Déjé vu and other mind states
Déjé vu isn’t the only one, although it’s the one most of us have heard about. But then there’s déjé vécu, déjé visité, and a host of others. Sound familiar?
Continue reading →Category Archives: Language and grammar
Baltimore ablaze
There’s anarchy in Baltimore, and the leaders of the city don’t seem to have a clue what to do about it. Many articles here. See also this. The major had a message that sounded bizarre: So, the city government “gave … Continue reading →
What shlemiels these mortals be
Yiddish is well-known for having a large number of words to describe various complex shadings of fool. The European Jewish culture that gave us Yiddish displayed an exquisite (and humorous) sensitivity to and perception about the failures and foibles of … Continue reading →
A rhetorical observation
I’ve said many times on this blog that I don’t like political speeches and generally hate to listen to them, except for Churchill’s. But I immediately noticed a phrase in Netanyahu’s speech today that I think was his tribute to … Continue reading →
Is a doughnut always a dessert?
Ann Althouse highlights what is apparently a highly-debated question on the Web: “Is a doughnut a dessert?” The person Althouse quotes has answered this pressing (dare I say weighty?) question this way: Zach’s position: a doughnut is always and inherently … Continue reading →
It’s what Obama didn’t say
We’re very used to Obama denying that the Muslim religion has any connection with terrorism. But in the president’s interview with Matt Yglesias of Vox he also declined to state the obvious fact that in the Paris grocery attack the … Continue reading →
The NY Times has trouble…
…with the concept of first name versus surname. It’s hard, hard I tell you (hint to Times: “Scott” is the first name, “Walker” is the surname): This was not an ordinary article, either, that just lacked an editor’s eye. It … Continue reading →
Binders full of PC thought
This piece by Jonathan Chait that appeared in New York Magazine has become the talk of the internet. It’s about the overwhelming monster that insistence on PC thought has become, which is apparently alarming even the liberal Chait. He’s not … Continue reading →
Teaching English in North Korea
This article by Suki Kim is an excerpt from her book Without You, There Is No Us: My Time with the Sons of North Korea’s Elite, based on her experience teaching English in North Korea. From a review of the … Continue reading →
The decline of political rhetorical style
The folks here decided to do an analysis of presidential speeches over time: Using the Flesch-Kincaid readability test””the most well-known reading comprehension algorithm””Vocativ analyzed over 600 presidential speeches, going back to George Washington. We measured syllables along with word and … Continue reading →
Autism and belief: Part II
[NOTE: Part I is here.] It turns out that the case of autistic 13-year-old author Naoki Higashida is more complex than that of Rom Houben. When I Googled his book (The Reason I Jump) online, I was expecting (hoping, anyway) … Continue reading →
Autism and belief: Part I
Back in 2009 I wrote a post called “Wanting to believe in miracles.” It was about the case of Rom Houben, a severely brain-damaged patient in Belgium who was said to be communicating complex thoughts through a method known as … Continue reading →