Learning Strategies

Recent Posts - page 39

• “I was allowed to believe things that weren’t true.”

  By ljd42 on February 19, 2021

  

  Quick: who said the sentence in the title of this post? That’s right, it’s your favorite Member of Congress, Marjorie Taylor Greene! Linguist Mark Liberman, incidentally a former classmate of mine, observes that Steve Silberman nominated the above sentence of Greene’s to… Read More ›

• Who are the Sami?

  By ljd42 on February 17, 2021

  

  Hands up if you know who the Sami are without looking it up! Hmm… only three of you. I could have asked whether you can figure out where the stunning movie Sami Blood was filmed, relying on the title alone. Again,… Read More ›

• No, your family name was NOT changed at Ellis Island!

  By ljd42 on February 16, 2021

  

  Every American Jewish family—and a few Gentile families as well—have a family story that they’re convinced is true: the family name had been changed by an immigration official at Ellis Island more than a century ago. In my case, the… Read More ›

• Zia Gianna: “Valentine’s Date Night to Go”

  By ljd42 on February 14, 2021

  

  Chef Nino, Sicilian native and recently naturalized American citizen, offered a special Valentine’s Day takeout dinner at his neighborhood Italian caffe, Zia Gianna, right around the corner from us: Salmon and dill dip with imported crackers Spezzatino with tortino potatoes (i.e.,… Read More ›

• First-naming, tutoyer, and duzen

  By ljd42 on February 12, 2021

  

  When is it OK for a stranger to call you by your first name? This is a more complicated question than it first appears to be. I’ve been listening to a lot of podcasts with guests during the pandemic, and… Read More ›

• Barton Fink

  By ljd42 on February 10, 2021

  

  The Coen brothers, I decided, deserved one more try. They do have a stellar reputation, after all. After disliking Fargo, Raising Arizona, and Blood Simple, I had almost given up on the Coens, but reviews convinced me to check out… Read More ›

• An English accent—in recordings from 1340 to 2006. (1340? What? Really!?)

  By ljd42 on February 8, 2021

  

  Don’t read the title to this post. It’s a lie. Simon Roper has not actually discovered recordings from 1340. Or even 1400. But his 18-minute video is still very much worth watching. When I say “watching,” I mean more than… Read More ›

• The Secret Life of Books

  By ljd42 on February 6, 2021

  

  A book about books—how self-referential! And how wonderful! The full title of the book under discussion is The Secret Life of Books: Why They Mean More than Words. More than words indeed. Tom Mole’s delightful paean to the book is largely about… Read More ›

• Racism and linguistics

  By ljd42 on February 5, 2021

  

  I’ve only once cited the first-rate Humans Who Read Grammars. Yes, only once. But it’s not my fault! I would love to cite them more, but the authors post too rarely. What’s the matter with you guys? Do you have a life… Read More ›

• Why do physicists play dominoes? And what’s the connection between the Aztecs and the Arctic Circle anyway?

  By ljd42 on February 3, 2021

  

  I’m sure you’ve been wondering: what’s a mathologer? Or perhaps you should ask “Who’s The Mathologer?” In that case, the answer is easy: The Mathologer is Burkard Polster. I’m kidding about part of this, of course—not about his name, which… Read More ›

• The Princess Bride revisited

  By ljd42 on February 2, 2021

  

  “Never get involved in a land war in Asia.” That’s the line I’ve remembered for more than three decades. Yes, it has been that long since The Princess Bride was first released! How well has this movie held up? Amazingly well, I… Read More ›

• The new Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction

  By ljd42 on January 31, 2021

  

  Where do you go to find the answer to a question about science fiction? Google? Wikipedia? The New York Times? All of those are plausible answers, but it would sure be convenient to have everything you want to know in… Read More ›

• Gaston is learning Polish—and liking it!

  By ljd42 on January 30, 2021

  

  “Polish is a very difficult language,” says the typical American who doesn’t live in the Dorchester neighborhood known as the Polish Triangle. That’s primarily because they want to buy a vowel when they see so many consonants. They look at… Read More ›

• Twelve Gifts for Writers

  By ljd42 on January 28, 2021

  

  What a refreshing antidote to that horrid book of unscientific advice that I won’t name here. You know which horrid book I’m talking about: that undeservedly famous guide by Strunk and White. The antidote is the little book Twelve Gifts for Writers by… Read More ›

• Nerds, Harry Potter, and Burmese translations: what do these have in common?

  By ljd42 on January 27, 2021

  

  You know those “Common Bonds” puzzles, a.k.a. “What do these three have in common?” Look at the title to this post. The first two items are easy—nerds have a lot in common with Harry Potter—but Burmese translations? Take a look… Read More ›

• Support your local restaurants!

  By ljd42 on January 25, 2021

  

  Barbara and I continue to follow Tara and Michaela’s advice: support your local restaurants! Last night we had fantastic take-out from the Ashmont Grill: bacon-wrapped meatloaf with mashed potatoes, grilled asparagus, and mushroom gravy; wood-grilled 12 oz. ribeye steak with roasted… Read More ›

• Suppose you lived on a dodecahedron. How would you avoid your neighbors?

  By ljd42 on January 24, 2021

  

  “Suppose you lived on a dodecahedron,” I say. “How would you avoid your neighbors?” “But I don’t live on a dodecahedron,” you claim. “Anyway, what if I don’t want to avoid my neighbors?” Stop! This is mathematics. We make abstractions away from the real… Read More ›

• Lost Yiddish words?

  By ljd42 on January 23, 2021

  

  “Every language changes.” This is a standard response when peevers complain about “bad” English. In fact, it’s appropriate response #1. As you know, peevers file regular grievances about singular “they,” about new words, new meanings, the word “irregardless,” slang, the willingness… Read More ›

• The 99% Invisible City

  By ljd42 on January 21, 2021

  

  “Always read the plaque.” This is getting out of control. I now have 13 books on my list of Top Ten Favorite Books! The 99% Invisible City is now the thirteenth. Something has to be done. And why, you ask, are there 13 books… Read More ›

• Gym Jordan, grammar expert

  By ljd42 on January 19, 2021

  

  Leading Republican congressman Jim Jordan is well-known as an expert on “pronouns“:

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