Cuz it ain’t in the dictionary
This morning in my English composition class, composed mainly of Japanese speakers, I came upon another pitfall of relying on “in the dictionary” as a… Read More »Cuz it ain’t in the dictionary
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Oh, pants
If a dog wore pants, would word meaning help us decide what they should look like? Using prototype theory and native speaker judgements, we find… Read More »Oh, pants
Religious terrorism is sadly not unique
The January 7th attacks in France caused great sadness, anger, and fear. They also occasioned outpourings of support, and analyses of what went wrong. Some… Read More »Religious terrorism is sadly not unique
Shock. Lehman shock.
Japanese media use the label “Lehman shock” to refer to the 2008 financial crisis and subsequent shocks. The phrase “financial crisis” occurred frequently in 2008… Read More »Shock. Lehman shock.
Where have all the numbers gone? (Or 1 + 99 = 53 + 47)
In 2011 the American Dialect Society listed ‘the 99%’ among its Words of the Year. In 2012 ‘47%’ became the new politically-charged number. These numbers… Read More »Where have all the numbers gone? (Or 1 + 99 = 53 + 47)
Another possible definition of “socialist”
The New Yorker’s Jane Mayer says conservative Evangelical Christians view President Obama as “the avatar of godless socialism”. Do American Christian conservatives use ‘socialist’ to… Read More »Another possible definition of “socialist”
Year-end Roundup
In lieu of an inaugural posting as the in-coming digital content editor (it’s coming next year, I promise), enjoy this year-end roundup of ling-anth related… Read More »Year-end Roundup