James McElvenny
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jamesmcelvenny.bsky.social
James McElvenny
@jamesmcelvenny.bsky.social
250 followers 200 following 35 posts
Linguist and intellectual historian.
www.jamesmcelvenny.net
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Reposted by James McElvenny
hiphilangsci.bsky.social
Episode no. 51 is out 🤩

Martin Haspelmath (@haspelmath.bsky.social) talks about how he got started in linguistics, the rise of large-scale areal typology in the 1990s, language description vs language comparison, and the current state of the field.

🎙️ hiphilangsci.net/2025/11/01/p...

#Histlx
Podcast episode 51: Martin Haspelmath
In this interview, Martin Haspelmath talks about how he got started in linguistics, the rise of large-scale areal typology in the 1990s, language description vs language comparison, and the current…
hiphilangsci.net
October 31, 2025 at 3:01 PM
jamesmcelvenny.bsky.social
Hans Conon v d G features in a recent paper on which I was co-author

doi.org/10.1075/hl.0...
October 14, 2025 at 5:45 PM
Reposted by James McElvenny
bnerlich.bsky.social
My blog posts are always a bit niche, but this one is a bit nicher than others. This is not to say it’s not interesting. It should be of interest to anybody who works on language, #LLMs, #meaning and context. Have a look!
makingsciencepublic.com/2025/09/05/u...
Understanding computational hermeneutics: Making meaning between the past and the present
A large group of scholars led by Cody Kommers and Drew Hemment at the Alan Turing Institute recently published a paper on ‘computational hermeneutics’. They mention Hans-Georg Gadamer and Wilhelm D…
makingsciencepublic.com
September 5, 2025 at 6:14 AM
Reposted by James McElvenny
hiphilangsci.bsky.social
In the latest episode of our podcast (no. 47), we talk to Geoff Pullum about his career, his contributions to linguistics, and how he sees the future of the field.

🎙️ hiphilangsci.net/2025/09/01/p...

#Histlx #Linguistics #BLinguistik
Podcast episode 47: Geoff Pullum on Geoff Pullum
In this interview, we talk to Geoff Pullum about his career, his contributions to linguistics, and how he sees the future of the field.
hiphilangsci.net
September 1, 2025 at 10:38 AM
Reposted by James McElvenny
henrysweetsoc.bsky.social
A fresh new batch of Language & History articles has been published online, with a focus on the interactions between ✨Chinese and English✨ language teaching! Give them a look 👀
www.tandfonline.com/toc/ylhi20/0/0
August 13, 2025 at 7:45 AM
Reposted by James McElvenny
hiphilangsci.bsky.social
Call of the Consoritium for History of Science, Technology and Medicine (CHSTM): Working group History of the Language Sciences

Where? Online
When? September 2025 - May 2026
Further details? See the post on our blog

🔗 hiphilangsci.net/2025/08/09/c...

#Histlx
Call: CHSTM History of Language Sciences 2025–26
CHSTM Working group History of the Language Sciences. Meetings online, September 2025–May 2026 Archives scaffold research in both in history and the sciences. Far from passive repositories, they as…
hiphilangsci.net
August 11, 2025 at 6:03 PM
Reposted by James McElvenny
herbilis.bsky.social
Staatliche grammatische Empörung

54books.de/die-sprache-...
Die Sprache macht, was sie will – Über grammatische Empörung - 54books
von Philip Kraut So unwahrscheinlich es auch klingt: Unmarkierte Akkusative machen manche Menschen „wahnsinnig“. Stein des Anstoßes war ein auf X/Twitter gepostetes stockfootageartiges…
54books.de
August 8, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Reposted by James McElvenny
hiphilangsci.bsky.social
Call for Papers for the Annual Meeting of the North American Association for the History of the Language Sciences (NAAHoLS)

Date: 8-11 January 2026
Place: New Orleans, Louisiana
Deadline for submission: 1 September 2025

🔗 hiphilangsci.net/2025/08/05/n...

#Histlx
NAAHoLS 2026 Annual Meeting
Date: 8-11 January 2026Place: New Orleans, LouisianaDeadline for submission: 1 September 2025Information: The North American Association for the History of the Language Sciences (NAAHoLS) will hold…
hiphilangsci.net
August 5, 2025 at 5:35 AM
Reposted by James McElvenny
ottomanhistory.bsky.social
📕 Puss in Boots in Ottoman Turkish, 1910s #cat
July 30, 2025 at 2:27 PM
Reposted by James McElvenny
tespiteri.bsky.social
It was a true privilege to have had the chance to interview Hans-Jörg Rheinberger, whose work has long influenced both my research interests and engagement with this discipline.

It's this week's episode of
The HPS Podcast – out now! 🎧

@hpspodcast.bsky.social

#hps #histsci #experiments
S5 E3 - Hans-Jörg Rheinberger on Epistemic Things
The HPS Podcast - Conversations from History, Philosophy and Social Studies of Science · Episode
open.spotify.com
July 31, 2025 at 6:36 PM
Reposted by James McElvenny
bnerlich.bsky.social
For weekend readers, my first Making Science Public post on my own blog site, reflecting on the current state of and challenges to science communication #scicomm - feel free to press 'subscribe'! makingsciencepublic.com/2025/07/25/m...
Making Science Public in a chaotic world
As you know, I am now gradually moving from my old ‘Making Science Public’ blog home at the University of Nottingham to my new personal blog home here. This wasn’t easy and lots of people supported…
makingsciencepublic.com
July 26, 2025 at 6:16 AM
Reposted by James McElvenny
hiphilangsci.bsky.social
A perfect occasion to listen to ep. 44 of our podcast, in which James McElvenny (@jamesmcelvenny.bsky.social) talks to Ian Stewart (@princetonupress.bsky.social) about modern ideas about the Celts and and the role of historical-comparative linguistics.

🎙️ hiphilangsci.net/2025/03/01/p...

#Histlx
July 22, 2025 at 11:23 AM
Reposted by James McElvenny
henrysweetsoc.bsky.social
Don't forget that the full archive of the Henry Sweet Society Bulletin (predecessor of Language & History) is available on our website in ✨OPEN ACCESS✨! This includes issues no. 1-51 (1984-2008). Drop by and browse: www.henrysweet.org/bulletin-of-...
HSS Bulletin Archive — Henry Sweet Society
Bulletin of the Henry Sweet Society
www.henrysweet.org
July 14, 2025 at 8:02 AM
Reposted by James McElvenny
superlinguo.bsky.social
The latest round of cuts at ANU include an outrageous plan to close the Australian National Dictionary Centre (ANDC). ANU has forgotten its vital function as the national university.

Please sign this petition urging ANU to reconsider and protect the ANDC:
docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
Why the ANDC Matters? - The ANDC is Australia’s leading centre for lexicographical research, jointly funded by ANU and Oxford University Press. - It is the definitive authority on Australian English—documenting regionalisms, Aboriginal English, and producing landmark publications like the Australian National Dictionary. - Its widely celebrated “Word of the Year” initiative connects Australians with their evolving language and identity. - For ANU, it provides immense national and international visibility—while operating as a low-cost, high-impact asset. The Cost of Closure: - Damage to Australian English: Halting systematic documentation of our unique national language. - Setback for Indigenous Languages: Undermining efforts to research and preserve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages. - Erosion of National Identity: Undermining the role of language in shaping how Australians see themselves, their history, and their culture. - Damage to ANU’s Reputation: Compromising its mission as a national university and leader in cultural heritage research.
July 17, 2025 at 12:47 AM
Reposted by James McElvenny
henrysweetsoc.bsky.social
✨Vivien Law Essay Prize in the history of linguistic ideas✨
Deadline: 30th September 2025
If you are: a currently registered student or received your PhD/equivalent within the last five years (maternity leave excluded)
See details and get your submissions ready!👇
www.henrysweet.org/vivien-law-p...
The Vivien Law Prize — Henry Sweet Society
The Vivien Law Prize
www.henrysweet.org
July 9, 2025 at 8:01 AM
Reposted by James McElvenny
aeon.co
‘If we could stop thinking of the brain like it’s a Rubik’s cube, then perhaps we would have more capacity to talk about what’s truly iconic about Gage: that he survived, both as a body and a person’ buff.ly/1gMuFXd
June 23, 2025 at 10:09 AM
Reposted by James McElvenny
laurarad.bsky.social
Look what's arrived!
June 27, 2025 at 3:38 AM
Reposted by James McElvenny
stabihh.bsky.social
Die FAZ über unsere aktuelle Ausstellung:
„Warum wir nicht alle plattdeutsch sprechen
Die Universitätsbibliothek Hamburg widmet sich in einer Ausstellung der Geschichte des Niederdeutschen.“

Noch bis 21.7. in der Stabi: blog.sub.uni-hamburg.de?p=40359
"Was ist das. - Was - ist das . . ." "Je, den Düwel ook, c'est la question, ma très chère demoiselle!" Im Salon der Familie Buddenbrook versucht die achtjährige Antonie in schulmäßigem Hochdeutsch den Katechismus herzusagen, was ihr Großvater, der ältere Johann Buddenbrook, mit einem wenig christlichen Einwurf auf Plattdeutsch und Französisch unterbricht. Die ersten Sätze in Thomas Manns Roman entfalten die sprachliche Situation, die noch in der Mitte des neunzehnten Jahrhunderts in Lübeck und vielen anderen norddeutschen Städten herrschte: Seine Glanzzeit als internationale Schriftsprache der Hanse hatte das Niederdeutsche zu dieser Zeit zwar längst hinter sich, aber es führte auch im Großbürgertum noch ein geachtetes Dasein neben der Bildungssprache Französisch. Hochdeutsch beherrschte man in diesen Kreisen zwar auch, aber es spielte keine hervorgehobene Rolle. In den kommenden Generationen änderte sich das. Niederdeutsch, dessen Gebiet sich von den Küsten bis in den Nordrand Hessens und über große Teile Westfalens erstreckt, wurde zur Sprache der "einfachen Leute". Bis vor nicht allzu langer Zeit galt es als Hemmnis schulischer Bildung und beruflichen Aufstiegs. Erst in jüngster Zeit hat ein Umdenken eingesetzt; der Rückgang wird nun als drohender Verlust angesehen. Das einst belächelte Provinzidiom genießt in großen Teilen Norddeutschlands mittlerweile ein beachtliches kulturelles Prestige. Der wechselvollen Geschichte des Niederdeutschen und seiner Erforschung widmet sich eine Ausstellung in der Hamburger Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek, ausgerichtet vom Verein für Niederdeutsche Sprachforschung aus Anlass seines 150-jährigen Bestehens. Das Spektrum der Exponate in der Staatsbibliothek (zu sehen bis zum 21. Juli) spannt sich von mittelalterlichen Handschriften über illustrierte Drucke der frühen Neuzeit bis zu Sprachkarten, Schulbüchern, der Dokumentation plattdeutscher Straßennamen und der Präsentation aktueller linguistischer Untersuchungen. Deutlich…
June 26, 2025 at 7:26 AM
Reposted by James McElvenny
aeon.co
‘Enchantment and wonder can still coexist with the most serious science.’ How French ‘merveilleux-scientifique’ fiction reframed reality buff.ly/QnbZuh8
June 20, 2025 at 10:52 AM
Reposted by James McElvenny
hiphilangsci.bsky.social
Check out the latest publications in the history and philosophy of the language sciences for June 2025 🤩

📚 hiphilangsci.net/2025/06/23/p...

#Histlx
Recent publications in the history and philosophy of the language sciences – June 2025
Zwartjes, Otto, ed. 2025. The History of Chinese Linguistics in East and West. [Special issue] Historiographia Linguistica 51(1-3). Amsterdam: John Benjamins. 385 p. ISSN 0302-5…
hiphilangsci.net
June 23, 2025 at 6:32 AM
Reposted by James McElvenny
hiphilangsci.bsky.social
"Alles Verstehen ist […] zugleich ein Nicht-Verstehen"

#LinguisticBirthdays #Histlx #LinguisticQuotes
"Keiner denkt bei dem Wort gerade und genau das, was der andre und die noch so kleine Verschiedenheit zittert, wie ein Kreis im Wasser, durch die ganze Sprache fort Alles Verstehen ist daher zugleich ein Nicht-Verstehen, alle Übereinstimmung in Gedanken und Gefühlen zugleich ein Auseinandergehen." Wilhelm von Humboldt: Über die Verschiedenheit des menschlichen Sprachbaues
June 23, 2025 at 6:22 AM
Reposted by James McElvenny
dclberlin.bsky.social
#OTD 258 years ago, Wilhelm von Humboldt (1767–1835) was born 🎉 A diplomat, politician, and highly influential philosopher of language, he was an early language typologist who contributed to the description of numerous languages, including Basque and Kawi.

#LinguisticBirthdays #Histlx
June 22, 2025 at 9:18 AM
Reposted by James McElvenny
phono-logical.bsky.social
Should be interesting: “The Bloomsbury handbook of Saussure” ed. by John E. Joseph (July ’25) www.bloomsbury.com/ca/bloomsbur...
June 21, 2025 at 4:30 PM
Reposted by James McElvenny
hiphilangsci.bsky.social
Happy birthday, dear Anna! 🥳

#Histlx #LinguisticBirthdays #LinguisticQuotes
"The recent historiography is still rediscovering, almost daily, precursors of modern theories or supporters of interesting views who did not deserve the oblivion into which they fell." Anna Morpurgo Davies in Nineteenth-Century Linguistics (1992: 326)
June 21, 2025 at 9:24 AM
Reposted by James McElvenny
kaih.au
If you've ever fed Vegemite to someone from overseas, I salute you. It's our national duty to do so.
June 19, 2025 at 7:43 AM