A Roguish Chrestomathy is perplexed by the censorship by Itunes.
As the blog notes:
Further searching reveals that there does indeed seem to be a (foolish) consistency to iTunes's bleeping policy. The word cock is bleeped to c**k in song titles and album titles (but not in artists' names) if it is an entire word, but not if it is part of a compound. Thus we find asterisks aplenty in traditional children's songs...
Sunday, April 30, 2006
Friday, April 28, 2006
But He Wrote It First
Who knew there could be so many words for rear end?
As Peter Carlson notes there seems to be an endless supply of synonyms for buttocks, enough to lead Oxygen to devote a special section to the topic. Among Carlson's findings:
The cover alone is a cornucopia of butt-centric linguistics: "Build your Best Butt Ever!" and "10 Surefire Moves to Sculpt Your Rear End" and "3 Ways to Boost Your Bottom Line" and "Get Your Own Dimple-free Derriere" and "advice for rock-hard buns!" and the cheery "Look Great From Behind!"
After a cover like that, you figure the folks at Oxygen have run out of steam. Wrong! They're just warming up.
Inside, the publisher's column is titled "Let's get cheeky!" and the editor's column is called "Perfecting your rear view." After that come articles titled "The Bottom Line," "Why Hot Buns Make Life Better" and "Refine Your Rear" as well as "Walk Your Way to a Tighter Butt," which was written by Tosca Reno, author of "The Butt Book."
If you follow the instructions in these articles, you, too, can have a "toned tush" as well as a "noteworthy booty" and a "to-die-for derriere" plus a "bulletproof back end."
As Peter Carlson notes there seems to be an endless supply of synonyms for buttocks, enough to lead Oxygen to devote a special section to the topic. Among Carlson's findings:
The cover alone is a cornucopia of butt-centric linguistics: "Build your Best Butt Ever!" and "10 Surefire Moves to Sculpt Your Rear End" and "3 Ways to Boost Your Bottom Line" and "Get Your Own Dimple-free Derriere" and "advice for rock-hard buns!" and the cheery "Look Great From Behind!"
After a cover like that, you figure the folks at Oxygen have run out of steam. Wrong! They're just warming up.
Inside, the publisher's column is titled "Let's get cheeky!" and the editor's column is called "Perfecting your rear view." After that come articles titled "The Bottom Line," "Why Hot Buns Make Life Better" and "Refine Your Rear" as well as "Walk Your Way to a Tighter Butt," which was written by Tosca Reno, author of "The Butt Book."
If you follow the instructions in these articles, you, too, can have a "toned tush" as well as a "noteworthy booty" and a "to-die-for derriere" plus a "bulletproof back end."
Sunday, April 23, 2006
Ya Gotta Laugh
Man, feeling blue today. Couldn't make it to the ACES conference. So I'm sitting listening to real poetry, "Silver Spring" by Stevie Nicks and "Nowhere Man" by Bruce Springsteen. No, not together. Now THAT would be an interesting mix. Wonder who would get the mike first? And the Apple earbuds are too big for my ears, making them hurt.
To cheer myself up, I popped over to Michael Quinion's World Wide Words where I read this:
Graham Millar noted that a restaurant in Kenmore, NY, advertises a “Pre Fix” menu. This led him to wonder what the food would be like after repairs had been made.
To cheer myself up, I popped over to Michael Quinion's World Wide Words where I read this:
Graham Millar noted that a restaurant in Kenmore, NY, advertises a “Pre Fix” menu. This led him to wonder what the food would be like after repairs had been made.
New Place to Talk
Those acquainted with ACES, the American Copy Editors Society, will be pleased to know that the group has created a new discussion board, much easier to use and much more flexible. Check it out.
Saturday, April 22, 2006
Where's the Vodka When You Need It?
This is enough to make every book lover weep. A
Maryland book store specializing in Russian texts was evicted in a rent dispute. It was shuttered and thousands of its books thrown out into the parking lot and then shoveled into Dumpsters. There must have been a better way to handle this. Tip from Language Hat.
Maryland book store specializing in Russian texts was evicted in a rent dispute. It was shuttered and thousands of its books thrown out into the parking lot and then shoveled into Dumpsters. There must have been a better way to handle this. Tip from Language Hat.
Monday, April 17, 2006
Thought for the Day
You don't need to take drugs to hallucinate; improper language can fill your world with phantoms and spooks of many kinds.
-Robert A. Wilson
-Robert A. Wilson
Sunday, April 16, 2006
How Do They Do That?
The other day I was simultaneously listening to the marvelous mix of music from the movie "The Mission" and stumbling upon a web site about Mayan language and culture. It reminded me of a paragraph I'd come across in the book, "A Great And Noble Scheme: The Tragic Story Of The Expulsion Of The French Acadians From Their American Homeland" which details the brutal ouster of French Canadians by British and American troops back in 1755.
At any rate, author John Mack Faragher at one point writes about the richness of the native language Mikmawisimk, describing it as “a verb-based language that takes its structure from the relationships among things....” and then “To illustrate how sophisticated such modes could become, one student of the languages tells of the Mikmaw hunter who in a single word was able to convey his state of mind as he stalked a bear in the middle of the woods: the hope he would meet his prey, the fear that he would be killed in the encounter and the love he felt for his wife and children, for whom he was hunting.”
That's a stunning language, far more complex in this one aspect, at least, than English. More on Native language another time, but if you're interested in reading more now, check out this piece on the Tlingit language, or this piece about evidentials in Native languages, both by my favorite professor, William Z. Shetter.
At any rate, author John Mack Faragher at one point writes about the richness of the native language Mikmawisimk, describing it as “a verb-based language that takes its structure from the relationships among things....” and then “To illustrate how sophisticated such modes could become, one student of the languages tells of the Mikmaw hunter who in a single word was able to convey his state of mind as he stalked a bear in the middle of the woods: the hope he would meet his prey, the fear that he would be killed in the encounter and the love he felt for his wife and children, for whom he was hunting.”
That's a stunning language, far more complex in this one aspect, at least, than English. More on Native language another time, but if you're interested in reading more now, check out this piece on the Tlingit language, or this piece about evidentials in Native languages, both by my favorite professor, William Z. Shetter.
Friday, April 14, 2006
The Department of Redundancy Department
2 Marines Killed, 22 Hurt in Western Iraq
The Associated Press
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Two U.S. Marines were killed and 22 were wounded, two of them critically, in fighting in western
Iraq, the U.S. command announced Saturday. Two of the wounded were in critical condition.
The Associated Press
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Two U.S. Marines were killed and 22 were wounded, two of them critically, in fighting in western
Iraq, the U.S. command announced Saturday. Two of the wounded were in critical condition.
What Would Ernie Do?
We seem to be on the verge of a transition in the language we use in writing about the war in Iraq. It's long overdue. While we have gotten over the cliched and unquestioning "shock and awe" and fascination with over-hyped weapons systems, we have been stuck with far too flowery language describing soldiers. Once again, TV is to blame. A few days ago, I heard Wolf Blitzer casually refer to soldiers as "warriors."
Now, the military, some politicians desperate to sound patriotic, war supporters and perhaps even some soldiers' families might like that phrase, there's no reason we should accept it. I'm trying to picture Ernie Pyle using similarly silly language and can't. Equally silly is "IED" when we mean bomb.
Now, the military, some politicians desperate to sound patriotic, war supporters and perhaps even some soldiers' families might like that phrase, there's no reason we should accept it. I'm trying to picture Ernie Pyle using similarly silly language and can't. Equally silly is "IED" when we mean bomb.
Thursday, April 13, 2006
An Era, Amended
So, here we have two AP/Yahoo headlines, the first on the main Yahoo page, the second on the same article but "inside" on the story itself. I was troubled by this headline but wonder if it's simply my unhappiness with the passing of the time and the man, or whether there really is something wrong here.
Vietnam-era peace activist Coffin dies at 81
Former Chaplain William Sloane Coffin Dies
When I think of William Sloane Coffin, a towering figure from the late 1960s and 1970s, it tends to be in not-so-long ago terms. Yes, it was quite a while ago that people were burning draft cards and marching in the streets, and that Coffin was on trial for his actions and beliefs. But it would seem to me that his activity, his leadership in so many ways, transcends "the Vietnam era." He was a major figure in the civil rights and peace movement, period. He doesn't belong to just one "era." But perhaps this is what happens to each generation as it ages and its heroes, villains and celebrities fade from the headlines, only to reappear in death. I would have liked this first headline more, though, had it dropped the "era". I'll go back to rinsing out the gray now.
Vietnam-era peace activist Coffin dies at 81
Former Chaplain William Sloane Coffin Dies
When I think of William Sloane Coffin, a towering figure from the late 1960s and 1970s, it tends to be in not-so-long ago terms. Yes, it was quite a while ago that people were burning draft cards and marching in the streets, and that Coffin was on trial for his actions and beliefs. But it would seem to me that his activity, his leadership in so many ways, transcends "the Vietnam era." He was a major figure in the civil rights and peace movement, period. He doesn't belong to just one "era." But perhaps this is what happens to each generation as it ages and its heroes, villains and celebrities fade from the headlines, only to reappear in death. I would have liked this first headline more, though, had it dropped the "era". I'll go back to rinsing out the gray now.
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Immigrant Rites
Coverage of the huge immigration demonstrations in the last few weeks seems to be undergoing a language shift, one that may or may not reflect a change in the demonstrations themselves. Originally described as protests against crackdowns on illegal demonstrations, more recent stories have shifted in tone. It's worth considering whether reporters are being influenced by the outpouring and, in many cases, truly touching stories told by immigrants, or whether the demonstrations are shifting focus. I don't know.
Newsday, April 11... Tens of thousands of people converged on the streets near New York City Hall yesterday in support of immigration reform, chanting and waving flags...
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, April 11...Nearly 2 million people, including at least 40,000 in Atlanta, marched in protests Monday in the biggest coordinated demonstration on immigration this country has ever seen.
The New York Times, April 11... Waving American flags and blue banners that read ''We Are America,'' throngs of cheering, chanting immigrants and their supporters converged on the nation's capital and in scores of other cities on Monday calling on Congress to offer legal status and citizenship to millions of illegal immigrants.
Earlier stories described the demonstrations as protests against congressional legislation.
Los Angeles Times, March 31 ...who organized last Saturday's massive protest against proposed immigration legislation...
Houston Chronicle, April 2...High school students who took to the streets of Houston last week in an unprecedented protest against efforts to clamp down on illegal immigration....
Newsday, April 11... Tens of thousands of people converged on the streets near New York City Hall yesterday in support of immigration reform, chanting and waving flags...
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, April 11...Nearly 2 million people, including at least 40,000 in Atlanta, marched in protests Monday in the biggest coordinated demonstration on immigration this country has ever seen.
The New York Times, April 11... Waving American flags and blue banners that read ''We Are America,'' throngs of cheering, chanting immigrants and their supporters converged on the nation's capital and in scores of other cities on Monday calling on Congress to offer legal status and citizenship to millions of illegal immigrants.
Earlier stories described the demonstrations as protests against congressional legislation.
Los Angeles Times, March 31 ...who organized last Saturday's massive protest against proposed immigration legislation...
Houston Chronicle, April 2...High school students who took to the streets of Houston last week in an unprecedented protest against efforts to clamp down on illegal immigration....
Monday, April 10, 2006
The Immigration Debate
Over at my favorite political blog Eschaton, there's been a discussion about the owner of another site who made some claims about illegal residents and military service that I found a bit questionable. She said, among other things, that 5 percent of the military is made up of illegal residents. And at Eschaton,there was much discussion about Selective Service registration, military service, legal residents, dual citizenship and so on. All very interesting and informative, but some simply wrong, as you might expect on such a provocative topic. As someone who once worked in a refugee/immigration program, I have a much less black-and-white take on immigration than many people do and think we ought to be compassionate, as citizens, but careful, as journalists, in our choice of language.
Here's what I learned:
To my surprise, even illegal residents of the United States are supposed to register for Selective Service. Males, that is. I don't know what the thinking is, and I can't imagine why anyone in the country illegally would step forward to register, realizing that they would be putting themselves into legal harm's way. But the Selective Service site makes very clear that they are supposed to do so, exempting only foreign students and men in the country on visitor's visas exempt (along with some age exemptions).
I really had doubts about the claims about illegal residents serving in the military, not to say that there are none, because I'm sure there are. But I found a commingling of facts about legal residents who had won citizenship through military service, and the claim about illegal residents. So I sent a question through the Army web site and got this information:
Our citizenship regulations states (sic): “unless you are citizen with the U.S. or are a legal resident alien of the U.S., you are not qualified to enlist in the United States Army.” Any office of the Immigration and Naturalization Service can provide information concerning entry as a resident alien... Their number is 1-800-375-5283 (inside the U.S. only). Army regulations prohibit us from assisting or sponsoring anyone in to the United States.
All this means is that facts, no surprise, need to be checked. Emotions are running high on all sides--and I think there are more than two sides--of this debate and bad information has a way of creeping into the discussion. I am finding a lot of coverage to be superficial, especially on TV, and find myself saying, "But what about..." every time someone on any side is allowed to make a claim that goes unchallenged.
Here's what I learned:
To my surprise, even illegal residents of the United States are supposed to register for Selective Service. Males, that is. I don't know what the thinking is, and I can't imagine why anyone in the country illegally would step forward to register, realizing that they would be putting themselves into legal harm's way. But the Selective Service site makes very clear that they are supposed to do so, exempting only foreign students and men in the country on visitor's visas exempt (along with some age exemptions).
I really had doubts about the claims about illegal residents serving in the military, not to say that there are none, because I'm sure there are. But I found a commingling of facts about legal residents who had won citizenship through military service, and the claim about illegal residents. So I sent a question through the Army web site and got this information:
Our citizenship regulations states (sic): “unless you are citizen with the U.S. or are a legal resident alien of the U.S., you are not qualified to enlist in the United States Army.” Any office of the Immigration and Naturalization Service can provide information concerning entry as a resident alien... Their number is 1-800-375-5283 (inside the U.S. only). Army regulations prohibit us from assisting or sponsoring anyone in to the United States.
All this means is that facts, no surprise, need to be checked. Emotions are running high on all sides--and I think there are more than two sides--of this debate and bad information has a way of creeping into the discussion. I am finding a lot of coverage to be superficial, especially on TV, and find myself saying, "But what about..." every time someone on any side is allowed to make a claim that goes unchallenged.
Thursday, April 6, 2006
More Cool Tools
This site Dictionary.hm, is noteworthy for a couple of reasons.
First, it's a highly interactive dictionary--simply start typing a word, such as cancer, and defintions appear on the screen. Type C and an explanation of the letter shows up; continue typing to "can" and the verb and nouns are defined, and then finally "cancer". It is very speedy, much faster than the annoying dictionary.com
The site is definitely fun and different. To find out something about the site's operators, type in "about us" in the defintion area and wham, you get this:
Founded in 2006, Dictionary.hm holds a searchable database of over 175,000 non-taboo definitions and growing. We aim to be the most used online dictionary on the internet, and hope to bring extra features as soon as they come available to us. Dictionary.hm is © copyright Colin Palmer as of 2006 to present day. All rights reserved.
Second is its top-level domain name (the .hm part). After scouring around for a while, I found a British newspaper article complaining about it because, it says, the domain belongs to the Heard and McDonald Islands, which are "situated about 1,500 km north of Antarctica, 4,100 km south-west of Australia, and about 4,700 km south-east of Africa." So, no one's really there, which makes you wonder why bother with the unexciting TLD name, other than to capture the coveted "dictionary" part of the address.
It sounds as if the site is still developing, since 175,000 words in the database isn't all that extensive. But it seems to have made a great start and I'm looking forward to seeing where it will go next.
First, it's a highly interactive dictionary--simply start typing a word, such as cancer, and defintions appear on the screen. Type C and an explanation of the letter shows up; continue typing to "can" and the verb and nouns are defined, and then finally "cancer". It is very speedy, much faster than the annoying dictionary.com
The site is definitely fun and different. To find out something about the site's operators, type in "about us" in the defintion area and wham, you get this:
Founded in 2006, Dictionary.hm holds a searchable database of over 175,000 non-taboo definitions and growing. We aim to be the most used online dictionary on the internet, and hope to bring extra features as soon as they come available to us. Dictionary.hm is © copyright Colin Palmer as of 2006 to present day. All rights reserved.
Second is its top-level domain name (the .hm part). After scouring around for a while, I found a British newspaper article complaining about it because, it says, the domain belongs to the Heard and McDonald Islands, which are "situated about 1,500 km north of Antarctica, 4,100 km south-west of Australia, and about 4,700 km south-east of Africa." So, no one's really there, which makes you wonder why bother with the unexciting TLD name, other than to capture the coveted "dictionary" part of the address.
It sounds as if the site is still developing, since 175,000 words in the database isn't all that extensive. But it seems to have made a great start and I'm looking forward to seeing where it will go next.
Wednesday, April 5, 2006
Tattoo to You
There's nothing like a bad rendition of another language to set off guffaws. And there's probably money to be made turning rough English into something more acceptable.
Brian Breuhaus, recently of Newsday and newly arrived in South Korea with his wife, Patty, and son, Jack, cited some amusing language from a recent medical exam required for his new job at JoongAng Daily, quoted here:
If you have some diseases, describe as follows
Have your relatives ever been dead or illed as follows: a. liver disease, b. heart disease ...
Do you have any suspicious diseases on your health?
What kind of food do often you like?
How about your drinking habit?
Would you smoke a cigarette?
How many times do you excercise with an awful sweat per week?
Mistranslations, though, work both ways. Over at Hanzismatters, Tian has been expounding for months
about fake or stupid Asian characters being used as artwork, most often in tattoos.
This one, for example, translates, roughly, as "ease of gas retention." Which makes me wonder: is it just random or is an Asian artist somewhere snickering at the stupid Westerners who will put anything on their arm without finding out what it really means?
Brian Breuhaus, recently of Newsday and newly arrived in South Korea with his wife, Patty, and son, Jack, cited some amusing language from a recent medical exam required for his new job at JoongAng Daily, quoted here:
If you have some diseases, describe as follows
Have your relatives ever been dead or illed as follows: a. liver disease, b. heart disease ...
Do you have any suspicious diseases on your health?
What kind of food do often you like?
How about your drinking habit?
Would you smoke a cigarette?
How many times do you excercise with an awful sweat per week?
Mistranslations, though, work both ways. Over at Hanzismatters, Tian has been expounding for months
about fake or stupid Asian characters being used as artwork, most often in tattoos. This one, for example, translates, roughly, as "ease of gas retention." Which makes me wonder: is it just random or is an Asian artist somewhere snickering at the stupid Westerners who will put anything on their arm without finding out what it really means?
Monday, April 3, 2006
A Cool Tool
A cool tool encountered recently:
What Should I Read Next At this site, you simply type in the name of an author and book and the site will then offer a list (sometimes very short) of similar books.
It doesn't always produce a suggestion. When I typed in "Simple Justice" by Richard Kluger, my all-time favorite history of the legal struggle for civil rights, it came up with no suggestions.
When I typed the first of Sue Grafton's alphabet-based series, "A Is for Alibi", it came up, predictably, with "Sue Grafton: Three Complete Novels; A, B & C: A is for Alibi; B Is for Burglar; C Is for Corpse - Sue Grafton".
Sometimes the list is a bit more extensive. For Herman Wouk's "The Winds of War" came the following:
Fate Is the Hunter - Ernest K. Gann
Secret of Santa Vittoria - Robert Crichton
New Girls - Beth Gutcheon
The Love Wife - Gish Jen
We Were Soldiers Once...and Young: The Battle That Changed the War in Vietnam - Harold G. Moore, Joseph Galloway
Chickenhawk - Robert Mason
Tara Road - Maeve Binchy
Trinity - Leon Uris
A History of God: The 4,000-Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity and Islam - Karen Armstrong
War and Rememberance Part 2 of 3 - Herman Wouk
The system has a few quirks. After typing in just the author's name, Stud Terkel, it came up with his latest title, "And They All Sang." When I typed in Terkel's name and his book, "Working" it came up with the full title, "Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do" but then said it had nothing to recommend.
Though it has the usual affiliate links to Amazon, it appears not to be related at all. The site is run by Thoughplay, a British company.
This is how Thoughtplay describes itself: Thoughtplay is based in the UK (London and Oxford), but will work anywhere in real space, cyberspace or the ideosphere.
ideosphere? Whew, that's a new one on me.
What Should I Read Next At this site, you simply type in the name of an author and book and the site will then offer a list (sometimes very short) of similar books.
It doesn't always produce a suggestion. When I typed in "Simple Justice" by Richard Kluger, my all-time favorite history of the legal struggle for civil rights, it came up with no suggestions.
When I typed the first of Sue Grafton's alphabet-based series, "A Is for Alibi", it came up, predictably, with "Sue Grafton: Three Complete Novels; A, B & C: A is for Alibi; B Is for Burglar; C Is for Corpse - Sue Grafton".
Sometimes the list is a bit more extensive. For Herman Wouk's "The Winds of War" came the following:
Fate Is the Hunter - Ernest K. Gann
Secret of Santa Vittoria - Robert Crichton
New Girls - Beth Gutcheon
The Love Wife - Gish Jen
We Were Soldiers Once...and Young: The Battle That Changed the War in Vietnam - Harold G. Moore, Joseph Galloway
Chickenhawk - Robert Mason
Tara Road - Maeve Binchy
Trinity - Leon Uris
A History of God: The 4,000-Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity and Islam - Karen Armstrong
War and Rememberance Part 2 of 3 - Herman Wouk
The system has a few quirks. After typing in just the author's name, Stud Terkel, it came up with his latest title, "And They All Sang." When I typed in Terkel's name and his book, "Working" it came up with the full title, "Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do" but then said it had nothing to recommend.
Though it has the usual affiliate links to Amazon, it appears not to be related at all. The site is run by Thoughplay, a British company.
This is how Thoughtplay describes itself: Thoughtplay is based in the UK (London and Oxford), but will work anywhere in real space, cyberspace or the ideosphere.
ideosphere? Whew, that's a new one on me.
Saturday, April 1, 2006
Punking the Bard
Ha ha ha. Today's amusing link, the Hokey-Pokey as written by Shakespeare.
The following is from the Washington Post Style Invitational contest that asked readers to submit "instructions" for something (anything), but written in the style of a famous person. The winning entry was The Hokey Pokey (as written by William Shakespeare).
O proud left foot, that ventures quick within
Then soon upon a backward journey lithe.
Anon, once more the gesture, then begin:
Command sinistral pedestal to writhe.
Commence thou then the fervid Hokey-Poke,
A mad gyration, hips in wanton swirl.
To spin! A wilde release from Heavens yoke.
Blessed dervish! Surely canst go, girl.
The Hoke, the poke -- banish now thy doubt
Verily, I say, 'tis what it's all about.
-- by "William Shakespeare"
Written by Jeff Brechlin, Potomac Falls, Maryland
The following is from the Washington Post Style Invitational contest that asked readers to submit "instructions" for something (anything), but written in the style of a famous person. The winning entry was The Hokey Pokey (as written by William Shakespeare).
O proud left foot, that ventures quick within
Then soon upon a backward journey lithe.
Anon, once more the gesture, then begin:
Command sinistral pedestal to writhe.
Commence thou then the fervid Hokey-Poke,
A mad gyration, hips in wanton swirl.
To spin! A wilde release from Heavens yoke.
Blessed dervish! Surely canst go, girl.
The Hoke, the poke -- banish now thy doubt
Verily, I say, 'tis what it's all about.
-- by "William Shakespeare"
Written by Jeff Brechlin, Potomac Falls, Maryland
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