Can you identify and translate the following - I have mentioned Geocaching a couple of times recently and some of my favorite Geocaches are puzzles (including the above). If you know what the script is or want to guess, please…

He has been the host of a popular television game show since 1984 and is said to be…

Chimpanzee journey 2 safe cabin in the woods. This picture, posted…

I usually don't pay too much attention to memes…

As part of a vodka promotion, these coozies were given out at one of our local watering holes last week. Something about the rhyming slogan is all over the floor for me. If a vodka is so wonderfully flavored, I…

Driving on the expressway recently, I passed a truck bearing a particular phrase. Most drivers would probably write it off as an eponymous company name and not give it any more thought. My language-loving, word-playing brain wouldn't let it go…

Michigan's warning signs regarding ice on bridges are pretty straightforward syntactically; in fact, I can't think of any other way to parse the sentence than the following -…

As much as the expression grates on my nerves, I couldn't help but chuckle when I saw the following image. Image credit…

Apparently, a Fat Bastard and a Dirty Bitch do not a Dirty Bastard make, at least not in Alabama. According to the May 4, 2012 issue of The Week magazine, the Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board banned the sale of…

University of Michigan's Anne Curzan gives a great mini-lecture about slang words formed by clipping and how these words have the potential to become a standard part of the lexicon.…

Image Credit Some of my recent favorites: Lingua Franca - The Chronicle of Higher Education…

Speaking of portmanteaus, if it wasn't for Yum! Brands…

In a…

A couple of months ago I noticed a new sign on the side of the road in a small town which I frequently visit. Having no idea what the sign meant or what a "Jake Brake is, I asked my…

I love these post-it notes that came with a book I ordered. Too bad they don't sell them; I would order a carton.And check out these fun posters from the same companyImages from Cascadilla Press…

Little did I know my new hobby has some relevance to linguistics...I recently decided to try Geocaching because of my love for the outdoors and hiking. Right away I was introduced to the language of Geocaching through its Glossary of…

are a verb. Oops, I meant to say," is a verb."Am I the only one whose prescriptive side is bothered by this advertising campaign?I think I might go to the KFC next door instead (assuming they know how to conjugate…

…

zeugma Traditionally of cases of coordination in which one element would not form a construction on its own. E.g. one cannot say They said that so what; there fore there is a zeugma in They said that [[they were coming]…

And I could not have produced a video that contains so many perfectly executed examples of the reasons why.Thanks to Superlinguo for bringing this video to my attention.…

'yes-no question' One which has a simple positive or negative answer. CF. closed interrogative, polar interrogative.yod The sound[j] written as y e.g. in English yet [jɛt]. Hence yodization (also 'yoticization' etc.) is a sound change or other process resulting in…

Polysemy differs from homonymy because polysemes are etymologically related words. Homonyms are words that have unrelated meanings. The very talented Christian Yoder has had a lot of fun playing with polysemy. ORDER IN THE COURT - When you are ready,…

There are not too many words or concepts in the study of linguistics that begin with the letter "X"; thus I am unable to present a brief list to go along with the current series of definitions. Without a doubt,…

I love xkcd because xkcd is loved by me.Speaking of tautologies...…

'wanna-contraction' The reduction in American English of forms like want to or going to in I want to (wanna) do it or I'm going to (gonna) do it.wh-form Any of a class of words in English that typically begin with…

Cartoon by Chris Yoder.…

The Collins Dictionary editorial team recently introduced a new resource for language enthusiasts and I believe it is a worthy addition to the existing collection of internet dictionaries and thesauruses. It is collinsdictionary.com. The site includes English, French, German and…

verbal dueling In sociolinguistics, a term which refers to the competitive use of language, within a game-like structure, with rules that are known and used by the participants. It is a genre of verbal play - a ritual dialogue in…

Just about a month ago, I posted F*ckin' Word Play which included an image from the advertising campaign of the United Kingdom furniture company Sofa King.Today, Language Log brought to my attention (in a delightfully humorous post) the fact that…

It is time for the annual Linguist List Fund Drive and this year it is accompanied by the exciting Lingquest Saga. Anyone who makes a donation to Linguist List is able to help determine the course of the adventure.Linguist List…

Is it "slim to none" or "slim and none"?I grew up with the phrase "slim to none", which means that the chances of an event occurring fall somewhere between slim and none. In other words, there is a scale with…