Rutter took third with $1,200.
Well I just learned that a practice match was held last Thursday, January 13th and here is a clip from said match.
According to an article about the match on POPSCI, "Watson has a certain self-awareness; it knows it won't get every answer right, and has to pass a certain level of confidence before it will answer. Watson's logo will change color to indicate its confidence: The lines that are part of its "avatar" will glow blue if Watson is confident, and orange if it's not."
And here is some information from the POPSCI article about how Watson handles the difficulties of language.
"The vagaries of language mean that the questions can be interpreted in all kinds of different ways, so merely figuring out what the question is trying to ask provides the majority of the struggle for Watson. To that end, the computer actually comes up with thousands of different possible answers, and ranks them by the possibility of correctness. When we watched the quick match, the top three answers were displayed on screen, as well as the confidence percentage, and the second- and third-ranked answers were usually dramatically incorrect. It's not likely that Watson will confuse, say, the author of one children's book with the author of another. It's more likely that Watson will completely misread what the question is even asking, and come up with an answer like "What is children?"
Certain elements of human language are tricky, too--the stuff that seems like it might be the most difficult (like puns and wordplay) are felt out by "trigger" words in the category name, such as "sounds like." But synonyms are often a bigger problem. In the answer "This liquid cushions the brain from injury," Watson has to determine that "liquid" is in this one case interchangeable with "fluid," and that "cushions" is interchangeable with "surrounds." Humans know what the question is asking instinctively, but Watson has to analyze it from every angle."
Watson ended up winning the practice match with $4,400. Ken Jennings placed second with $3,400 and Brad Rutter took third with $1,200.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
A New Linguistics Publication
Hello Readers,
I want to call your attention to a new online linguistics resource that I have added to the recommended language links.
Popular Linguistics Magazine
DS Bigham, Editor, introduces his magazine as "a monthly online publication where we aim to bring linguistics and language research to anyone who’s interested, regardless of whether they’re a linguist or not. Our goal here at Popular Linguistics is to present to you, dear readers, all aspects of linguistics, from breaking news in language technologies to stories from intrepid documentary fieldworkers, from research detailing how language works in the brain to stories showing how language works in society. Linguistics for everyone, finally."
As "linguistics for everyone" has always been one of my main goals in writing this blog, I am very excited about this new resource. Please check it out and share the link with other language lovers you may know.
I want to call your attention to a new online linguistics resource that I have added to the recommended language links.
Popular Linguistics Magazine
DS Bigham, Editor, introduces his magazine as "a monthly online publication where we aim to bring linguistics and language research to anyone who’s interested, regardless of whether they’re a linguist or not. Our goal here at Popular Linguistics is to present to you, dear readers, all aspects of linguistics, from breaking news in language technologies to stories from intrepid documentary fieldworkers, from research detailing how language works in the brain to stories showing how language works in society. Linguistics for everyone, finally."
As "linguistics for everyone" has always been one of my main goals in writing this blog, I am very excited about this new resource. Please check it out and share the link with other language lovers you may know.
Contraction Retraction - A Phono-Morpho-Syntactic Phenomenon
What happens when a person starts to utter a contraction and then for some unknown reason decides to utter the two word phrase instead of the contraction?
?
I have recently noticed a phenomenon that seems to play out in the phonetics, phonology, morphology, and syntax of certain contractions.
If I start to say "don't" and change midway to "do not" what comes out of my mouth sounds an awful lot like "dough not".
Transcribed phonetically below.
don't = /dont/
do not = /du nat/
dough not = /do nat/
The same phenomenon occurs with "won't" and "shan't".
won't = /wont/
will not = /wIl nat/
woe not = /wo nat/
shan't = /ʃænt/
shall not = /ʃɛl nat/
sh(y)eah not = /ʃæ nat/
I have been unable to locate an official name for this linguistic phenomenon so if anyone has further information please submit via comments below.
Also, comments are open for additional data (other contractions that are capable of undergoing this type of metamorphosis). Does this "contraction retraction" occur in other languages as well?
Image credits here.
?
I have recently noticed a phenomenon that seems to play out in the phonetics, phonology, morphology, and syntax of certain contractions.
If I start to say "don't" and change midway to "do not" what comes out of my mouth sounds an awful lot like "dough not".
Transcribed phonetically below.
don't = /dont/
do not = /du nat/
dough not = /do nat/
The same phenomenon occurs with "won't" and "shan't".
won't = /wont/
will not = /wIl nat/
woe not = /wo nat/
shan't = /ʃænt/
shall not = /ʃɛl nat/
sh(y)eah not = /ʃæ nat/
I have been unable to locate an official name for this linguistic phenomenon so if anyone has further information please submit via comments below.
Also, comments are open for additional data (other contractions that are capable of undergoing this type of metamorphosis). Does this "contraction retraction" occur in other languages as well?
Image credits here.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Unusual Words Defined: A - Z (Part S)
A continuation of the series.
n.
A hollow made in the snow by a skier who has fallen backward.
[Partial translation of German Sitzmarke : Sitz, act of sitting; see sitz bath + Marke, mark.]
sitzmark
n.A hollow made in the snow by a skier who has fallen backward.
[Partial translation of German Sitzmarke : Sitz, act of sitting; see sitz bath + Marke, mark.]
Definition from thefreedictionary.com
Image from germanenglishwords.com
Friday, January 14, 2011
The Dude's Friend's Apostrophe
Spotted this wonderfully humorous take on an apostrophe error at a blog called Catalog Living. It is a creative and amusing blog that gives a fictional behind-the-scenes look at "the exciting lives of the people who live in your catalogs".
Feeling Possesive...
Thursday, January 13, 2011
The Naming of Convenience Stores
A dear friend who travelled to Wyoming over the holidays snapped this photo of a convenience store in Iowa for me because she knows I am amused by interesting words and names.
.
After digesting the atrocious letter-play (substituting a "K" for a "C") and spelling, the name of the store immediately brought to mind the many independently owned "In & Out" convenience stores I have encountered and, of course, the well-known burger chain "IN-N-OUT BURGER".
"In an age where catchy company names and unique marketing phrases were a representation of the times – and also the difference between success and failure – the two gentlemen used the first letters of their last names to create a unique moniker to showcase the ease and convenience they instilled in a shopping experience. Thus Kum & Go was born."
According to the website, the age was 1959 and the founders were W.A. Krause and T.S. Gentle.
I won't even mention the sexual innuendo that can be associated with the names of both the convenience stores and the burger store.
FYI -
innuendo
.
After digesting the atrocious letter-play (substituting a "K" for a "C") and spelling, the name of the store immediately brought to mind the many independently owned "In & Out" convenience stores I have encountered and, of course, the well-known burger chain "IN-N-OUT BURGER".
The main point of the name of each of these stores is the connotation that they provide efficient service.
So why did the owners Kum & Go choose to get their point across with such particular spelling? Did they think customers would find it "cute"?
Well, I felt a little better once I saw the explanation on the Kum & Go website:
"In an age where catchy company names and unique marketing phrases were a representation of the times – and also the difference between success and failure – the two gentlemen used the first letters of their last names to create a unique moniker to showcase the ease and convenience they instilled in a shopping experience. Thus Kum & Go was born."
According to the website, the age was 1959 and the founders were W.A. Krause and T.S. Gentle.
I still think I would have preferred a catchy and unique name that didn't incorporate the preposterous spelling.
I won't even mention the sexual innuendo that can be associated with the names of both the convenience stores and the burger store.
FYI -
innuendo
n. 1. an indirect or subtle reference, esp one made maliciously or indicating criticism or disapproval; insinuation
connotation
connotation
n.1. The act or process of connoting.
2. a. An idea or meaning suggested by or associated with a word or thing: Hollywood holds connotations of romance and glittering success.
b. The set of associations implied by a word in addition to its literal meaning.
2. a. An idea or meaning suggested by or associated with a word or thing: Hollywood holds connotations of romance and glittering success.
b. The set of associations implied by a word in addition to its literal meaning.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Comparing Annual Word Lists (Michigan Edition)
A topic of mention on many blogs and websites recently has been the publication of Lake Superior State University's 2011 Banished Words List. For those who do not know, Lake Superior State University is located in Sault Ste Marie, Michigan.
Interestingly, a magazine with offices located in Detroit, Michigan also published a list of taboo words. The December issue of Hour Detroit Magazine includes an article titled 40 Different Words and Phrases Not to Use.
I thought it might be fun to compare LSSU's list with that of Hour Detroit's.
LSSU's list includes 14 words and phrases and Hour Detroit's list includes 40.
The only no-no word that the two lists share is back story. Following is the back story commentary from each list.
Hour Detroit - "BACK STORY. What’s wrong with background?"
LSSU - BACK STORY
"This should be on the list of words that don't need to exist because a perfectly good word has been used for years. In this case, the word is 'history,' or, for those who must be weaned, 'story.'" Jeff Williams, Sherwood, Ariz.
"This should be on the list of words that don't need to exist because a perfectly good word has been used for years. In this case, the word is 'history,' or, for those who must be weaned, 'story.'" Jeff Williams, Sherwood, Ariz.
Here are a few more of the words and phrases from each list.
LSSU
Wow factor
Epic
BFF
Viral
I'm just sayin'
Hour Detroit
End result
Begs the question
Icon, iconic
Male nurse
Trust me
Skill set
For the full lists and descriptions please click on the above links.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Unusual Words Defined A - Z (Part R)
A continuation of the series.
rusticle
n. An icicle-like rust structure formed underwater on rusting iron. [Blend of rust and icicle.]
n. An icicle-like rust structure formed underwater on rusting iron. [Blend of rust and icicle.]
Earliest Citation:
Dr. Robert Ballard, head of a research team currently photographing the sunken luxury liner, said yesterday the vessel's exquisite woodwork has all but disappeared....The ship, inside and out, is covered with stalactite-like icicles of rust or 'rusticles,' he said.—Barbara Yaffe, "Rust 'icicles' drape hull of Titanic," The Globe and Mail, July 17, 1986
Dr. Robert Ballard, head of a research team currently photographing the sunken luxury liner, said yesterday the vessel's exquisite woodwork has all but disappeared....The ship, inside and out, is covered with stalactite-like icicles of rust or 'rusticles,' he said.—Barbara Yaffe, "Rust 'icicles' drape hull of Titanic," The Globe and Mail, July 17, 1986
From: Word Spy
Image from: library.thinkquest.org
P.S. In linguistics blended words are often referred to as portmanteau words from the French word for a suitcase with two compartments. Click here for more on portmanteau words.
Friday, January 7, 2011
Linguistics on Jeopardy - January 2011
The category: WHO THE "H" ARE YOU?
The $2000 clue: This Japanese-American professor of linguistics was a California senator from 1977 to 1983.
The $2000 clue: This Japanese-American professor of linguistics was a California senator from 1977 to 1983.
The answer: S.I. Hayakawa
Samuel Ichiye Hayakawa (July 18, 1906 – February 27, 1992) was an important figure in the field of semantics. His 1949 book Language in Thought and Action helped popularize the study of semantics.
Clue from Jeopardy episode #5448, aired 2008-04-23
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Can Randomly Placed Letters Form an Intelligible Word?
According to an e-mail that has been around for several years (and is supposedly based on Cambridge University research), as long as the first and last letters of a word are positioned accurately, the order of the internal letters should not interfere with a reader's ability to interpret the word.
This past December, a new video debunking this claim made the rounds.
In case you missed it on The Spelling Blog, Language Hat, Mighty Red Pen or anywhere else it may have appeared, here it is:
Excellent analysis from What You Ought to Know.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Unusual Words Defined: A - Z (Part Q)
A continuation of the series.Quaff - To drink deeply or with vigor. “Ne'er was mingled such a draught / In palace, hall or arbor / As freemen brewed and tyrants quaffed / That night in Boston Harbor.” (Oliver Wendell Holmes, American physician, poet and author, 1809-1894)
From Wayne State University's Word Warriors
Image from here
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