reviving this blog for my linguistics and CL/NLP stuff. there’s also math, and a lot of tangentially-language-related posts.
this sideblog used to be a langblr/studyblr before i abandoned this whole account in 2017. i've been back for a while now, and i'm also a newly minted computational linguist. and boy howdy do i love recreational linguistics.
at the moment i'm mainly interested in syntax, neuro/psycholinguistics, and the interfaces of those with computational linguistics.
more info under the cut ⤵️
my relevant interests
syntax
optimality theory
graph theory/theory of computation
psycho/neurolinguistics (i don't have any formal training here yet, but i think it's absolutely vital to understanding our language faculties as a whole)
the interfaces between theoretical and computational linguistics (which, for me, basically means using computational methods for theoretical ends)
clinical nlp, corpus linguistics
i'm also into homestuck and my chemical romance, of all things, so you may see me work with those here.
background
i have a b.a. in linguistics, with minors in math and computer science.
and now a shiny new m.s. in computational linguistics!
in practice, that means i know a lot of theoretical linguistics, a lot of nlp, and a solid amount of computer science and (theoretical) math.
currently working as a clinical nlp researcher
i speak french and german (rusty), and i'm learning* japanese and arabic**. general american english (new england) is my native language.
*to be read with a hand-wavey motion and very uncertain tone.
**doing msa right now, since i’m just starting, but eventually i want to focus on levantine arabic, specifically palestinian.
about me
name: spencer
pronouns: top choice is little pro, i.e. no overt pronoun or name at all, like you might do in a pro-drop language. otherwise, he/they, or neopronouns.
location: new england, usa
etc: white, autistic, multiply disabled
my main blog is largely homestuck. the url is d******t, and has a rainbow pride flag pfp. you'll know it if you see it. dm or ask if you want the url.
so, the string "zohran". when we say it, we have three options:
erase the h (boring)
pronounce /h/ syllable-finally
pronounce /hran/ as one syllable
if you're dead set on pronouncing his name somewhat accurately, you have to choose between 2 and 3, neither of which feel very good under english phonotactics. but i find that i do #3, which would indicate (at least in my case) that the constraints against syllable-initial /hr/ are less highly ranked than those against syllable-final /h/
edit: wikipedia lists the english pronunciation as [zəˈ(h)ɹɑːn], so it's not just me
“Mongolia has announced plans to restore the use of its traditional alphabet by 2025, replacing the Cyrillic script adopted under the Sovietperiod as it moves away from Russian influence.
It will take transitional measures to prepare for the “comprehensive restoration” of the traditional alphabet, which is written in vertical lines, said a representative of the ministry of education, culture, science and sports.
The ministry has ordered the department of information and communication technology to adopt traditional Mongolian to the “electronic environment”. Scientific, literary and state registry offices have been asked to establish a system for Mongolian names.”
[ID. a tweet and quote tweet. the original tweet by sam (@ wifrieren) reads, "EVIL mantis forces flies to KISS and become HOMOSEXUAL to conform to SOCIETY", attached is a photo of an orchid mantis holding two flies facing each other, held closely together. the quote tweet by vein reads in all caps, "shes fujoshing outttt". end ID.]
All the terminology relating to tech and the Internet is English, and one of the endearing features of the French public broadcasting in Canada is that every time they use an English neologism they have to immediately perform a ritual penance where they apologize and grope for a French translation, whether sanctioned or improvised, and so this comes up all the time in that context.
Often this is sort of dry but when the English word is already stupid it has a lot of comic potential. I've previously heard "doomscrolling" translated as défilement morbide, which is already great -- you must understand that the speakers grab at these terms like drowning sailors grasping for floating debris -- but today I heard it translated as défilement funeste, which is just impossibly charming
the subreddit r/rance is a great parody of this kind of thing but in a particularly informal and online register. they have these ridiculous coinages like “branlerond” for “circlejerk” and also silly inapt translations like “poteau” for “post” (poteau means like, a literal pillar)
#god you know what is so fucking funny. the french word for esports#spanish: los esports. french: jeu video de competition professionnel
great news! esports is sadly not in UNTERM but the Canadian government's translation bureau database apparently recommends deporte electrónico for Spanish:
To the chorus of jeers and hecklers yelling "get out of here Canada, you don't even go here", they timidly reply:
La Fundación del Español Urgente (Fundéu BBVA), con el asesoramiento de la Real Academia Española, indica que la expresión "deportes electrónicos" es una alternativa preferible al anglicismo "e-sports".
God I'd never even heard of these guys. They have the Academie Française for Spanish, and it's es-ES? Just a transcendental level of closing the barn door after the cows got out. Someone should absolutely build a bit around correcting hispanophones on social media by citing the Canadian government's recommendations based on the advice of the Spanish crown's official language planning office.
• WOTY mvp Nicole Holliday has brought up the concept of “Toilets with threatening auras”, arguing that “we live in a vibes-based economy”.
• Arguing in favor of “Unserious”, someone claimed that “there is nothing more cutting than being called unserious.” She then proceeded to call the rest of the contenders unserious, eliciting audible gasps from the audience.
• “Unserious” has defeated “NIL” in a runoff for Most Likely To Succeed Word of the Year
Ok we’ve moved on to “Most Fun While it Lasted”, a category that I accidentally caused to exist during nominations yesterday.
• Someone has gone up to defend “hawk tuah”, calling it the “most potent, most virile” word of all time. The havoc this comment has caused is indescribable.
• Ok seemingly everyone this round is speaking in support of “Hawk Tuah”
Outsiders are not not saving a language by learning it.
While I’m personally grateful services like Tribalingual exist, creating some academic access to Indigenous languages, particularly for Indigenous diaspora (if they can afford it), I’m extremely dubious of the notion that a outsiders learning an Indigenous language is somehow “saving” it.
There was a testimonial from some white American girl learning Ainu itak, and she spoke of it as if she were collecting some rare Pokemon card before it went out of print or something, framing it in typical dying Native rhetoric. What is she going to do with Ainu itak, except as some obscure lingual trophy?
If you want to save a language, save the people.
Language means nothing without history and culture breathing life into it, and in turn we are disconnected from our history and ancestors without it. Support Indigenous quality of life, ACCESS to quality education, quality health services (mental and physical), land and subsistence rights, CLEAN DRINKING WATER, advocate against police brutality and state violence, DEMAND ACTION FOR MISSING AND MURDERED INDIGENOUS WOMEN.
Damn, if you really want to “save the language” pay for an Indigenous person’s classes for them to reconnect to their mother tongues. I’m not saying outsiders shouldn’t learn languages they’re invited to learn, but don’t pretend like you learning conversational Ainu itak is saving it from extinction.
