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Word of the Day
unequivocal
Definition: (adjective) Admitting of no doubt or misunderstanding; having only one meaning or interpretation and leading to only one conclusion.
Synonyms: univocal, unambiguous.
Usage: Franz complimented Albert, who looked at himself in the glass with an unequivocal smile of satisfaction.
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Language Log
Graphical Trumpian discourse analysis
Ian Prasad Philbrick and Ashley Wu, "The 9 Elements of a Trump Rally", NYT 10/8/2024:
The energy for Mr. Trump’s third White House campaign comes from his rallies. Since President Biden dropped out of the race and Vice President Kamala Harris took the helm, Mr. Trump has held nearly 20 of them, speaking for about 90 minutes at each.
Like most politicians, he repeats things at every speech. Unlike most politicians, he offers a grim view of the country, makes up nicknames for his opponents and pledges to use the power of the government to punish his rivals.
To help readers experience what a Trump rally is like, we used video to break down the nine themes he consistently returns to.
Those nine "themes" are:
1. Savior and protector
2. Insults
3. Deceits
4. The hits
5. Political violence
6. The Trump agenda
7. Digressions
8. Anti-democratic statements
9. Stumbles
Read the article for the details, as well as clever tableaux of video clips and a cool carpet plot of the theme-weave in his 9/29 Erie PA rally:
http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/myl/TrumpRallyCarpetPlot.png
I like the general idea, Ashley Wu's graphics are impressive, and it's tempting to use modern topic and sentiment analysis techniques to derive similar things automatically.
But I wonder how good the inter-annotator agreement for the human version of this analysis would be?
One obvious problem is that the "themes" are potentially overlapping — Trump's digressions are often also insults or deceits or threats of violence, etc.; his stumbles can occur in any of the other segments; some of his greatest "hits" are also insults, deceits, or savior/protector assertions; and so on. Furthermore, some of the themes are matters of content or tone (e.g. insults), while others are a question of discourse structure (e.g. digressions) or overall topic statistics (e.g. hits).
Those overlaps and ambiguities will make it easier for an automatic analysis to produce plausible results, but they'll also make the overall results less informative. And while I agree that Donald Trump's rhetorical style is in some ways special, it would be better to demonstrate that with an analysis that positions him in the same space as other speakers.
The cited 9 "themes" can certainly be applied to speeches from other politicians (or other people in general) — but when we start analyzing others, we're going to want additional "themes", and the whole system will need to do a better job of engaging the general problem of discourse analysis.
Still, the article makes sense, and the graphics are great.
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Language Log
English influence on German spelling
Below is a guest post by Andreas Stolcke.
This is an item maybe worthy of a note on Language Log — Philip Oltermann, "Germans decry influence of English as ‘idiot’s apostrophe’ gets official approval", The Guardian 10/7/2024:
A relaxation of official rules around the correct use of apostrophes in German has not only irritated grammar sticklers but triggered existential fears around the pervasive influence of English.
Establishments that feature their owners’ names, with signs like “Rosi’s Bar” or “Kati’s Kiosk” are a common sight around German towns and cities, but strictly speaking they are wrong: unlike English, German does not traditionally use apostrophes to indicate the genitive case or possession. The correct spelling, therefore, would be “Rosis Bar”, “Katis Kiosk”, or, as in the title of a recent viral hit, Barbaras Rhabarberbar.
However, guidelines issued by the body regulating the use of Standard High German orthography have clarified that the use of the punctuation mark colloquially known as the Deppenapostroph (“idiot’s apostrophe”) has become so widespread that it is permissible – as long as it separates the genitive ‘s’ within a proper name.
I couldn't believe they did this, and looked up the new rule. The relevant part is
2. Der Apostroph steht zur Verdeutlichung der Grundform eines Personennamens vor einer Endung:
*
* gelegentlich vor dem Genitiv-s, sofern der Personenname mit dem folgenden Substantiv zusammen einen Eigennamen (z. B. Firmen namen) bildet ‹§ 80 E1›;
Zum Beispiel:
*
* Willi’s Biomarkt
* Andrea’s Kiosk (hier auch verdeutlichend zur Unterscheidung vom männlichen Vornamen Andreas)
* Aber nur: Willis Karotten, Andreas Ware
*
* vor der Adjektivendung -sch ‹§ 62, § 80 (2)›.
Zum Beispiel:
*
* die Grimm’schen Märchen (neben: die grimmschen Märchen), der Ohm’sche Widerstand (neben: der ohmsche Wider stand)
2. The apostrophe stands for clarifying the base form of a person name before a suffix:
*
* occasionally before the genitive -s, as long as the person name together with the following noun forms a proper name (e.g., of a company)
For example:
*
*
* Willi's Biomarkt
* Andrea's Kiosk (here also to differentiate from the male given name "Andreas")
* but only: Willis Karotten, Andreas Ware
[These cases require the forms without apostrophe, because the whole phrase is not a proper name]
*
* before the adjectival suffix -sche
For example:
*
*
* Grimm's fairy tales, Ohm's resistance
Are you aware of other languages (e.g., English) where spelling or punctuation rules are specifically different for named entities? Of course I recognize that, being names, their spelling is always de facto less regulated and often idiosyncratic. But, Germans being rule-loving folks, they come up with a rule for when the rule has an exception ;-).
BTW, another area where I noticed English having exerted definite influence on German is in the segmentation of noun compounds. Unlike in English, in German you traditionally must either join or hyphenate compounds. However, recently I'm noticing more and more simple juxtaposition (separated by spaces) of nouns to form compounds. So where you would traditionally write
Taylor-Swift-Konzert
you now occasionally see
Taylor Swift Konzert
A more extreme example is "Tailor Swift Eras Tour Kleidung" — http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/myl/DeutscheErasTourCompound.png Anecdotally, I find this often involves English borrowings or proper names, as you might expect.
Language evolving …
Above is a guest post by Andreas Stolcke.
A few of our many past posts about apostrophe usage in English:
"A soul candidly acknowleging it's fault", 6/9/2004
"Angry linguistic mobs with torches", 4/16/2008
"'Grammar vigilantes' brought to justice", 8/22/2008
"Apostropocalypse Now[...]
Funny Or Die (Youtube)
The History Was Always Right On Drunk History (Inside The FOD Vault Episode 2)
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How Drunk History Actors Lip Synced On Set (Inside The FOD Vault Episode 2)
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Funny Or Die (Youtube)
Who Doesn't Love a Good Cry? (Inside The FOD Vault Episode 2)
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Funny Or Die (Youtube)
The Direct Pipeline Between Drunk History and Ancestry (Inside The FOD Vault Episode 2)
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Slang of the Day | Vocabulary | EnglishClub
on the blink
out of order, not working
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Idiom of the Day
bragging rights
The authority and freedom to boast or brag of one's achievements that comes from having won a contest or succeeded in some way, especially against a close rival. Watch the video
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Funny Or Die (Youtube)
Derek Waters Inside The FOD Vault: A Sober History of "Drunk History" and its Unreleased Season
This week - writer, actor, director, and creator of “Drunk History,” Derek Waters jumps into the origins of his hit show from the Funny or Die Vault. He and our host Marcos Gonzalez address every question Drunk History lovers have been dying to know. From getting drunk at networking events to test screenings in Las Vegas to Spanish pirates, Derek and Marcos uncover the past, present, and future behind the drunks.
Get notified when we drop new episodes, news, and show extras: https://norby.link/ctdAJD
Derek Waters is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, producer, and director. Waters has appeared on television programs such as It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The Sarah Silverman Program, Santa Clarita Diet, and The Middle. He has also appeared in films such as The Brothers Solomon, Hall Pass, For Your Consideration, and This Means War.
Waters co-created and hosts the Comedy Central series "Drunk History." The show originally started as a series of shorts for Funny or Die. The show has won multiple awards, such as the jury prize in short filmmaking at the Sundance Festival and was nominated for seventeen Primetime Emmy Awards, garnering Waters eight nominations.
Instagram: @dw34
X: @derekwaterss
Key moments
3:10 Drunk History’s Origin Story & Jake Johnson’s involvement
5:21 Michael Cera replaced Justin Roiland in the pilot
13:41 Drunk History TV show development
18:32 Alternative Show Titles
21:07 Lip Syncing Behind The Scenes
35:42 The Unreleased Season of Drunk History
38:34 Speed Round Questions
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Funny Or Die (Youtube)
Drunk History vol. 1 - Featuring Michael Cera (Inside The FOD Vault Episode 2)
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Language Log
University commas
The current xkcd comic:
http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/myl/university_commas_2x.png
Mouseover title: "The distinctive 'UCLA comma' and 'Michigan comma' are a long string of commas at the start and end of the sentence respectively."
I guess Penn, Brown, Berkeley, CalTech, …, should be grateful for being left out.
I'll spare you our past posts on the Oxford comma, except this one.
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Word of the Day
Word of the Day: debacle
This word has appeared in 259 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year. Can you use it in a sentence?
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Phrasal Verb of the Day | Vocabulary | EnglishClub
hang out (1)
to hang wet clothes outside to dry
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Word of the Day
orifice
Definition: (noun) An opening, especially to a cavity or passage of the body; a mouth or vent.
Synonyms: opening, porta.
Usage: The nose was but a gaping orifice above a deformed and twisted mouth.
Discuss
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Funny Or Die (Youtube)
Drunk History vol. 1 (part 2) - Featuring Michael Cera (Inside The FOD Vault Episode 2)
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", 1/15/2012
"Apostropocalypse again", 12/1/2019
And a couple about spaces, hyphens, and nil:
"Prescriptivism and national security", 10/4/2005
"Level(-)headedness", 3/3/2010
Update — Andreas explains the "neben" parentheses in the quoted section of the new rule:
die Grimm’schen Märchen (neben: die grimmschen Märchen), der Ohm’sche Widerstand (neben: der ohmsche Wider stand)
The meaning is identical to the version with apostrophes and capitalized names. Unlike in English (Whorf > Whorfian), when you derive an adjective from a name, you don't keep the capitalization of the name. It becomes lower-case, like all adjectives in German. So as in the possessive cases, the apostrophe enables you to preserve the original spelling (and recognizability) of the underlying name.
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Funny Or Die (Youtube)
Here's What Went Into Telling A Story On Drunk History (Inside The FOD Vault Episode 2)
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Funny Or Die (Youtube)
Teacher Appreciation in the Unreleased Finale of Drunk History (Inside The FOD Vault Episode 2)
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Funny Or Die (Youtube)
The Genius Of 90 Day Fiancé (Inside The FOD Vault Episode 2)
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Funny Or Die (Youtube)
Drunk History Almost Had A Very Different Name (Inside The FOD Vault Episode 2)
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Word of the Day
Word of the Day: exorbitant
This word has appeared in 158 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year. Can you use it in a sentence?
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Phrasal Verb of the Day | Vocabulary | EnglishClub
sit in for
to take someone's place when they are absent
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Word of the Day
fusillade
Definition: (noun) A discharge from a number of firearms, fired simultaneously or in rapid succession.
Synonyms: burst, salvo, volley.
Usage: Our warriors then rushed up to the roofs of the buildings which we occupied and followed the retreating armada with a continuous fusillade of deadly fire.
Discuss
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Funny Or Die (Youtube)
Derek Waters' brainchild: Drunk History (Inside The FOD Vault Episode 2)
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Funny Or Die (Youtube)
The Sobering Truth About the First Episode of Drunk History (Inside The FOD Vault Episode 2)
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Language Log
Doing well
The current Dinosaur Comics:
http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/myl/DinosaurDo.png
Mouseover title: "why do other verbs when "do" does do all you did do are doing or can and will do??"
Of course do already does most of what Ryan North wants — Wiktionary gives it 31 senses, from (1) "A syntactic marker in a question whose main verb is not another auxiliary verb or be" (Do you got there often?) to (31) "To drive a vehicle at a certain speed, especially in regard to a speed limit" (He was doing 50 in a school zone). Along the way we get (29) "To take drugs" (I do cocaine), which is not far from Ryan's "do beers tonight" — and for that, there's already a t-shirt:
http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/myl/JustDoBeers.webp
Do's utility has been around for a while, judging by the OED's recital of Germanic cognates and further-out IE connections:
http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/myl/OED_do_etymology.png
Other languages have taken a different path in choosing an everything verb, for instance starting with "make" rather than "put" (French faire / Spanish haver), resulting in a somewhat different the semantic spread.
Commenters will no doubt be able to fill us in on what other lexical seeds have similarly sprouted in other languages.
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Slang of the Day | Vocabulary | EnglishClub
zonked | zonked out (1)
under the influence of drugs or alcohol
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Idiom of the Day
bottom of the ninth
The final and critical moment or moments of a tense, important, or desperate situation. It refers to the ninth inning of baseball, the "bottom" of which is batted by the home team as their last chance to win the game. Primarily heard in US, South Africa. Watch the video
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Language Log
PIE *g’enH1 and *gʷenH2 as cognates ("king" and "queen")
[This is a guest post by German Dziebel, commenting on "PIE *gene- *gwen-" (8/10/23).]
I will strike a dissenting note here. The two roots in question – *g’enH1 and *gʷenH2 are likely cognates. There seems to be a non-random distribution of palatalized and labialized velars in IE stems with nasals – palatovelars are favored in stems with m, while labiovelars are favored in stems with n. E.g.,
nGʷ roots: *nogʷno- 'naked', *nogʷt- 'night', *snoigʷho- 'snow', *h₂ongʷo- 'anoint', *h1ngwni- 'fire', *negʷhro- 'kidney', *gʷenh₂ 'wife', *kʷoino- 'price', *penkʷe- '5', *h₁lengʷʰ- 'light', *gʷʰen- 'slay, strike', *sengʷh- 'sing', *neigʷ- 'wash'
vs.
mG'-roots: *H3moiǵhlo- (assimilated to njegull(ë) in Gheg Alb), *meǵh₂s 'great', *meh₂ǵ- 'smear, anoint', *ǵheyōm 'winter', *dheǵhōm 'earth', *ḱoimo- 'household, family', *mreǵh-, *mosgho- 'brain', *h₂melǵ- 'milk', *smeḱur 'chin, beard', *deḱm̥ '10', *h1ḱm̥tóm '100' *h₂émǵʰu- 'narrow' (Hitt hamenk- 'tie, bind').
Although there are seeming exceptions (e.g., PIE *gʷher- ‘hot’ yields -mo-derivatives in Gk θερμός, Alb zjarm, Arm jerm, in all those branches the labiovelar is found in a palatalized state), those exceptions are limited in number and can be explained as later assimilations. This is likely what happened with PIE *g’enH1 and PIE *gʷenH2 where only *gʷenH2 is “legal”, while *g’enH1 is likely assimilated from either *g’emH1 or *gʷenH1. As a supporting proof for this inference one can cite Baltic *gmti ‘beget, give birth’ (Lith gimti, Latv dzimt, OPruss gemton) that must be going back to *gʷem- (no connection to PIE *gʷen- ‘come, step’ (Lat venio:, Gk baino:, etc., with assimilation creating stems such as Germ *kwemaną (comp. *faima 'foam' < PIE *spoineh₂), PToch *kum (comp. mekwa ' nails' < *nogʷho-) and InIr *ǰámati (comp. Skrt ūrmí, Avest varəmi 'wave' but Lith vilnis, Slav *vъlna 'wave')). PIE *gʷem- went through assimilation and generalized labiality across the stem in exactly the opposite way from PIE *g’enH1 that generalized palatality. As a sum total, it’s most likely that the PIE word for ‘beget, give birth’ was * gʷen(H1)- and hence it can hardly be separated from *gʷenH2 ‘woman, wife’. Germ *kʷēniz 'wife' was likely applied to ‘queen’, too, as in Old English, and was a cognate counterpart to *kuninga- ‘king’. It’s to be expected that the words for ‘king’ and ‘queen’ were derived from a single root as they do in so many IE languages – living and dead – from Hitt hassu ‘king’, hassusara ‘queen’ onward.
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