WHAT’S THAT IN LIGHT WARLPIRI?
A LANGUAGE is being born in Australia’s Northern Territory. Warlpiri rampamu is spoken by a small, isolated group of indigenous Australians, most under the age of 35. This is noteworthy … Continue reading
ALICE KOBER, ACE DECODER
A NEW book concerning the Bronze Age describes a mystery every bit as intriguing as any faced by Sherlock Holmes. The tale of the Linear B has ancient script and … Continue reading
U.S. DIALECTS
WE ARE a country rich in dialects, y’know? The dialects are partly based on geography, partly education, partly upbringing, partly age, but fun to learn about however they’re analyzed. A … Continue reading
CALIFORNIA COOL
IN THE mid-part of the last century (how quaint this sounds in 2013!), Southern California was the birthplace of the cool. A wonderful exhibit curated by the Orange County Museum … Continue reading
WHAT’S “FRENCH KISS” IN YIDDISH?
THE WORD police of the world have been very active recently. Matters have ranged from “French kiss” to “Jewish dumpling,” which certainly suggests the breadth of it all. And, in … Continue reading
FAKED PHOTOS
IF YOU happen to find yourself in Houston, Texas, between June 2 and August 25, 2013, this city’s Museum of Fine Arts is hosting “Faking It: Manipulated Photography Before Photoshop.” … Continue reading
OPERA CHAOS, ACT II
A STAGE so ripe for chaos as grand opera certainly deserves more than a single mention (www.wp.me/p2ETap-11h). In fact, there are those who say, with complete accuracy, that onstage and … Continue reading
ILF AND PETROV’S DRIVE
THERE’S AN excellent argument against having one’s book collection in good order. Let serendipity reign. I was looking for one thing or another. I never found it, but came upon … Continue reading
AN (OLD) WAY WITH WORDS
“Hear me, mother! Pull that black worm off the bark and give it to this old man. And no spitting in the ashes!” Amazingly enough, this is an ur-speech. Spoken … Continue reading
IS CURSIVE DEAD YET?
THERE’S GOOD controversy going on about cursive handwriting, also known as script, the kind in which letters of each word flow one to another. Is it of any use today? … Continue reading
Simanaitis Says 