The Lexical Review

2007-01-27T13:09:00.001-05:00

seasonal affective disorder \SEE-zun-ul-a-FEK-tiv-dis-OR-der\ noun
: depression that tends to recur as the days grow shorter during the fall and winter

Example sentence:
Call it seasonal affective disorder,
Call it the winter blues —
But what ever you call it,
Don?t let it get the better of you.

Did you know?
"Seasonal affective disorder" hasn't been recognized as a medical condition for very long, and the term has only become part of the general English vocabulary during the past two decades or so (its earliest documented appearance in print dates from 1983). "Seasonal affective disorder" (abbreviated SAD) is also sometimes called "Winter Depression," and some researchers describe it as a "hibernation reaction" in which sensitive individuals react to the decreasing amounts of light and the colder temperatures of fall and winter. The term "seasonal affective disorder" is sometimes used casually of the mild blahs that so many of us experience when the days grow short, but true SAD actually goes beyond the poetic "winter blues" — it is a diagnosable form of depression that can be quite debilitating.

Quoted from m-w.com.

lothario

2007-01-06T11:51:00.000-05:00

Main Entry: lo·thar·io
Pronunciation: lO-'ther-E-"O, -'thär-
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural -i·os
Usage: often capitalized
Etymology: Lothario, seducer in the play The Fair Penitent (1703) by Nicholas Rowe
: a man whose chief interest is seducing women

Quoted from m-w.com.

Some Carl Jung Quotations

2006-12-23T23:40:00.000-05:00

"An understanding heart is everything in a teacher, and cannot be esteemed highly enough. One looks back with appreciation to the brilliant teachers, but with gratitude to those who touched our human feeling. The curriculum is so much necessary raw material, but warmth is the vital element for the growing plant and for the soul of the child."

"Every form of addiction is bad, no matter whether the narcotic be alcohol, morphine or idealism."

"Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to a better understanding of ourselves."

"Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves."

"Nothing has a stronger influence psychologically on their environment and especially on their children than the unlived life of the parent."

"The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed."

"We cannot change anything unless we accept it. Condemnation does not liberate, it oppresses."

"The least of things with a meaning is worth more in life than the greatest of things without it."
Modern Man in Search of a Soul

"Where love rules, there is no will to power, and where power predominates, love is lacking. The one is the shadow of the other."
On the Psychology of the Unconsciousness (1917)

70 words (that could be) used to describe (me...)

2006-12-21T15:10:00.000-05:00

1. obstinate
2. demanding
3. controlling
4. impatient
5. vindictive
6. spiteful
7. discontent
8. petty
9. sarcastic
10. lovely
11. sweet
12. giggly
13. moody
14. temperamental
15. loyal
16. hypocritical
17. unjust
18. mean
19. ignorant
20. unreasonable
21. lewd
22. immoral
23. argumentative
24. opinionated
25. flippant
26. happy-go-lucky
27. smart
28. intelligent
29. deceptive
30. loving
31. caring
32. faithful
33. warm
34. hot
35. cold
36. funky
37. fresh
38. draining
39. sycophantic
40. repressive
41. old-fashioned
42. immodest
43. liar
44. inaccurate
45. stubborn
46. speculative
47. unsure
48. self-conscious
49. ignorant
50. misguided
51. foolish
52. persistent
53. naive
54. compassionate
55. sometimeish
56. pretentious
57. amicable
58. dope
59. hostile
60. erudite
61. recondite
62. profound
63. wise
64. loquacious
65. wordy
66. talkative
67. ludicrous
68. witty
69. precocious
70. divine

altruism

2006-10-16T21:31:00.000-04:00

Pronunciation: 'al-trü-"i-z&m
Etymology: French altruisme, from autrui other people, from Old French, oblique case form of autre other, from Latin alter
1 : unselfish regard for or devotion to the welfare of others
2 : behavior by an animal that is not beneficial to or may be harmful to itself but that benefits others of its species
- al·tru·ist /-trü-ist/ noun
- al·tru·is·tic /"al-trü-'is-tik/ adjective
- al·tru·is·ti·cal·ly /-ti-k(&-)lE/ adverb

Quoted from m-w.com.

IPA - International Phonetic Alphabet

2006-10-15T22:41:00.000-04:00

The International Phonetic Alphabet divides its symbols into three categories: pulmonic consonants, non-pulmonic consonants, and vowels.

Consonants (pulmonic)

A pulmonic consonant is a consonant made by obstructing the glottis or oral cavity and either simultaneously or subsequently letting out air from the lungs. Pulmonic consonants make up the majority of consonants in the IPA, as well as in human language. All consonants in the English language fall into this category^[17].

The pulmonic consonant table, which includes most consonants, is arranged in rows that designate manner of articulation and columns that designate place of articulation. The main chart includes only consonants with a single place of articulation.
View this table as an image.

Coarticulation

Coarticulated consonants are sounds in which two individual consonants are pronounced at the same time. In English, the [w] in “went” is a coarticulated consonant, as the lips are rounded while the back of the tongue is raised simultaneously. Other languages, such as French and Swedish, have different coarticulated consonants.

View this table as an image

ʍ Voiceless labialized velar approximant

w Voiced labialized velar approximant

ɥ Voiced labialized palatal approximant

ɕ Voiceless palatalized postalveolar (alveolo-palatal) fricative

ʑ Voiced palatalized postalveolar (alveolo-palatal) fricative

ɧ Voiceless "palatal-velar" fricative

Notes:

[ɧ] is described as a “simultaneous [ʃ] and [x]”.^[18] However, this analysis is disputed. See the article for discussion.

Consonants (non-pulmonic)

Non-pulmonic consonants are sounds which are made without the lungs. These include clicks (found in the Khoisan languages of Africa) and implosives (found in languages such as Swahili).

View this table as an image

Click releases Implosives Ejectives

ʘ Bilabial ɓ Bilabial ʼ For example:

ǀ Laminal alveolar ("dental") ɗ Alveolar pʼ Bilabial

ǃ Apical (post-) alveolar ("retroflex") ʄ Palatal tʼ Alveolar

ǂ Laminal postalveolar ("palatal") ɠ Velar kʼ Velar

ǁ Lateral coronal ("lateral") ʛ Uvular sʼ Alveolar fricative

Notes:

All clicks are doubly articulated and require two symbols: a velar or uvular stop, plus a symbol for the anterior release: [k͡ǂ, ɡ͡ǂ, ŋ͡ǂ, q͡ǂ, ɢ͡ǂ, ɴ͡ǂ] etc., or [ǂ͡k, ǂ͡ɡ, ǂ͡ŋ, ǂ͡q, ǂ͡ɢ, ǂ͡ɴ]. When the dorsal articulation is omitted, a [k] may usually be assumed.
Symbols for the voiceless implosives [ƥ, ƭ, ƈ, ƙ, ʠ] are no longer supported by the IPA, though they remain in Unicode. Instead, the IPA uses the voiced equivalent with a voiceless diacritic: [ɓ̥, ʛ̥], etc.
Although not confirmed from any language, and therefore not "explicitly recognized" by the IPA, a retroflex implosive, [ᶑ], is supported in the Unicode Phonetic Extensions Supplement, added in version 4.1 of the Unicode Standard, or can be created as a composite [ɗ̢].
The ejective symbol is often seen for glottalized but pulmonic sonorants, such as [mʼ], [lʼ], [wʼ], [aʼ], but these are more properly transcribed as creaky ([m̰], [l̰], [w̰], [a̰]).

Vowels

View the vowel chart as an image

Edit - 2× Front N.-front Central N.-back Back

Close

i • y

ɨ • ʉ

ɯ • u

ɪ • ʏ

• ʊ

e • ø

ɘ • ɵ

ɤ • o

ə

ɛ • œ

ɜ • ɞ

ʌ • ɔ

æ

ɐ

a • ɶ

ɑ • ɒ

Near-close

Close-mid

Mid

Open-mid

Near-open

Open

Notes:

Where symbols appear in pairs, the one to the right represents a rounded vowel, as does [ʊ] (at least prototypically). All others are unrounded.
[ɶ] is not confirmed as a distinct phoneme in any language.
[a] is officially a front vowel, but there is little distinction between front and central open vowels, and [a] is frequently used for an open central vowel.
[ʊ] and [ɪ] are written as [ɷ] and [ɩ] respectively in older versions of the IPA.

Affricates and double articulation

Affricates and doubly articulated stops are represented by two symbols joined by a tie bar, either above or below the symbols. The six most common affricates are optionally represented by ligatures, though this is no longer official IPA usage, due to the great number of ligatures that would be required to represent all affricates this way. A third affricate transcription sometimes seen uses the superscript notation for a consonant release, for example tˢ for t͡s, paralleling kˣ ~ k͡x. The symbols for the palatal plosives, , are often used as a convenience for [t͡ʃ d͡ʒ] or similar affricates, even in official IPA publications, so they must be interpreted with care.

View this table as an image.

Tie bar Ligature Description

t͡s ʦ voiceless alveolar affricate

d͡z ʣ voiced alveolar affricate

t͡ʃ ʧ voiceless postalveolar affricate

d͡ʒ ʤ voiced postalveolar affricate

t͡ɕ ʨ voiceless alveolo-palatal affricate

d͡ʑ ʥ voiced alveolo-palatal affricate

t͡ɬ – voiceless alveolar lateral affricate

k͡p – voiceless labial-velar plosive

ɡ͡b – voiced labial-velar plosive

ŋ͡m – labial-velar nasal stop

Note:

If your browser uses Arial Unicode MS to display IPA characters, the following incorrectly formed sequences may look better due to a bug in that font: ts͡, tʃ͡, tɕ͡, dz͡, dʒ͡, dʑ͡, tɬ͡, kp͡, ɡb͡, ŋm͡.

Diacritics

Diacritics are small markings which are placed around the IPA letter in order to show a certain alteration in the letter's pronunciation. Sub-diacritics (markings normally placed below a letter or symbol) may be placed above a symbol with a descender (informally called a tail), i.e. ŋ̊.

The dotless i, <ı>, is used when the dot would interfere with the diacritic. Other IPA symbols may appear as diacritics to represent phonetic detail: tˢ (fricative release), bʱ (breathy voice), ˀa (glottal onset), ᵊ (epenthetic schwa), o^ʊ (diphthongization). More advanced diacritcs were developed in the Extended IPA for more specific pronunciation encoding.

View the diacritic table as an image

Syllabicity diacritics

ɹ̩ n̩ Syllabic e̯ ʊ̯ Non-syllabic

Consonant-release diacritics

tʰ dʰ Aspirated ² d̚ No audible release

dⁿ Nasal release dˡ Lateral release

Phonation diacritics

n̥ d̥ Voiceless s̬ t̬ Voiced

b̤ a̤ Breathy voiced ¹ b̰ a̰ Creaky voiced

Articulation diacritics

t̪ d̪ Dental t̼ d̼ Linguolabial

t̺ d̺ Apical t̻ d̻ Laminal

u̟ t̟ Advanced i̠ t̠ Retracted

ë ä Centralized e̽ ɯ̽ Mid-centralized

e̝ ɹ̝ ˔ Raised (ɹ̝ = voiced alveolar nonsibilant fricative)

e̞ β̞ ˕ Lowered (β̞ = bilabial approximant)

Co-articulation diacritics

ɔ̹ x̹ More rounded ɔ̜ x̜ʷ Less rounded

tʷ dʷ Labialized tʲ dʲ Palatalized

tˠ dˠ Velarized tˁ dˁ Pharyngealized

ɫ z̴ Velarized or pharyngealized

e̘ o̘ Advanced tongue root e̙ o̙ Retracted tongue root

ẽ z̃ Nasalized ɚ ɝ Rhoticity

Notes:

Some linguists restrict this breathy-voice diacritic to sonorants, and transcribe obstruents as bʱ.
With aspirated voiced consonants, the aspiration is also voiced. Many linguists prefer one of the diacritics dedicated to breathy voice.

The state of the glottis can be finely transcribed with diacritics. A series of alveolar plosives ranging from an open to a closed glottis phonation are:

[t] voiceless [d̤] breathy voice, also called murmured

[d̥] slack voice [d] modal voice

[d̬] stiff voice [d̰] creaky voice

[ʔ͡t] glottal closure

[edit]

Suprasegmentals

Further information: Prosody (linguistics)

These symbols describe the suprasegmental features of a language, collectively known as a language's prosody. These symbols show the length, stress, pitch, and rhythm of a language. Many suprasegmentals are often reserved for very specific transcriptions intended to convey the differences in speech between individuals or dialects. They are usually used to indicate a word's stress and length of vowels and consonants. The IPA also has a series of suprasegmentals which are used to indicate intonation in language. Certain languages, such as Japanese and Norwegian, possess intonation. IPA allows for the use of either tone diacritics or tone letters to indicate tones. These are used in tonal languages such as Chinese.

View this table as an image

Length, stress, and rhythm

ˈ Primary stress ˌ Secondary stress

ː Long (long vowel or
geminate consonant) ˑ Half-long

˘ Extra-short . Syllable break

‿ Linking (absence of a break)

Intonation

| Minor (foot) break ‖ Major (intonation) break

↗ Global rise ↘ Global fall

Tones

e̋ or ˥ Extra high é or ˦ High

ē or ˧ Mid è or ˨ Low

ȅ or ˩ Extra low ě Rise

ê Fall ^↓e Downstep

^↑e Upstep

View this table as an image
ʍ	Voiceless labialized velar approximant
w	Voiced labialized velar approximant
ɥ	Voiced labialized palatal approximant
ɕ	Voiceless palatalized postalveolar (alveolo-palatal) fricative
ʑ	Voiced palatalized postalveolar (alveolo-palatal) fricative
ɧ	Voiceless "palatal-velar" fricative

View this table as an image
Click releases	Implosives	Ejectives
ʘ	Bilabial	ɓ	Bilabial	ʼ	For example:
ǀ	Laminal alveolar ("dental")	ɗ	Alveolar	pʼ	Bilabial
ǃ	Apical (post-) alveolar ("retroflex")	ʄ	Palatal	tʼ	Alveolar
ǂ	Laminal postalveolar ("palatal")	ɠ	Velar	kʼ	Velar
ǁ	Lateral coronal ("lateral")	ʛ	Uvular	sʼ	Alveolar fricative

View this table as an image.
Tie bar	Ligature	Description
t͡s	ʦ	voiceless alveolar affricate
d͡z	ʣ	voiced alveolar affricate
t͡ʃ	ʧ	voiceless postalveolar affricate
d͡ʒ	ʤ	voiced postalveolar affricate
t͡ɕ	ʨ	voiceless alveolo-palatal affricate
d͡ʑ	ʥ	voiced alveolo-palatal affricate
t͡ɬ	–	voiceless alveolar lateral affricate
k͡p	–	voiceless labial-velar plosive
ɡ͡b	–	voiced labial-velar plosive
ŋ͡m	–	labial-velar nasal stop

View the diacritic table as an image
Syllabicity diacritics
ɹ̩ n̩	Syllabic	e̯ ʊ̯	Non-syllabic
Consonant-release diacritics
tʰ dʰ	Aspirated ²	d̚	No audible release
dⁿ	Nasal release	dˡ	Lateral release
Phonation diacritics
n̥ d̥	Voiceless	s̬ t̬	Voiced
b̤ a̤	Breathy voiced ¹	b̰ a̰	Creaky voiced
Articulation diacritics
t̪ d̪	Dental	t̼ d̼	Linguolabial
t̺ d̺	Apical	t̻ d̻	Laminal
u̟ t̟	Advanced	i̠ t̠	Retracted
ë ä	Centralized	e̽ ɯ̽	Mid-centralized
e̝ ɹ̝ ˔	Raised (ɹ̝ = voiced alveolar nonsibilant fricative)
e̞ β̞ ˕	Lowered (β̞ = bilabial approximant)
Co-articulation diacritics
ɔ̹ x̹	More rounded	ɔ̜ x̜ʷ	Less rounded
tʷ dʷ	Labialized	tʲ dʲ	Palatalized
tˠ dˠ	Velarized	tˁ dˁ	Pharyngealized
ɫ z̴	Velarized or pharyngealized
e̘ o̘	Advanced tongue root	e̙ o̙	Retracted tongue root
ẽ z̃	Nasalized	ɚ ɝ	Rhoticity

View this table as an image
Length, stress, and rhythm
ˈ	Primary stress	ˌ	Secondary stress
ː	Long (long vowel or geminate consonant)	ˑ	Half-long
˘	Extra-short	.	Syllable break
‿	Linking (absence of a break)
Intonation
\|	Minor (foot) break	‖	Major (intonation) break
↗	Global rise	↘	Global fall
Tones
e̋ or ˥	Extra high	é or ˦	High
ē or ˧	Mid	è or ˨	Low
ȅ or ˩	Extra low	ě	Rise
ê	Fall	^↓e	Downstep
^↑e	Upstep

Quoted from wikipedia.org.

"International Phonetic Alphabet." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 14 Oct 2006, 06:32 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 16 Oct 2006 <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=International_Phonetic_Alphabet&oldid=81359769>.

shibboleth

2006-10-15T22:22:00.000-04:00

(IPA: [ˈʃɪbəlɛθ]^[1]) is any language usage indicative of one's social or regional origin, or more broadly, any practice that identifies members of a group.

[...]
Today, in the English language, a shibboleth is any word or phrase that can be used to distinguish members of a group from outsiders. The word is also sometimes used in a broader sense to mean specialized jargon, the proper use of which identifies speakers as members of a particular group or subculture. For example, people who regularly use words like "stfnal," "grok," "filk," and "gafiate" in conversation are likely members of science fiction fandom. Shibboleths can also be customs or practices, such as male circumcision.

Cultural touchstones and shared experience can also be shibboleths of a sort. For example, people about the same age tend to have the same memories of popular songs, television shows, and events from their formative years. Much the same is true of alumni of a particular school, veterans of military service, and other groups. Discussing such memories is a common way of bonding. In-jokes can be a similar type of shared-experience shibboleth.

A shibboleth can also be the manner in which a word is spelled. In computer programming, for example, the Perl language is sometimes written PERL (in all capital letters, representing the backronym Practical Extraction and Report Language), which is a sign to Perl community members that the document lacks respect for the published materials, and is therefore from an outsider. This is frequently used to distinguish "good" job offers or books (ones that understand Perl culture and conventions) from "bad" ones. Likewise, writing Ada as ADA shows that the writer is unfamiliar with the Ada programming language, which was named in honor of Ada Lovelace. Similarly, Macintosh users can tell that anyone who comes into a Mac forum talking about a "MAC" is an outsider or a newcomer.
Grammatical shibboleths

In the Victorian era, especially in Britain, the educated middle classes invented several shibboleths to distinguish themselves from the lower classes. One of these was pronouncing the gerund suffix -ing as it is spelled, rhyming with sing, whereas both the lower and upper classes pronounced it as -in, rhyming with sin. However, many of the shibboleths were grammatical. These were primarily taken from the rules of Latin grammar, and had not occurred in English prior to this time. For instance, in Latin it is impossible to split an infinitive, because a Latin infinitive (such as vadere "to go") is a single word; therefore, prescriptivist grammarians decided that people should not split English infinitives either. (That is, to boldly go "should" be boldly to go or to go boldly, as if to go were a single word as it is in Latin.) Despite centuries of contrary use, this became a mark of a good education, and is still taught in schools. In order to be dismissively called a shibboleth in this sense, a grammatical "rule" should go counter to a common usage, and even perhaps be accompanied by slips in those most dogmatic about a usage. Some grammatical rules that have been used as shibboleths of a "good education" include:

no prepositions at the end of sentences (which often provokes the reply, apocryphally attributed to Churchill, that "this is the sort of pedantry up with which I will not put". Incongruously, an easy description of this 'incorrect' usage is: "A preposition is something you should never end a sentence with".)
no verbless sentences (these are common in literature: Not so. Really?)
use different from rather than different than (different than has been well established in literature for centuries; cf. different to)
no initial ands or buts (in literature, and and but can even begin a paragraph: But suppose all this is rubbish? or, And so it turns out ...)
use a possessive noun with a gerund: women's having the vote would be ... (actually, women having the vote is traditional usage)
no use of themself or theirselves as pronouns to refer to singular nouns or persons: The teacher will introduce themself at the beginning of the lecture. (This usage is contentious, with supporters on both sides of the argument. This has developed as a gender-neutral alternative.)
use of the subjunctive mood. The "correct" form is "If it were so..." rather than, "If it was..." and "Whether it were..." rather than "Whether it was..." While the subjunctive is frequently dropped, especially in colloquial English, it is still a widely used part of the language and an educated speaker will find fault in such examples as "would that it was so," rather than "would that it were so."
between you and I (more properly between you and me; "me" is objective case, suited for use in a prepositional phrase. However, because "me" is often used for "I" in informal speech, and sometimes judged incorrect according to grammatical standards, speakers often resort to hypercorrection, producing this phrase, which is used as a negative shibboleth indicating a social climber. An interesting case because it is a shibboleth produced by trying to avoid another shibboleth.)

Quoted from wikipedia.org.

"Shibboleth." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 14 Oct 2006, 15:53 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 16 Oct 2006 <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Shibboleth&oldid=81414707>.

gnomic

2006-10-12T12:32:00.000-04:00

gnomic \NOH-mik\ adjective
*1 : characterized by aphorism 2 : given to the composition of aphoristic writing
Example sentence: The poet Emily Dickinson, who wrote "Tell all the Truth but tell it slant," is known for her highly individualistic, gnomic style.
Did you know? A gnome is an aphorism — that is, an observation or sentiment reduced to the form of a saying. Gnomes are sometimes couched in metaphorical or figurative language, they are often quite clever, and they are always concise. We borrowed the word "gnome" in the 16th century from the Greeks, who based their "gnome" on the verb "gignōskein," meaning "to know." (That other "gnome" — the dwarf of folklore — comes from New Latin and is unrelated to today's word.) We began using "gnomic," the adjective form of "gnome," in the early 19th century. It describes a style of writing (or sometimes speech) characterized by pithy phrases, which are often terse to the point of mysteriousness.

Quoted from m-w.com.

"ego search" on urbandictionary.com

2006-10-06T04:04:00.000-04:00

1. ego search
To perform a search for one's own name, or especially their online nickname, using any search engine on the World Wide Web. -also called ego surfing. See also "googling"
She was mackin on me until I got up and went to my computer and googled our names together and then she told me, "I don't like boys who hafta ego search; that's tired."

2. ego search
A semi-common term used on forums to search every post made by a user.
"Dude, I can't find that story I posted on the boards three weeks ago."
"Just do an ego search."

3. ego search
When someone who has low self-esteem or no confidence takes 3 years of vacation traveling the world to find himself. They usually find their ego and come back with a huge attitude.
'Jon went egosearching last year and now his balls are fat as shit!'
'If Carol wasn't such a stupid twat, I'd suggest she ego-search, but the dumb cunt would probably get lost.'

gracious

2006-09-26T15:48:00.000-04:00

Main Entry: gra·cious
Pronunciation: 'grA-sh&s
Function: adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French gracieus, from Latin gratiosus enjoying favor, agreeable, from gratia
1 a obsolete : GODLY b archaic : PLEASING, ACCEPTABLE
2 a : marked by kindness and courtesy gracious host> b : GRACEFUL c : marked by tact and delicacy : URBANE d : characterized by charm, good taste, generosity of spirit, and the tasteful leisure of wealth and good breeding <gracious living>
3 : MERCIFUL, COMPASSIONATE -- used conventionally of royalty and high nobility
- gra·cious·ly adverb
- gra·cious·ness noun
synonyms GRACIOUS, CORDIAL, AFFABLE, GENIAL, SOCIABLE mean markedly pleasant and easy in social intercourse. GRACIOUS implies courtesy and kindly consideration <gracious award winner thanked her colleagues>. CORDIAL stresses warmth and heartiness cordial as he greeted us>. AFFABLE implies easy approachability and readiness to respond pleasantly to conversation or requests or proposals affable to all>. GENIAL stresses cheerfulness and even joviality genial companion with a ready quip>. SOCIABLE suggests a genuine liking for the companionship of others <sociable people who enjoy entertaining>.

Quoted from m-w.com.

mystery

2006-09-20T00:28:00.000-04:00

Pronunciation: 'mis-t(&-)rE
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural -ter·ies
Etymology: Middle English mysterie, from Latin mysterium, from Greek mystErion, from mystEs initiate
1 a : a religious truth that one can know only by revelation and cannot fully understand b (1) : any of the 15 events (as the Nativity, the Crucifixion, or the Assumption) serving as a subject for meditation during the saying of the rosary (2) capitalized : a Christian sacrament; specifically : EUCHARIST c (1) : a secret religious rite believed (as in Eleusinian and Mithraic cults) to impart enduring bliss to the initiate (2) : a cult devoted to such rites
2 a : something not understood or beyond understanding : ENIGMA b obsolete : a private secret c : the secret or specialized practices or ritual peculiar to an occupation or a body of people mysteries of the tailor's craft> d : a piece of fiction dealing usually with the solution of a mysterious crime
3 : profound, inexplicable, or secretive quality or character mystery of her smile>
synonyms MYSTERY, PROBLEM, ENIGMA, RIDDLE, PUZZLE mean something which baffles or perplexes. MYSTERY applies to what cannot be fully understood by reason or less strictly to whatever resists or defies explanation <mystery of the stone monoliths>. PROBLEM applies to a question or difficulty calling for a solution or causing concern <problems created by high technology>. ENIGMA applies to utterance or behavior that is very difficult to interpret enigma>. RIDDLE suggests an enigma or problem involving paradox or apparent contradiction riddle of the reclusive pop star>. PUZZLE applies to an enigma or problem that challenges ingenuity for its solution puzzle for the police>.

Quoted from m-w.com.

tirade

2006-09-19T15:41:00.000-04:00

Pronunciation: 'tI-"rAd also ti-'
Function: noun
Etymology: French, shot, tirade, from Middle French, from Old Italian tirata, from tirare to draw, shoot
: a protracted speech usually marked by intemperate, vituperative, or harshly censorious language

Quoted from m-w.com.

trite

2006-09-18T14:56:00.000-04:00

Pronunciation: 'trIt
Function: adjective
Inflected Form(s): trit·er; trit·est
Etymology: Latin tritus, from past participle of terere to rub, wear away -- more at THROW
: hackneyed or boring from much use : not fresh or original
- trite·ly adverb
- trite·ness noun
synonyms TRITE, HACKNEYED, STEREOTYPED, THREADBARE mean lacking the freshness that evokes attention or interest. TRITE applies to a once effective phrase or idea spoiled from long familiarity <"you win some, you lose some" is a trite expression>. HACKNEYED stresses being worn out by overuse so as to become dull and meaningless hackneyed>. STEREOTYPED implies falling invariably into the same pattern or form stereotyped and out-of-date>. THREADBARE applies to what has been used until its possibilities of interest have been totally exhausted threadbare plot>.

Quoted from m-w.com.

vituperative

2006-09-17T15:24:00.000-04:00

Pronunciation: vI-'tü-p(&-)r&amp;amp;-tiv, -p&-"rA-
Function: adjective
: uttering or given to censure : containing or characterized by verbal abuse
- vi·tu·per·a·tive·ly adverb

Quoted from m-w.com.

Knowledge Wisdom Understanding: Law and Limits on Individual Liberty[1]: R. v. Butler[2] Revisited

2006-08-18T01:13:00.000-04:00

The concept of 'legal moralism', deriving from the notion that laws enforce moral standards for the good and for the preservation of society, is a theme central to the debate between Lord Patrick Devlin and H.L.A. Hart. Devlin argues in favor of legal moralism-positive morality is to be enforced, regardless of the undue suffering that it may cause some individuals. Hart argues that Devlin mistakes legal moralism with legal paternalism, which advocates limits on individual freedom to protect the individual from his/her own self. Children oft require paternalistic restrictions on their freedom for their own good; this demonstrates how paternalism may protect individuals. Paternalism may protect an individual from his/her own self, but personal autonomy protects society from itself. Contrary to Devlin, Hart believes that the law's purpose is to protect the individual. When a society's constitution codifies an inherently evil sense of morality in its constitution, like Apartheid in South Africa, personal autonomy, an aspect of critical morality, remains the only safeguard against complete corruption of the shared public morality. When we look at personal autonomy in this context, we see the necessity of distinguishing between positive and critical morality. From this example, we also clearly see that sometimes disintegration is desirable.

Quoted from my essay, "Law and its Limits on Individual Liberty: R. v. Butler Revisited."
For the entire essay, please visit my writing blog, KNOWLEDGE WISDOM UNDERSTANDING.

2006-08-17T03:33:00.000-04:00

Technorati Profile

Correspondence RE: Student conduct, Susan Miller, Shiv Upadhyay, and Junior Williams

2006-08-03T16:27:00.000-04:00

Dear Ms. Miller

Unfortunately, there is no way that I can attend your scheduled meeting today. Assuming Mr Upadhyay's problem is with email correspondence sent between July 4-July 12, that correspondence has since been terminated. As per referenced policy....
A local hearing officer may order that any sanction imposed be stayed, so long as the offender abstains from the conduct complained of.
Please advise,
JR

Personal email sent 3 August 2006

Dear Mr. Upadhyay,

Do you still have a problem over which you wish to see punitive damages done to myself? If not, please notify your handlers as such. If so, you are going to have to get Ms. Miller to schedule a time that I can actually make it in to see her. I have exams right now.

Regards,
JR

Personal Email sent 3 August 2006

Dear Mr. Williams,

In response to your voicemail, the Office of Student Conduct and Dispute Resolution administers York University’s non-academic student code of conduct. According to Presidential Regulation Number 2, The Conduct of Students at York University, “By registering in any programme of the University, a student agrees to be bound by all of its rules and regulations…related to the individual’s behaviour as a member of the University.”
Presidential Regulation Number 2 can be viewed in its entirety at:
http://www.yorku.ca/secretariat/policies/document.php?document=108

You also asked why you should feel compelled to meet with me. To again quote Presidential Regulation Number 2: “students are expected…to abide by reasonable instructions given orally or in writing by any official of the University authorized to secure compliance with such regulations, rules, practices and procedures.” Given that Professor Shiv Upadhyay has expressed serious concerns regarding your online communications, it is necessary for you to attend tomorrow’s meeting in this office to review this situation.

Sincerely,
Susan Miller

Personal email received 2 August 2006

For more info on this post, please visit the following pages:
A Letter to my Linguistics Professor, Shiv Upadhyay
Reply from my linguistics professor, Shiv Upadhyay
Shiv Upadhyay: Student Opinions
Reply to Susan Miller (re: Shiv Upadhyay)

Slips of the Tongue: What errors in speech reveal

2006-07-31T13:30:00.000-04:00

That word ‘reveal’ probably made you think of the famous “Freudian slips”, which sometimes have a way of ‘revealing’ something in our mind we’re not aware of. But interesting as that is, we don’t mean that in the psychological sense here but in the linguistic sense: do ‘slips’ show us something about how we process and use our language?

As we talk, we unconsciously make more kinds of little errors than we probably think we do. Usually we either don’t notice them at all or we go back and correct them so quickly that they stay below everybody’s awareness. Take a look at some of the most frequent kinds of ‘slips’ we all make. Each of these below is a real slip made by someone.

• We use the wrong consonant in a word, often under the influence of a neighboring sound:

WHAT YOU REALLY SAID WHAT WAS INTENDED

you can tell Ten you can tell Ken
bake my bike take my bike
I can start the stape back up I can start the tape back up

Of course the most famous of such slips are ‘Spoonerisms’, reversing two sounds - not necessarily the first - or series of sounds:

heave the louse leave the house
blake fruid brake fluid
they’re snoveling show they’re shoveling snow
he will lay the weed he will lead the way

• Sometimes we misplace the stress because we’re thinking of the same word but another part of speech:

you’re in an adVAN- - advanTAGeous position
(thinking of adVANtage)
the noise ENvelopes - - enVELops you
(ENvelope)
it was written by two ecoNOM- - eCONomists
(ecoNOMics)

• Or two words turn out to have exchanged positions by the time they come out:

take that persons’s account take that person’s concern
into concern into account
she got Ralph to let him she got Ralph to let her
cut her hair cut his hair

• An unintended word will intrude, often apparently triggered by some other nearby word:

the Mafia moved into Italy the Mafia moved into Boston
I’m going to April in May I’m going to Europe in May

Or a word might be triggered by something in the immediate social situation:

we need a new refrigerator we need a new washer
(looking at refrigerator)
where’s Tiffany? where’s Marcia?
(looking at Tiffany)

Occasionally we hear ourselves coming out with a wondrous portmanteau word, combining two:

that doesn’t bother me in the doesn’t bother me in the
sleast least / slightest
she editated the book she edited / annotated ...

• It’s more common than you might imagine for a grammatical element (a morpheme) to unaccountably turn up on a word where you didn’t think you intended it:

he cook the meats he cooks the meat
I’d forgot abouten that I’d forgotten about that
she stow it awayed she stowed it away
it get darks early it gets dark early

• But probably the most revealing of the way we process sentences in our minds are the occasions when an entire sentence comes out wrong:

(a) what it is that makes what is it that makes
the difference? the difference?
(b) what could have I done? what could I have done?
(c) it’s hard when there’s it’s hard when there’s
pressure, isn’t there? pressure, isn’t it?
(d) if I was done that to if that was done to me

All these show that, in deriving a question or a passive from a simple declarative sentence, something failed to get moved appropriately:
In (a), the first three words still show the normal declarative order what it is, but making it into a question requires the moving of the verb.
In (b), the same thing: the words remain in the order of the declarative I could have done (it).
In (c), the words isn’t there (called a tag question) have been influenced by the word there, but the question is really being asked about it.
In (d), in passivizing they did that to me, it is not the me that is turned into a passive, but that.

All these examples show the same thing about how we process language in our heads: we do not put words and sentences together in simple linear order, but we do it, so to speak, in layers: we lay out a general concept of a word, a combination of words, or a whole sentence in our minds (normally all at the same time!) and proceed to ‘plug in’ elements. It is these sounds, morphemes or words in construction that occasionally get scrambled on the way to being spoken.

All this complicated mental processing is happening entirely below the level of consciousness, so we’re not aware of ‘doing’ anything except when we hear ourselves saying something ‘funny’, and it’s all happening at such lightning speed that we’re not aware of any time these steps are taking.

Copyright © 2004 by William Z. Shetter

Quoted from http://home.bluemarble.net/~langmin/miniatures/errors.htm

Upadhyay

2006-07-28T10:48:00.000-04:00

Shiv R. Upadhyay
The Sociolinguistic Variation of Grammatical Gender Agreement in Nepali

York University, Toronto
CANADA
upadhyay@yorku.ca

Abstract

The verb of a Nepali sentence agrees with, besides others, the grammatical gender of the subject, following the subject-verb gender agreement (SVGA) rule of Nepali grammar. Drawing on the quantitative and ethnographical approaches, the present study examines the variable use of this rule in Nepali and finds that the subject-verb gender agreement phenomenon is subject to style stratification and sociolinguistic variation. While a group of thirty-four native speakers of Nepali were found to apply the rule consistently in the formal context of language use, they variably used the rule in the informal context of conversational interaction. This study found female speakers leading male speakers in the use of non-standard language form as resulting from the non-application of the SVGA rule. Their lead in the use of non-standard language form, which interestingly is in contrast to a commonly reported finding in many Anglo-American studies of language variation and change, is seen as resulting from their changing social roles and life experience. This study shows that the variable use of the SVGA rule in Nepali can be more adequately accounted for within the ethnographic framework developed in Eckert (1989, 1990, 1991, 2000) and Eckert and McConnell-Ginet (1992). This study also identifies another variable phenomenon in which Nepali speakers employ the SVGA rule for the purpose of distinguishing between adult and young female referents, thus suggesting that the traditional gender distinction is changing in perception and its linguistic realization.

Quoted from http://www.linguistics.ucsb.edu/faculty/bucholtz/conference/upadhyay.html.

For more info on this post, please visit the following pages:
A Letter to my Linguistics Professor, Shiv Upadhyay
Reply from my linguistics professor, Shiv Upadhyay
Shiv Upadhyay: Student Opinions
Reply to Susan Miller (re: Shiv Upadhyay)

Shiv Upadhyay

2006-07-27T10:27:00.000-04:00

RE: Professor Shiv R. Upadhyay's informing me that my "option would be to appeal" and his Anglo handlers' solicitation that we "meet ... regarding a situation involving Professor Shiv Upadhyay," viz., my appeal to him.

How ironic? And oh, how I do so wonder at the outcome of our as-yet unscheduled meeting. I imagine the student conduct rep to project sympathy at first; but, I am certain she will soon side with Shiv and then start with the threats: to put me on probation, to give me a warning, to have me explelled, or worse -- perhaps she will even threaten legal action if I do not remove these posts from my blog.

Doesn't the letter sent 4 July 2006 4:11 PM to Professor Shiv R. Upadhyay constitute an "appeal" as defined below? Specifically, insofar as it was 'an earnest plea' to "subjectively apply some corrective measures to raise my overall grade[?]"

Appeal
Pronunciation: &-'pEl
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English appel, from Anglo-French apel, from apeler
1 : a legal proceeding by which a case is brought before a higher court for review of the decision of a lower court
2 : a criminal accusation
3 a : an application (as to a recognized authority) for corroboration, vindication, or decision b : an earnest plea ENTREATY <an appeal for help> c : an organized request for donations <the annual appeal>
4 : the power of arousing a sympathetic response : ATTRACTION <movies had a great appeal for him>

Quoted from m-w.com

For more info on this post, please visit the following pages:
A Letter to my Linguistics Professor, Shiv Upadhyay
Reply from my linguistics professor, Shiv Upadhyay
Shiv Upadhyay: Student Opinions
Reply to Susan Miller (re: Shiv Upadhyay)

sultry

2006-07-23T14:10:00.000-04:00

Main Entry: sul·try
Pronunciation: 's&l-trE
Function: adjective
Inflected Form(s): sul·tri·er; -est
Etymology: obsolete English sulter to swelter, alteration of English swelter
1 a : very hot and humid : SWELTERING b : burning hot : TORRID
2 a : hot with passion or anger b : exciting or capable of exciting strong sexual desire (e.g. sultry glances)

Quoted from m-w.com

constellate

2006-07-20T10:37:00.000-04:00

constellate \KAHN-stuh-layt\ verb

transitive verb
1 : to unite in a cluster
2 : to set or adorn with or as if with constellations
*intransitive verb : cluster
Example sentence:
"Like orbiting planets, the members of the family seemed destined to constellate around a table, held by the gravity of our affection for each other." (Elsa M. Bowman, Christian Science Monitor, July 11, 1996)

Did you know?
It's plain that "constellate" is related to "constellation," and, indeed, things that "constellate" (or "are constellated") cluster together like stars in a constellation. Both words derive ultimately from the Latin word for "star," which is "stella." "Constellation" (which came to us by way of Middle French from Late Latin "constellation-, constellatio") entered the language first — it dates to at least the 14th century. "Constellate" didn't appear until a full 300 years later.
*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.

Quoted from trueking7.blogspot.com

schadenfreude

2006-07-19T10:15:00.000-04:00

schadenfreude \SHAH-dun-froy-duh\
noun, often capitalized
: enjoyment obtained from the troubles of others
Example sentence:
"There is simply no higher level of schadenfreude than when the rich or famous stumble." (John Gonzalez, Boston Magazine, August 2005)
Did you know?
"Schadenfreude" is a compound of the German nouns "Schaden," meaning "damage" or "harm," and "Freude," meaning "joy," so it makes sense that "schadenfreude" means joy over some harm or misfortune suffered by another. "What a fearful thing is it that any language should have a word expressive of the pleasure which men feel at the calamities of others," wrote Richard Trench of Dublin, an archbishop with literary predilections, of the German "Schadenfreude" in 1852; perhaps it was just as well he didn't live to see the word embraced by English speakers before the century was out.
*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.

Quoted from a personal email, received 19 July 2006 03:09:33 EST

predilection

2006-07-19T10:14:00.000-04:00

Main Entry: pre·di·lec·tion
Pronunciation: "pre-d&-'lek-sh&n, "prE-
Function: noun
Etymology: French prédilection, from Medieval Latin praediligere to love more, prefer, from Latin prae- + diligere to love -- more at DILIGENT
: an established preference for something
synonyms PREDILECTION, PREPOSSESSION, PREJUDICE, BIAS mean an attitude of mind that predisposes one to favor something. PREDILECTION implies a strong liking deriving from one's temperament or experience <a predilection for travel>. PREPOSSESSION suggests a fixed conception likely to preclude objective judgment of anything counter to it <a prepossession against technology>. PREJUDICE usually implies an unfavorable prepossession and connotes a feeling rooted in suspicion, fear, or intolerance <a mindless prejudice against the unfamiliar>. BIAS implies an unreasoned and unfair distortion of judgment in favor of or against a person or thing <a strong bias toward the plaintiff>.

Quoted from m-w.com

2006-07-17T23:43:00.000-04:00

Statistics: The only science that enables different experts using the same figures to draw different conclusions.

— Evan Esar (1899-1995), American Humorist

Lie

2006-07-17T18:57:00.000-04:00

Main Entry: lie
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English lige, lie, from Old English lyge; akin to Old High German lugI, Old English lEogan to lie
1 a : an assertion of something known or believed by the speaker to be untrue with intent to deceive

Quoted from m-w.com

Everything True @ York U: A Letter to my Linguistics Professor, Shiv Upadhyay

2006-07-11T16:25:00.000-04:00

Dear Sir,

I apologize if I have offended you. I am still quite upset in regards to the mark I received for my essay. I thought my paper was well written; in fact, many people found my paper to be the same. I would still like to give you the benefit of the doubt, even though it would appear you have bit a little too deep into the bait offered by your Anglo handlers. I pause to consider whether your impression of me as a person has in any way colored your attitude towards me in grading my essay. The can suffer the exam mark; I did not have much time to prepare.

Nevertheless, I am not terribly interested in your opinion of how well I had echoed the sentiments of the mostly-middle-class-white-men of whom your subjective reality is comprised. Please forgive my ambivalence towards your subjective assertions grading my paper. I beg your pardon sir. I do not kow-tow for grades, nor do I merely boast and criticize the works of others as I observe you do so eloquently. I acknowledge that I have not mastered the fine art (skill, deceit, guile, trickery) of B.S. (cf. Critical Discourse Analysis) as well as those, like Fowler, who've been at it for some time; otherwise, I would be appealing for an A+.

I am 26 year old father and a first generation Canadian. English, the west germanic based language known also as 'the mother tongue', is my first acquired language. My bilingual EFL parents taught me how to read, write, and speak this language: My mother, from England, speaks fluent German -- my father, from Triniad and Tobago, speaks fluent Spanish. An avid reader well versed in Latin prose, I have read countless tomes on numerous subjects. I am a prolific writer. I have three blogs ( http://trueking7.blogspot.com), one of them is a site devoted to linguistics (http://spotwords.blogspot.com). I was identified as intellectually gifted when I was 9 years old. I am fluent in eight computer programming languages. For four years, I was employed as a network architect by Alcatel, the largest telecommunications company in the world. I have a 5 year old daughter in Kindergarten and she is the brightest student in her class. I pause to consider whether heredity and her early childhood education had anything to do with her success.

I imagine that none of the above came through in my writing, which you have graded according to parameters that do not recognize lucid insight. I imagine your position to be that you marked my paper fairly and that you would never discriminate. Several of my peers suggest I simply inform you of your mistake in mis-evaluating. Regardless, the 'burnout' caused by your sub-rating my essay has led my current cynicism.

I have paid $489.15 for "Language, Power, and Persuasion" AS LING 2430 Cr=3.00 A[S06 S1 AS] + $$$ for the textbook + $$$ for your course kit + $$$ for transportation + $$$ for paper and ink. I am wondering whether you think the cost is worth it? Is $489 a fair price? Why buy a course kit just to hear you read from it? Is $489 a fair price to pay to have one's academic progress impeded by someone whose ambivalence towards the subject is second only to their inability to profess it? By someone who can do no better than regurgitate the recycled pedagogical meanderings of some racist aristocrats?

Please sir, do tell me when we can meet to discuss this. In truth, I would actually prefer that you subjectively apply some corrective measures to raise my overall grade as I have no great interest in bantering over some trivial points of which I am sure we would never agree upon except in that you have a Ph.D. and I do not. You probably think of me as some young punk who has no respect for his elders but I assure you that is not the case. I have the utmost respect for you and when a group of students from class were publicly decrying your scholarship, I was the only one there giving you the benefit of the doubt. The same students whom you saw fit to give higher grades to. And why? Because they withhold their true contempt for you, simultaneously stroking your ego by proving themselves as better quoting parrots?

We live in a racist society where the rich white minority does everything in their power to hold us original peoples down. In a society where the only so-called visible minorities who advance are the ones who best kow-tow to the dominant ideology -- the ones who keep their own people down. I am not a sycophant and I do not subscribe to the kiss up/kick down mentality of academia. I write this appeal, though it may seem more of a diatribe, in the hope that you will read between the lines and see what I am saying. I am hoping that you are not the pedant that my advisers suggest and that you capable of thinking outside the box to consider socio-cultural factors while evaluating my academic performance.

Proper.Education.Always.Corrects.Errors.
JR

P.S. Pedant (from m-w.com)
1 obsolete : a male schoolteacher
2 a : one who makes a show of knowledge b : one who is unimaginative or who unduly emphasizes minutiae in the presentation or use of knowledge c : a formalist or precisionist in teaching

For more info on this post, please visit the following pages:
A Letter to my Linguistics Professor, Shiv Upadhyay
Reply from my linguistics professor, Shiv Upadhyay
Shiv Upadhyay: Student Opinions
Reply to Susan Miller (re: Shiv Upadhyay)

The Word of the Day for July 08

2006-07-08T17:14:00.000-04:00

grubstake \GRUB-stayk\ verb
: to provide with material assistance (as a loan) for launching an enterprise or for a person in difficult circumstances

Example sentence:
"Hoping to turn the situation around in California, the state now grubstakes entrepreneurs to try their hand at salvaging urban woods." (John Balzar, Los Angeles Times, March 8, 2004)

Did you know?
"Grubstake" is a linguistic nugget that was dug up during the famous California Gold Rush, which began in 1848. Sometime between the first stampede and the early 1860s, when the gold-seekers headed off to Montana, prospectors combined "grub" ("food") and "stake," meaning "an interest or share in an undertaking." At first "grubstake" was a noun, referring to any kind of loan or provisions that could be finagled to make an undertaking possible (with the agreement that the "grubstaker" would get a cut of any profits). By 1879, "grubstake" was also showing up as a verb meaning "to give someone a grubstake," and, since at least 1937, it has been applied to other situations in which a generous benefactor comes through with the funds.

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.

Quoted from www.m-w.com.

P.S. Anyone want to grubstake me to take my girl out? She's pissed and I'm broke from buying lunch at school when I should've been packing one. Somebody help me please!!!

Floccinaucinihilipilification

2006-07-05T18:16:00.000-04:00

Floccinaucinihilipilification is the act or habit of estimating or describing something as worthless, or making something to be worthless by said means.

At 29 letters, it is the longest non-technical word in the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary, which presents it "as enumerated in a well-known rule from the Eton Latin Grammar". The OED dates its first use in literature at 1741 in William Shenstone's Works in Prose and Verse: "I loved him for nothing so much as his flocci-nauci-nihili-pili-fication of money".

Though the OED gives no specifics on its derivation, the word is said to have been invented as an erudite joke by a student of Eton College, who, upon consulting a Latin textbook, found four words connoting 'nothing' or 'worthless', combined them, and added verb endings:

* floccus, -i a wisp or piece of wool, used idiomatically as flocci non facio ("I don't care [one thread]")
* naucum, -i a trifle
* nihilum, -i nothing; something valueless
* pilus, -i a hair; a bit or a whit; something small and insignificant

It is often spelled with hyphens, and has even spawned the back formations floccinaucical (inconsiderable or trifling) and floccinaucity (a thing of small importance). The OED appears to have overlooked floccinaucinihilipilificatious, which has one letter more than the nominal form, and means "small" or "insignificant."

Pronunciation: (shown in IPA)
* /ˌflɒ.kɪˌnɒ.kɪˌnɪ.hɪ.lɪˌpɪ.lɪ.fɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/
* /ˌflɒ.ksɪˌnɔːsɪˌnaɪ.ɪl.ɪˌpɪl.ɪf.ɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/
* /ˌflɑ.tʃi.ˌnaʊ.tʃi.nɪˌhɪ.liˌpɪ.li.faɪ'kæ.ʃən/
* /ˌflɑ.sɪˌnɑ.si.nə.hɪl.ə.pɪl.ə.fɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/
* /ˌflɒk.siˌnoʊ.siˌnaɪ.hil.i.ˌpɪl.i.fɪ.keɪ.ʃən/.

All of My Favourite Albert Einstein Quotations

2006-07-05T17:35:00.000-04:00

"Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of Truth and Knowledge is shipwrecked by the laughter of the gods."

"The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education."

"Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school."

"The most incomprehensible thing about the world is that it is comprehensible."

"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe."

"Great spirits have often encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds."

"Technological progress is like an axe in the hands of a pathological criminal."

"We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them."

"Do not worry about your difficulties in Mathematics. I can assure you mine are still greater."

"He who joyfully marches to music rank and file, has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would surely suffice. This disgrace to civilization should be done away with at once. Heroism at command, how violently I hate all this, how despicable and ignoble war is; I would rather be torn to shreds than be a part of so base an action. It is my conviction that killing under the cloak of war is nothing but an act of murder."

"Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding."

"A human being is a part of a whole, called by us, universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest ...a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty."

"Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts." (Sign hanging in Einstein's office at Princeton)

Quoted from http://rescomp.stanford.edu/~cheshire/EinsteinQuotes.html

Some Trini Slangs

2006-07-05T17:20:00.000-04:00

Eat De Bread Dat De Devil Knead:
To be subjected to long-lasting and painful conditions. To be on the receiving end of continuous ill-treatment. To live under an interable situation.

Dog Doh Make Cat:
Children usually behave just like their parents. Chip off the old block. Like father, like son. Like mother, like daughter.

Doh Hang Yuh Hat Higher Dan Yuh Could Reach:
Don't obligate yourself beyond your ability to produce. Don't try to live above your means.

Every Bread Has Its Butter:
No matter how unattractive one is, there is someone, somewhere who will find that one beautiful. There is a matching partner for everyone, no matter how weird.

Quoted from http://www.roxcie.com/slangs.htm

Some intermediate wordplay

2006-07-04T02:09:00.000-04:00

upward convergence
reverse discourse
e=mc2
anecdotes
magnetism
mesmerism
hypnotism (creative/absorption)
mental health
addiction
balance
myelin sheaths
floccinaucinihilipilificatious (flaw-chee-now-chee-ni-hi-li-pi-li-fi-kay-shus)
antidisestablishmentarianism
socio-cognitive systems engineering:
maxims,precepts, and the categorical imperative...
swept off the face of the earth with more swiftness,
than that of the proverbial flood on your christmas

By the one who reveals the previously unknown origin of your conniption fits,
Allah True King

UCLA Department of Linguistics - Remembering Peter Ladefoged

2006-07-03T19:20:00.000-04:00

The UCLA Linguistics Department is mourning the loss of one of its most eminent members, Peter Ladefoged. Peter died suddenly on January 24, 2006, at the age of 80, while in London; he was changing flights on his way home from field work in India.

Peter will be remembered for his outstanding contributions to phonetics and linguistics, for his lively and impassioned teaching, and for his service as mentor to a great number of Ph.D. students and to his junior colleagues. Peter made our Phonetics Laboratory, and our Department, a very special place.

The purpose of this page is to allow members of the department (both present and past), and other friends and colleagues of Peter, to share memories and thoughts about Peter Ladefoged. If you like to contribute please send text or images to Bruce Hayes at bhayes@humnet.ucla.edu.

Quoted from http://www.linguistics.ucla.edu/people/ladefoge/remember/index.htm

Everything True @ York U: The Blogging Alliance of Non-Partisan Canadians

2006-07-01T06:13:00.000-04:00

RE: definition #5 below
Click on the link below for an example of a group of newspapers (or in this case blogs) under one management
Everything True @ York U: The Blogging Alliance of Non-Partisan Canadians

see also, syndic

Syndicate

2006-07-01T04:00:00.000-04:00

Definition of syndicate - Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
Main Entry: ¹syn·di·cate
Pronunciation: 'sin-di-k&t
Function: noun
Etymology: French syndicat, from syndic
1 a : a council or body of syndics b : the office or jurisdiction of a syndic
2 : an association of persons officially authorized to undertake a duty or negotiate business
3 a : a group of persons or concerns who combine to carry out a particular transaction b : CARTEL 2 c : a loose association of racketeers in control of organized crime
4 : a business concern that sells materials for publication in a number of newspapers or periodicals simultaneously
5 : a group of newspapers under one management

My Favourite Music

2006-06-30T05:46:00.000-04:00

My Favourite Music

Everything True @ York U

2006-06-30T05:38:00.000-04:00

Everything True @ York U

[t]	voiceless	[d̤]	breathy voice, also called murmured
[d̥]	slack voice	[d]	modal voice
[d̬]	stiff voice	[d̰]	creaky voice
[ʔ͡t]	glottal closure