PLAYING A JAPANESE DICTIONARY GAME
A LITTLE KNOWLEDGE, it’s said, can be a dangerous thing. My knowledge of the Japanese language certainly qualifies as meager, though the game I’ve been playing isn’t dangerous at all. … Continue reading
OED’S OUTRAGEOUS MOOBS
THE OXFORD ENGLISH DICTIONARY, the OED, is an authority of English language usage and its history. From time to time, it reflects the expansion of the language, as described in … Continue reading
ENGLISH, EH?
LIBBY NELSON’S “25 Maps That Explain the English Language” at vox.com is an exemplary concise history of the English language. Nelson has collected wonderful maps on everything from the Old … Continue reading
DOEST THOU KNOW?
ENGLISH HAS CARELESSLY mislaid its intimate second person. The French language still maintains tutoyer, its intimate tu versus vous. German still differentiates among du, ihr and Sie. Yiddish carries these … Continue reading
WELL, Y’KNOW…
A FAVORITE CARTOON IS “The Emergence of Language.” And I’m fairly confident that, following “urg,” “ug” and “uh-oh,” among mankind’s first words were “well” and “y’know.” Or so it seems … Continue reading
FIE ON AUTO-CORRECT!
I’VE DISARMED THE auto-correct on both sides of my PC/Apple machine. I’ve had enough of fighting with its opinions on what I really mean. More often than not, it’s wrong; … Continue reading
AN ADVENTURE, BLESSED
PARADOXICALLY, ON LAGUNA DIABLO I had an adventure that was truly blessed. Laguna Diablo is a vast dry lake in Baja California and, in the early 1980s, the R&T crew … Continue reading
BACH IN A MINUTE
I’M HAVING A BALL learning more about the history of music. But not from the work of just any musicologist. Rather, it’s from a favorite author, actor and one-of-a-kind, Stephen … Continue reading
“DO PUT DOWN THE REVOLVER”
THIS WONDERFUL TITLE appeared in the London Review of Books, August 14, 2016, in a book review written by Rosemary Hill, whose other work in LRB I’ve enjoyed. I’m sure … Continue reading
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SIMANAITISSAYS!
THIS ITEM BEGINS the fifth year of SimanaitisSays. Once more, I thank you for your readership and interactions. Indeed, celebrating this camaraderie, I recall several notable items of the past … Continue reading
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