Posts by gardenvarietylinguist@mstdn.ca
 (DIR) Post #ATHE24Uspjm5C75sTQ by gardenvarietylinguist@mstdn.ca
       2023-03-04T16:00:40Z
       
       0 likes, 1 repeats
       
       @grammargirlFound this fairly true statement on the Wikipedia page for Grammar:Jeremy Butterfield claimed that, for non-linguists, "Grammar is often a generic way of referring to any aspect of English that people object to."I would much rather celebrate Linguistic Variation Day. (There's a reason linguists are generally not put in charge of celebrating anything...)
       
 (DIR) Post #ATZpj3QI3lQoaumbQW by gardenvarietylinguist@mstdn.ca
       2023-03-13T14:50:44Z
       
       0 likes, 0 repeats
       
       @tzimmer_historyI'm trying to get "fairness of speech" & "fair speech" to catch on, but maybe the word "fair" is too ambiguous, since it can mean either 'beautiful' or 'equitable' (I'm intending the latter).Speech that is unfair (in other words, harmful) should be censored, & the speaker should face consequences. This is already the case for concepts like libel, slander, defamation, uttering threats, falsely reporting an emergency, & in many countries, hate speech & inciting violence.
       
 (DIR) Post #ATZpj48xNhA0pRgH32 by gardenvarietylinguist@mstdn.ca
       2023-03-13T15:17:56Z
       
       0 likes, 1 repeats
       
       @tzimmer_historySpeech should be both free & fair.Or another way of saying it might be that speech should be as free as possible while still being fair.The 'cancel culture' crowd primarily focus on the value of freedom, & are only concerned with fairness when they might be directly affected. This libertarian viewpoint leads to weaker, fractured societies, which is why it is relatively rare across human cultures, IMO.Group selection can explain why equality & fairness are common values.
       
 (DIR) Post #AUe5VMOgmjLdYFVLVo by gardenvarietylinguist@mstdn.ca
       2023-04-14T13:40:57Z
       
       2 likes, 0 repeats
       
       @atatassault @grammargirl @Leszek_KarlikThe 'con' in 'conman' is actually short for 'confidence', from the older term 'confidence trick'.  However in that case 'confidence' refers to instilling a 'feeling of certainty' (i.e. gaining someone's confidence) rather than being 'self-assured'. So it's sort of a coincidence that confidence men (& women) happen to be confident!https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confidence_trick
       
 (DIR) Post #AZp73r5atKht7ub30y by gardenvarietylinguist@mstdn.ca
       2023-06-06T23:33:00Z
       
       0 likes, 0 repeats
       
       Recently discovered this ancient deceased yet still impressive tree on a hill here in Alberta. I believe it's a Douglas fir, which are pretty rare here.#ThickTrunkTuesday