Rikker Dockum
@rikker.bsky.social
Linguist ‘n’ stuff. I was @thai101 on the other place. I’ll probably still talk about Thai too much.
You can read stuff I wrote here: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=FeZWg9QAAAAJ&hl=en
You can read stuff I wrote here: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=FeZWg9QAAAAJ&hl=en
Reposted by Rikker Dockum
In early 2023 I pitched this piece at a couple of glam journals ideophone.org/human-creati...
I guess it was not AI-credulous enough 🤷
It turned out to be prophetic though.
"We are currently witnessing the first cohort of people tempted into treating text generators as thinking companions."
I guess it was not AI-credulous enough 🤷
It turned out to be prophetic though.
"We are currently witnessing the first cohort of people tempted into treating text generators as thinking companions."
January 23, 2026 at 1:47 PM
In early 2023 I pitched this piece at a couple of glam journals ideophone.org/human-creati...
I guess it was not AI-credulous enough 🤷
It turned out to be prophetic though.
"We are currently witnessing the first cohort of people tempted into treating text generators as thinking companions."
I guess it was not AI-credulous enough 🤷
It turned out to be prophetic though.
"We are currently witnessing the first cohort of people tempted into treating text generators as thinking companions."
Reposted by Rikker Dockum
Today I learned that apparently kids in school are being given the assignment "go home and ask your parents what their favourite meme is and write a report about it"
January 22, 2026 at 2:19 PM
Today I learned that apparently kids in school are being given the assignment "go home and ask your parents what their favourite meme is and write a report about it"
Reposted by Rikker Dockum
Abstracts are due today for the 57th Annual Conference on African Linguistics and the 3rd Bantoid workshop! To be hosted in Buffalo in May, with remote presentation options. sites.google.com/view/acal57/...
ACAL 57 & Bantoid 3
The University at Buffalo will host the 57th Annual Conference on African Linguistics (ACAL 57) on May 21-23, 2026. ACAL 57 is co-organized by members of the department of Linguistics at the Universit...
sites.google.com
January 16, 2026 at 2:13 PM
Abstracts are due today for the 57th Annual Conference on African Linguistics and the 3rd Bantoid workshop! To be hosted in Buffalo in May, with remote presentation options. sites.google.com/view/acal57/...
Reposted by Rikker Dockum
Reuters reports: The cymbal says the robot monkey‘s lapse in judgment lasted for only a fraction of a moment.
January 2, 2026 at 3:47 PM
Reuters reports: The cymbal says the robot monkey‘s lapse in judgment lasted for only a fraction of a moment.
Reposted by Rikker Dockum
This is a thread of major media outlets falsely anthropomorphising the "Grok" chatbot program and in doing so, actively and directly removing responsibility and accountability from individual people working at X who created a child pornography generator (Elon Musk, Nikita Bier etc)
#1: Reuters
#1: Reuters
January 2, 2026 at 8:02 PM
This is a thread of major media outlets falsely anthropomorphising the "Grok" chatbot program and in doing so, actively and directly removing responsibility and accountability from individual people working at X who created a child pornography generator (Elon Musk, Nikita Bier etc)
#1: Reuters
#1: Reuters
Reposted by Rikker Dockum
this is worth reading. a longtime NYT insider confirms that the paper's abrupt turn into seething anti-trans bigotry came directly from the top: AG Sulzberg and his 2 deputies, Joe Kahn and Carolyn Ryan transnews.network/p/a-directiv...
'A directive from above': Former NYT editor lays out how the paper pushes anti-trans bigotry
In this in-depth interview, former New York Times editor Billie Jean Sweeney details how the paper shifted towards openly promoting anti-trans hatred, how some staff tried to stop it, how it's directe...
transnews.network
January 2, 2026 at 3:07 PM
this is worth reading. a longtime NYT insider confirms that the paper's abrupt turn into seething anti-trans bigotry came directly from the top: AG Sulzberg and his 2 deputies, Joe Kahn and Carolyn Ryan transnews.network/p/a-directiv...
A man from Nantucket there was
Who was joked about often because
The things he could do
Could have any hue
But the blue ones got all the guffaws
Who was joked about often because
The things he could do
Could have any hue
But the blue ones got all the guffaws
January 2, 2026 at 5:25 PM
A man from Nantucket there was
Who was joked about often because
The things he could do
Could have any hue
But the blue ones got all the guffaws
Who was joked about often because
The things he could do
Could have any hue
But the blue ones got all the guffaws
Reposted by Rikker Dockum
I am filled with viceral rage at the fact that if you're a rich & powerful white guy, an abundance of email evidence that you're an actual pedophile won't cost you a damn thing. But if you're anyone else, sharing a damn risotto recipe without two factor authentication will ruin your career.
Meanwhile, here's an example of the horrendous things found in Hillary Clinton's emails—the only story worth covering for any serious news outlet in 2016, apparently.
This email is also regarding a child who suffered abuse from a grown man.
This email is also regarding a child who suffered abuse from a grown man.
November 13, 2025 at 2:31 PM
I am filled with viceral rage at the fact that if you're a rich & powerful white guy, an abundance of email evidence that you're an actual pedophile won't cost you a damn thing. But if you're anyone else, sharing a damn risotto recipe without two factor authentication will ruin your career.
Did you ever notice that branded + AI = braindead
November 12, 2025 at 5:47 PM
Did you ever notice that branded + AI = braindead
Reposted by Rikker Dockum
I didn't think I had a pin/pen merger but I guess I do. I caught myself saying, instead of centimeters, I said cinnameters, which I guess are cinnamon-flavored meters.
October 4, 2025 at 2:55 AM
I didn't think I had a pin/pen merger but I guess I do. I caught myself saying, instead of centimeters, I said cinnameters, which I guess are cinnamon-flavored meters.
Reposted by Rikker Dockum
Hey. The fragmentation of the social media landscape has been hard on indie #scicomm 🧪 projects
So if you'd like to follow a podcast that's enthusiastic about #linguistics, could you check out @lingthusiasm.bsky.social?
And if you think your followers might like to, could you give this a repost?
So if you'd like to follow a podcast that's enthusiastic about #linguistics, could you check out @lingthusiasm.bsky.social?
And if you think your followers might like to, could you give this a repost?
March 29, 2025 at 7:29 PM
Hey. The fragmentation of the social media landscape has been hard on indie #scicomm 🧪 projects
So if you'd like to follow a podcast that's enthusiastic about #linguistics, could you check out @lingthusiasm.bsky.social?
And if you think your followers might like to, could you give this a repost?
So if you'd like to follow a podcast that's enthusiastic about #linguistics, could you check out @lingthusiasm.bsky.social?
And if you think your followers might like to, could you give this a repost?
Very Serious Linguistics going on today in phonetics/phonology. Congratulations to the tass for winning wug test creature of the semester, spring 2025. #linguistics
March 25, 2025 at 3:34 PM
Very Serious Linguistics going on today in phonetics/phonology. Congratulations to the tass for winning wug test creature of the semester, spring 2025. #linguistics
Oh hey, I get to do one of those posts! Stoked, thrilled, hyped, psyched, jazzed, amped, and chuffed to bits to share that I've accepted a tenure-track position in historical linguistics at Binghamton University (SUNY system). I'll also establish and direct the first linguistics lab there. Yay!
March 20, 2025 at 11:19 PM
Oh hey, I get to do one of those posts! Stoked, thrilled, hyped, psyched, jazzed, amped, and chuffed to bits to share that I've accepted a tenure-track position in historical linguistics at Binghamton University (SUNY system). I'll also establish and direct the first linguistics lab there. Yay!
Reposted by Rikker Dockum
An important post from a friend of mine currently on a Fulbright in Estonia. Consider: the human impact on the individual grantees, the impact on the people they serve, and the hit that the image of the US takes when these folks leave.
Fulbright has always been bipartisan. This is a disgrace.
Fulbright has always been bipartisan. This is a disgrace.
March 5, 2025 at 11:06 PM
An important post from a friend of mine currently on a Fulbright in Estonia. Consider: the human impact on the individual grantees, the impact on the people they serve, and the hit that the image of the US takes when these folks leave.
Fulbright has always been bipartisan. This is a disgrace.
Fulbright has always been bipartisan. This is a disgrace.
Gonna start calling it trumpscrolling to try to trick myself into not doomscrolling
February 6, 2025 at 5:41 PM
Gonna start calling it trumpscrolling to try to trick myself into not doomscrolling
Reposted by Rikker Dockum
It is Black History Month. I am Black. Ain't enough euphemisms in the world to hide them facts!
Here's some reading for y'all as we celebrate & remember!
Solidarity & Collectivity in Decolonizing Linguistics: A Black Diasporic Perspective in Decolonizing Linguistics
doi.org/10.1093/oso/...
Here's some reading for y'all as we celebrate & remember!
Solidarity & Collectivity in Decolonizing Linguistics: A Black Diasporic Perspective in Decolonizing Linguistics
doi.org/10.1093/oso/...
Solidarity and Collectivity in Decolonizing Linguistics: A Black Diasporic Perspective
Abstract. This chapter takes a Black Diasporic perspective on the decolonization of linguistics. The authors interrogate longstanding false institutional a
doi.org
February 1, 2025 at 3:31 PM
It is Black History Month. I am Black. Ain't enough euphemisms in the world to hide them facts!
Here's some reading for y'all as we celebrate & remember!
Solidarity & Collectivity in Decolonizing Linguistics: A Black Diasporic Perspective in Decolonizing Linguistics
doi.org/10.1093/oso/...
Here's some reading for y'all as we celebrate & remember!
Solidarity & Collectivity in Decolonizing Linguistics: A Black Diasporic Perspective in Decolonizing Linguistics
doi.org/10.1093/oso/...
Reposted by Rikker Dockum
I'm not sure if people realize how quickly the Trumpzis can do enormous damage to US science, from basic research to translation. Really fast. REALLY fast. Labs with decades of irreplaceable domain and technique knowledge can break apart with a surprisingly short funding gap. When they're gone...1/
January 23, 2025 at 10:13 PM
I'm not sure if people realize how quickly the Trumpzis can do enormous damage to US science, from basic research to translation. Really fast. REALLY fast. Labs with decades of irreplaceable domain and technique knowledge can break apart with a surprisingly short funding gap. When they're gone...1/
Reposted by Rikker Dockum
I understand that ChatGPT is down and fortunately this is not a problem for me as I have spent considerable time developing a local language model that I am able to run autonomously, fueled by Coke Zero and snacks
January 23, 2025 at 4:18 PM
I understand that ChatGPT is down and fortunately this is not a problem for me as I have spent considerable time developing a local language model that I am able to run autonomously, fueled by Coke Zero and snacks
Reposted by Rikker Dockum
How do Philadelphians pronounce 'Passyunk'? It's complicated.
Really appreciate how their first reference is to the original Lenape version(s)
h/t @kendraserra.bsky.social
🧪 🐦🐦
Really appreciate how their first reference is to the original Lenape version(s)
h/t @kendraserra.bsky.social
🧪 🐦🐦
Are we all saying ‘Passyunk’ wrong?
The word Passyunk today is something of a defining Philadelphia word. We found five different pronunciations.
www.inquirer.com
January 23, 2025 at 4:02 PM
How do Philadelphians pronounce 'Passyunk'? It's complicated.
Really appreciate how their first reference is to the original Lenape version(s)
h/t @kendraserra.bsky.social
🧪 🐦🐦
Really appreciate how their first reference is to the original Lenape version(s)
h/t @kendraserra.bsky.social
🧪 🐦🐦
Reposted by Rikker Dockum
after days of grifters and con men at CES we stumbled upon the booth for VLC. they were all dressed as wizards and told us, "we have nothing to sell, we just decided to show up". i told them I'd been using their software to pirate media for 15 years and they said "keep doing that"
January 10, 2025 at 9:24 PM
after days of grifters and con men at CES we stumbled upon the booth for VLC. they were all dressed as wizards and told us, "we have nothing to sell, we just decided to show up". i told them I'd been using their software to pirate media for 15 years and they said "keep doing that"
Reposted by Rikker Dockum
"To invoke #language when talking about #LLMs is to misunderstand the nature of language and miss its fundamentally lived and embodied character ... Where #AI promises magic, the most pressing need is for basic research driven by communities"
A must-read: www.thedial.world/articles/new... #langsky
A must-read: www.thedial.world/articles/new... #langsky
AI Won’t Protect Endangered Languages — The Dial
Combinations of characters on a screen mean nothing without agency and intention.
www.thedial.world
January 3, 2025 at 6:32 PM
"To invoke #language when talking about #LLMs is to misunderstand the nature of language and miss its fundamentally lived and embodied character ... Where #AI promises magic, the most pressing need is for basic research driven by communities"
A must-read: www.thedial.world/articles/new... #langsky
A must-read: www.thedial.world/articles/new... #langsky
Reposted by Rikker Dockum
LLMs love racist stereotypes, which is why Meta’s Liv talks in mock AAE…all they’ve got is “yaaasss” and “tea” because they mimic what the internet thinks black people are www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8FYxhdy/
AI bots (and LLMs in general) reproduce racist stereotypes, especially about AAE, because of how they work. Meta’s “Liv” makes a mockery of us and our language, and reduces us to “yaaasss” characature...
TikTok video by Nicole Holliday
www.tiktok.com
January 4, 2025 at 6:17 PM
LLMs love racist stereotypes, which is why Meta’s Liv talks in mock AAE…all they’ve got is “yaaasss” and “tea” because they mimic what the internet thinks black people are www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8FYxhdy/
I can tell I’m an elder millennial who thinks about the 90s too much because my phone just autocorrected “aim” to “AIM”
January 4, 2025 at 12:14 AM
I can tell I’m an elder millennial who thinks about the 90s too much because my phone just autocorrected “aim” to “AIM”
Reposted by Rikker Dockum
On the infinitude of language 🐦🐦
(h/t @rikker.bsky.social and @roryturnbull.bsky.social)
Roses are red,
Trump is a cretin...
(h/t @rikker.bsky.social and @roryturnbull.bsky.social)
Roses are red,
Trump is a cretin...
December 12, 2024 at 6:37 PM
On the infinitude of language 🐦🐦
(h/t @rikker.bsky.social and @roryturnbull.bsky.social)
Roses are red,
Trump is a cretin...
(h/t @rikker.bsky.social and @roryturnbull.bsky.social)
Roses are red,
Trump is a cretin...
Reposted by Rikker Dockum
Important analysis showing that people share outrage producing misinformation, even if they know it to be untrue.
IMO, this is why one campaign relied so heavily on anger about things that did not happen, and why they were electorally successful.
IMO, this is why one campaign relied so heavily on anger about things that did not happen, and why they were electorally successful.
Bigger Finding # 2:
Outrage-evoking misinfo seems to have little concern for truth
It is shared more w/out reading, but people still could tell you it wasn't true, they just don't care
In other words, we basically prove the adage "YOU CAN'T BRING FACTS TO A FEELINGS FIGHT"
7/
Outrage-evoking misinfo seems to have little concern for truth
It is shared more w/out reading, but people still could tell you it wasn't true, they just don't care
In other words, we basically prove the adage "YOU CAN'T BRING FACTS TO A FEELINGS FIGHT"
7/
November 29, 2024 at 4:28 PM
Important analysis showing that people share outrage producing misinformation, even if they know it to be untrue.
IMO, this is why one campaign relied so heavily on anger about things that did not happen, and why they were electorally successful.
IMO, this is why one campaign relied so heavily on anger about things that did not happen, and why they were electorally successful.