Subject, not object: the egg subsumes the sperm
English is a rich language. We can shade our meaning with both lexical and grammatical choices but the powerhouse of any sentence…
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The Language of Hild
Most of the Old English poetry I read was West Saxon. It’s round and rich—drumming like apples poured from a tub onto an elm table—and stirring: heroic, alliterative, elegiac. But I’m not sure how representative it is of Hild’s era. Apart from being the wrong dialect, it’s written rather than being oral, which means it came to us through the double filter of form and Latinised/Christian scribes.
Read moreMore on nuns, money, and the evolution of language
I know, I’ve been largely absent. Life is just being very, hm, lifelike at the moment. But here’s a long, juicy post…
Read moreLesbian Super PAC
A couple of days ago I read this in the Huffington Post: WASHINGTON — Women including sports icon Billie Jean King and…
Read moreLame is so gay — a rant
Using lame as a derogatory term is as dangerous and ill-considered as using the term gay in the same context. I know. I’m both: I’m a dyke and I have MS. I walk with elbow crutches. I am, literally, lame.
Read moreSpeak with authority
I like strong opinions held weakly. Say what you mean, mean what you say and be prepared to listen and change your…
Read morean interesting conversation at Kelley’s blog
For those of you who don’t follow Kelley’s blog, there’s an interesting conversation going on over there about language and translation, under…
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