MetaFilter posts tagged with linguistics and vocabulary

Dictionary

robbyrobs — Sun, 11 Dec 2005 07:09:31 -0800

Merrian-Webster open dictionary "Have you spotted a new word or a new sense for an old word that hasn't made it into the dictionary yet? Well, here's your chance to add your discovery (and its definition) to Merriam-Webster's Open Dictionary"

The Little Prince in a 100 Languages

gregb1007 — Tue, 17 May 2005 19:01:08 -0800

If listening to sound of different languages is something you may be interested in, visit the multimedia language project website hosted by the Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg. It features the sound files of a small blurb from Saint-Exupéry's The Little Prince read outloud in a 100 different languages. The blurbs are also textually transcribed. [See more inside]

Dude, where's my safely heterosexual intimacy?

owenville — Wed, 08 Dec 2004 08:56:05 -0800

Deconstructing Dude A linguist from the University of Pittsburgh has published a scholarly paper deconstructing and deciphering the word "dude," contending it is much more than a catchall for lazy, inarticulate surfers, slackers and teenagers. An admitted dude-user during his college years, Scott Kiesling said the four-letter word has many uses, all of which express closeness between men in a safely heterosexual manner. How about you? Do you do the dude? If so, does that mean you're white [PDF]?

English to English

adampsyche — Wed, 29 Sep 2004 09:10:38 -0800

The Internet's Most Accurate English-to-English Dictionary This internet service will translate any English word, phrase or passage into English, or vice versa. Your original grammar, style, and spelling are left intact!

Native Languages of the Americas

Ufez Jones — Thu, 02 Sep 2004 14:31:18 -0800

Native Languages of the Americas: Preserving and promoting American Indian languages.

Compendium of lost words

adamrice — Sat, 16 Aug 2003 10:57:11 -0800

Compendium of lost words You may have been wondering what "triclavianism" means. You may have been disappointed when dictionary.com couldn't help. Look no further.

world languages

stbalbach — Wed, 02 Apr 2003 12:44:13 -0800

The World has at least 6,800 active languages and countless more dialects ranging from Alacatlatzala to Zoque Tabasco. These are the Top 10 languages.

geoff. — Mon, 21 Oct 2002 13:13:28 -0800

Worthless Word for the Day. Ever feel as if an "obscure, abstruse and/or recondite word" was forced into a newspaper/magazine/quote? Now there's a site that finally finds and provides wwftd! Impress your friends.

flestrin — Sun, 15 Sep 2002 13:39:33 -0800

This pidgin bible translation gives me the creeps. What happened to promoting literacy by example? Sure, it's important to use language that your readers are comfortable with, but come on already. Is it any wonder that education in Hawaii stinks?

JParker — Thu, 11 Oct 2001 00:20:01 -0800

I was talking to my wife this morning about one of the kids "bombing" a test at school, and she asked me, "Is that good or bad?" I said, "Bad, of course. You know, you bomb a test, that means either flunking it or close to it." She said, "No, not any more, like 'it's the bomb' or 'we bombed that hill' on skateboards. Bombing is a good thing." Certain words and phrases are changing their meanings. Have you found yourself tongue-tied?

120degrees — Tue, 26 Jun 2001 08:43:13 -0800

Not that this link is of any importance. I just wanted to recognize Schadenfreude as "Word of the Day" today at merriam-webster.com.

lagado — Wed, 18 Apr 2001 01:23:47 -0800

The Great Pop vs. Soda Controversy: An Interactive Study Since the development of carbonated beverage in 1886, one of linguistic geography's most important and least investigated phenomena has been the sharp regional divisions in the use of the terms "pop" and "soda."

mrjoy — Wed, 04 Apr 2001 12:18:35 -0800

Have you ever wanted to know what hip-hopsters meant when they say things like "gettin' giggy with it," or "man, that's off the skillet"? Well now you can.
Behold: the definitive Hip-Hop dictionary!

davidgentle — Thu, 14 Dec 2000 18:50:00 -0800

Ooooh, those trendy young Brits and their funny new words. What I can't help wondering is how many people have been sending in made up slang. (via clog).