It's time for our monthly round-up of language-related items in the news--from the linguistically profound to the lexically ridiculous.
- Last Two Speakers of a Dying Language Not on Speaking Terms
As its last two speakers, you might expect Manuel Segovia and Isidro Velazquezto to discuss how best to preserve their dying language. But the pair engage in no such discussions--or any other for that matter--as they refuse to speak to each other. They live less than half a mile apart in a village in Mexico but despite being the only people fluent in Ayapaneco, they apparently do not get on. . . . Read more
(Richard Hartley-Parkinson, "A Real Conversation Killer: Last Two Speakers of Dying Language Refuse to Talk to Each Other--Because They Don't Get On." Daily Mail [U.K.], April 15, 2011) - The Disappearing Art of Cursive Handwriting
For centuries, cursive handwriting has been an art. To a growing number of young people, it is a mystery. . . . With computer keyboards and smartphones increasingly occupying young fingers, the gradual death of the fancier ABC's is revealing some unforeseen challenges. . . . Read more
(Katie Zezima, "The Case for Cursive." The New York Times, April 27, 2011) - Urban Dictionary Slang
Slang has been getting a bum rap, accused of cheapening the language, since before the earliest known slang dictionary, the 1699 Dictionary of the Canting Crew, a guide to the street talk of professional rogues. We know the Greeks and Romans used slang. It serves important sociological functions, bonding groups as disparate as bird-watchers, boys at Eton, prisoners, soldiers and (of course) teenagers, while excluding others. . . . Read more
(Johnny Davis, "In Praise of Urban Dictionaries." The Guardian [UK], April 21, 2011) - Swearing Reduces Pain
You know how you yell and curse and say bad things when you drop a hammer on your foot or burn your hand on a stove? No need to feel bad about it, says a 2-year-old study from the journal NeuroReport that's been making the rounds this week. Swearing actually helps reduce the pain you feel. . . . Read more
(Amina Khan, "Well, $#!* Swearing Is Good for You, Sort Of." Los Angeles Times, April 21, 2011) - The Enduring Popularity of the King James Bible
The King James Bible, which was first published 400 years ago next month, may be the single best thing ever accomplished by a committee. . . . Far from bland, the King James Bible is one of the great masterpieces of English prose. . . . Read more
(Charles McGrath, "Why the King James Bible Endures." The New York Times, April 23, 2011) - Assessing English Skills: Humans vs. Computers
Last year the IELTS test of English was taken over 1.5m times and the speaking and writing sections of the test were evaluated by up to 5,500 examiners who assessed candidates in one-to-one interviews or read and marked their scripts. Cambridge ESOL, which is part of the consortium responsible for IELTS, produces its own suite of English language exams and employs . . . about 15,000 examiners to carry out face-to-face oral assessment and to mark written work for exams . . .. So the demand for examiners remains strong, but what can humans bring to assessment that computers can't? . . . Read more
(Max de Lotbinière, "A Job for Which Teachers Are Well Rated." Guardian Weekly [UK], April 12, 2011) - Bilingual Party Leaders in Canada
How many countries have made the minority language equal to the majority language in their central institutions? There are many historical explanations for such a unique exploit. Still, this wouldn't have happened without the personal will of the political leaders--a will that is stronger than ever, even though the "separatist threat" is gone . . .. Read more
(Lysiane Gagnon, "Three Leaders, Three Accents." The Globe and Mail [Canada], April 18, 2011)
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