• language
• wankery

I am not a prescriptive grammarian (rhetoricians usually aren't), but this rapidly spreading meme of using "beg the question" to mean "raises the question" is a sign that no one seems to be teaching logic anymore--question-begging expressions.

• Jim Aune's blog
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• autism
• language

"What is it about autistic people that prompts the trope of the alien? How are autists different from other human beings, in such a way that a gifted autist can feel that living among humans is like living with Martians? How can a gross but effective sound bite create the sense that aliens are snatching our children to make them theirs ? I am of the school that thinks you can learn about X by reflecting on what makes something not-X.

• Jim Aune's blog
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• announcements
• language

For those of you in the PA area, check out the 17th Annual Kenneth Burke Lecture on Rhetoric, Sunday, April 26, 2009, 100 Thomas Building at Penn State. The linguist George Lakoff, co-author of Metaphors We Live By, and noted most recently for his works on linguistic advice for the Democrats Don't Think of an Elephant, and The Political Mind, will speak on the topic, Beyond Rhetoric: The Central Role of Language and the Brain in Politics and Ethics. The flyer for the lecture is attached. (h/t to Mike Hogan)

• Jim Aune's blog
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• language

Mamihlapinatapai.

• Jim Aune's blog
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• immigration
• language

Language Log points us to a story about a school board member in Louisiana who wants to institute a rule that graduation speeches be entirely in English:

• Jim Brown's blog
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• language
• war

An interesting project in Germany..."Dictionary of War"

• Cynthia's blog
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• language
• theory

Interesting short piece in WIRED this month about the 'war of words' between scientists and creationists over the use of the word 'theory' when referring to evolution. Seems scientists are getting wise to the fact that when creationists slam evolution as just some 'theory' they're able to discredit it as just something scientists 'believe,' not something that is fact. So, scientists are discussing changing their language to call evolution a 'law.' Theory loses. . .again.

• Cynthia's blog
• 1 comment