Tag Archives: linguistics

The Curse of the Eraser

Posted on October 12, 2011 by Cora

Why, oh why do our fifth grade English textbooks insist on teaching kids that this is called a “rubber”? Now “rubber” is not wrong, but “eraser” is the far more common term for the object in question. Nor is “eraser” … Continue reading →

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Junkyard and “quality” TV, the irrational fear of repeated words, unfortunately named romance heroes and some awards neepery

Posted on October 5, 2011 by Cora

First of all, I have a new favourite search string, namely “german tv show of trailer park trash people”. I suspect that whoever googled that was looking for the German reality TV show Die Ludolfs – Vier Brüder auf’m Schrottplatz … Continue reading →

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Day of German Unity Linkdump

Posted on October 3, 2011 by Cora

October 3 is the Day of German Unity, which commemorates the German reunification on October 3, 1990. This year’s celebrations seem strangely subdued. Sure, there is the official celebration in the former capital of Bonn and there are the requisite … Continue reading →

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I’m really bloody sick of cake

Posted on July 30, 2011 by Cora

Yesterday afternoon, I had to go to family birthday with coffee, tea and cake. These occasions are always stressful and tiring for me, because I am an introvert, so being with other people is tiring for me, even if I … Continue reading →

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The infinite cluelessness of the news media, Harry Potter, Star Wars and some writing links

Posted on July 25, 2011 by Cora

Yesterday I posted how infuriating I find it that all those self-styled experts immediately jumped to conclusions that the horrific terrorist attacks in Norway had an islamist background, especially since it turned out that the killer was a muslim-hating, rightwing, … Continue reading →

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Gender, Characterisation and Smurfs

Posted on July 23, 2011 by Cora

Here’s another great contribution to the debate about women in SFF and literature in general: Max Barry explains why the marginalization of women is all down to dogs and Smurfs. The point about animals being considered male by default does … Continue reading →

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Point of view, the T-V distinction and the Ingeborg Bachmann prize

Posted on July 12, 2011 by Cora

This is the post I had drafted and intended to post yesterday, before that Strunk and White business diverted my attention. It is long and full of technical details regarding linguistics, narrative perspective and contemporary German literature: The 2011 Ingeborg … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Writing | Tagged , , , | 10 Comments

Chavs, Reality TV and Class Prejudice

Posted on June 13, 2011 by Cora

A few days ago, I linked to this discussion of the British slang term “chav” at the Guardian. Now the Guardian has a follow-up article, in which Suzanne Moore says that it’s not the term “chav” itself that’s the problem … Continue reading →

Posted in General, TV | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Dublin Photos Part 3 – Signage and Storefronts

Posted on May 8, 2011 by Cora

This is part 3 of my selection of photos from my recent trip to Dublin. This installment is devoted to interesting signs and storefronts. The linguist in me was particularly fascinated by the bilingual signs on roads and official buildings … Continue reading →

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Home from Holiday Linkdump

Posted on May 6, 2011 by Cora

Even though I’m back home, I’ve been intensely busy these past few days. In retrospect, planning my holiday so that I’d be home at half past nine on the night before I had to be back at school probably wasn’t … Continue reading →

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