John Williams, Linguist
@lexicoj0hn.bsky.social
Academic, U of Portsmouth, UK: corpus linguistics, lexicology/graphy, semantics, word play. Also interested in French literature & culture. UCU activist ( @ucu.org.uk )
Also likes: cats, singing, LFC, Lancashire cricket, talking too much
Also likes: cats, singing, LFC, Lancashire cricket, talking too much
Reposted by John Williams, Linguist
Language matters. Asylum seekers live in appalling conditions but the buildings are described as "hotels". Members of the Royal family live a life of luxury and privilege but their homes are often called "cottage" or "lodge". Why not just describe things accurately?
November 13, 2025 at 4:55 PM
Language matters. Asylum seekers live in appalling conditions but the buildings are described as "hotels". Members of the Royal family live a life of luxury and privilege but their homes are often called "cottage" or "lodge". Why not just describe things accurately?
Reposted by John Williams, Linguist
"Call it the paradox of the modern dictionary. We’re in a golden age for the study and appreciation of words ... But these advances are also strangling the business of the dictionary. "
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
Is This the End of the Dictionary?
Obsolete (adj.): no longer in use or no longer useful
www.theatlantic.com
November 12, 2025 at 4:15 PM
"Call it the paradox of the modern dictionary. We’re in a golden age for the study and appreciation of words ... But these advances are also strangling the business of the dictionary. "
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
Reposted by John Williams, Linguist
Sir Dreyfus yet no vileynye ne sayde
In al his lyf unto no maner wight.
He was a verray, parfit gentil knyght.
But for to tellen yow his disarray,
To Devel's Isle was he sent oway
In al his lyf unto no maner wight.
He was a verray, parfit gentil knyght.
But for to tellen yow his disarray,
To Devel's Isle was he sent oway
November 10, 2025 at 9:06 PM
Sir Dreyfus yet no vileynye ne sayde
In al his lyf unto no maner wight.
He was a verray, parfit gentil knyght.
But for to tellen yow his disarray,
To Devel's Isle was he sent oway
In al his lyf unto no maner wight.
He was a verray, parfit gentil knyght.
But for to tellen yow his disarray,
To Devel's Isle was he sent oway
Reposted by John Williams, Linguist
No other word has done more damage to the craft of writing in recent years than “content”. Even if you’re using the word “content” ironically, or as a cute little joke, don’t. When someone calls writing “content” they’re pissing on someone’s hard work & passion. “Content” is Technosatan’s henchword.
November 10, 2025 at 9:15 AM
No other word has done more damage to the craft of writing in recent years than “content”. Even if you’re using the word “content” ironically, or as a cute little joke, don’t. When someone calls writing “content” they’re pissing on someone’s hard work & passion. “Content” is Technosatan’s henchword.
Reposted by John Williams, Linguist
This is a really fascinating discussion of changing linguistic conventions and how women are expected to write differently.
debuk.wordpress.com/2025/11/06/e...
debuk.wordpress.com/2025/11/06/e...
Enough already!!! Punctuation, silly women and soundbite science
One of last week’s media talking points was a study published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology (JESP), which attracted attention mainly because of its claim that women use exclamati…
debuk.wordpress.com
November 9, 2025 at 10:56 AM
This is a really fascinating discussion of changing linguistic conventions and how women are expected to write differently.
debuk.wordpress.com/2025/11/06/e...
debuk.wordpress.com/2025/11/06/e...
My dad, a D-Day veteran, two medals, never wore the Haig Poppy, as he called it. He thought remembrance was important, but he didn't like all the medals and uniforms that go with the ceremonies. Like most who fought, he was a conscript and couldn't wait to get out of the uniform after the war
November 9, 2025 at 1:07 PM
My dad, a D-Day veteran, two medals, never wore the Haig Poppy, as he called it. He thought remembrance was important, but he didn't like all the medals and uniforms that go with the ceremonies. Like most who fought, he was a conscript and couldn't wait to get out of the uniform after the war
Reposted by John Williams, Linguist
I am hearing that @uniofnottingham.bsky.social is suspending (i.e shutting down) *all modern language courses* in 2026-27. One of the largest departments in the UK. A shocking short sighted move that damages regional and national prospects @britishacademy.bsky.social @hetanshah.bsky.social
November 6, 2025 at 12:39 PM
I am hearing that @uniofnottingham.bsky.social is suspending (i.e shutting down) *all modern language courses* in 2026-27. One of the largest departments in the UK. A shocking short sighted move that damages regional and national prospects @britishacademy.bsky.social @hetanshah.bsky.social
Reposted by John Williams, Linguist
"Return back" and its ilk as an example of language change in process
The Strange Death of Intense Words
YouTube video by languagejones
www.youtube.com
November 6, 2025 at 12:06 PM
"Return back" and its ilk as an example of language change in process
The easiest way to get engagement on social media is to make a spelling mistake.
November 1, 2025 at 2:28 PM
Mais c'était un très bon petit bourgogne
A French cyclist survived for three days after a horrendous 130-foot fall into a ravine, kept alive by the bottles of red wine he had in his shopping bag, police said.
Cyclist falls down 130-foot ravine in France, survives 3 days by drinking wine he had in shopping bag
A helicopter airlifted him to hospital, with a rescue doctor calling his survival "a miracle."
cbsn.ws
November 1, 2025 at 2:16 PM
Mais c'était un très bon petit bourgogne
Reposted by John Williams, Linguist
We have progressed from data collection to data analysis.
November 1, 2025 at 12:31 AM
We have progressed from data collection to data analysis.
Reposted by John Williams, Linguist
Happy to share Alan Partington's book. Open source: doi.org/10.5281/zeno... One-line summary: 'This volume/long essay traces the intertwined histories of linguistic and philosophical thought that shaped—and sometimes resisted—the emergence of corpus linguistics.'
A SHORT HISTORY OF THE PHILOSOPHIES OF LANGUAGE UNDERPINNING (AND OPPOSING) CORPUS LINGUISTICS From Aristotle to Artificial Intelligence
This volume/long essay traces the intertwined histories of linguistic and philosophical thought that shaped—and sometimes resisted—the emergence of corpus linguistics. From Aristotle’s conception of l...
doi.org
October 31, 2025 at 10:46 AM
Happy to share Alan Partington's book. Open source: doi.org/10.5281/zeno... One-line summary: 'This volume/long essay traces the intertwined histories of linguistic and philosophical thought that shaped—and sometimes resisted—the emergence of corpus linguistics.'
Me trying to upload a video for my students. (thanks @jembutters.bsky.social for the inspiration)
October 30, 2025 at 3:11 PM
Me trying to upload a video for my students. (thanks @jembutters.bsky.social for the inspiration)
Reposted by John Williams, Linguist
The fascinating world of ‘oodle’ words
The exploration of the letter sequence -oodle- reveals a range of verbs suggesting leisurely or aimless actions: to poodle, soodle, noodle, moodle, flap-doodle, and doodle. There's a notable connection between others of these words and concepts of sound,…
The exploration of the letter sequence -oodle- reveals a range of verbs suggesting leisurely or aimless actions: to poodle, soodle, noodle, moodle, flap-doodle, and doodle. There's a notable connection between others of these words and concepts of sound,…
The fascinating world of ‘oodle’ words
The exploration of the letter sequence -oodle- reveals a range of verbs suggesting leisurely or aimless actions: to poodle, soodle, noodle, moodle, flap-doodle, and doodle. There's a notable connection between others of these words and concepts of sound, emphasizing subdued noises or triviality.
jeremybutterfield.wpcomstaging.com
October 29, 2025 at 12:24 PM
The fascinating world of ‘oodle’ words
The exploration of the letter sequence -oodle- reveals a range of verbs suggesting leisurely or aimless actions: to poodle, soodle, noodle, moodle, flap-doodle, and doodle. There's a notable connection between others of these words and concepts of sound,…
The exploration of the letter sequence -oodle- reveals a range of verbs suggesting leisurely or aimless actions: to poodle, soodle, noodle, moodle, flap-doodle, and doodle. There's a notable connection between others of these words and concepts of sound,…
Reposted by John Williams, Linguist
Someone's been stealing all the toilets from
a new housing development
So far the police have nothing to go on... RS
a new housing development
So far the police have nothing to go on... RS
October 27, 2025 at 3:36 PM
Someone's been stealing all the toilets from
a new housing development
So far the police have nothing to go on... RS
a new housing development
So far the police have nothing to go on... RS
Reposted by John Williams, Linguist
Unprecedented, potentially unlawful retrograde proposals made by @solentuniversity.bsky.social
If you have a vested interest in HE, this concerns you.
We must stand together to resist these outrageous proposals.
#HE #TPS #LGPS #Pension #post-92
www.ucu.org.uk/article/1423...
If you have a vested interest in HE, this concerns you.
We must stand together to resist these outrageous proposals.
#HE #TPS #LGPS #Pension #post-92
www.ucu.org.uk/article/1423...
Solent University threatens P&O-style 'Fire & Rehire' with pension cuts
UCU today announced that it has entered a formal trade dispute with Southampton Solent University over plans to force all its staff onto inferior pension schemes, paving the way for a strike ballot if...
www.ucu.org.uk
October 22, 2025 at 3:07 PM
Unprecedented, potentially unlawful retrograde proposals made by @solentuniversity.bsky.social
If you have a vested interest in HE, this concerns you.
We must stand together to resist these outrageous proposals.
#HE #TPS #LGPS #Pension #post-92
www.ucu.org.uk/article/1423...
If you have a vested interest in HE, this concerns you.
We must stand together to resist these outrageous proposals.
#HE #TPS #LGPS #Pension #post-92
www.ucu.org.uk/article/1423...
Now they want us to 'upgrade' to the full Windows 11 package, about which I've heard bad things. No thanks, I don't want to 'encrypt' my plug-in devices before being allowed to use them.
youtu.be/C44iCr6czAo?...
youtu.be/C44iCr6czAo?...
October 21, 2025 at 11:26 AM
Now they want us to 'upgrade' to the full Windows 11 package, about which I've heard bad things. No thanks, I don't want to 'encrypt' my plug-in devices before being allowed to use them.
youtu.be/C44iCr6czAo?...
youtu.be/C44iCr6czAo?...
Reposted by John Williams, Linguist
🚨The higher education ballot is now open. 🚨
Get your vote in and tell colleagues to do the same. 🗳️
Demand Secure jobs. Demand Respect. Vote YES.
Get your vote in and tell colleagues to do the same. 🗳️
Demand Secure jobs. Demand Respect. Vote YES.
October 20, 2025 at 9:20 AM
🚨The higher education ballot is now open. 🚨
Get your vote in and tell colleagues to do the same. 🗳️
Demand Secure jobs. Demand Respect. Vote YES.
Get your vote in and tell colleagues to do the same. 🗳️
Demand Secure jobs. Demand Respect. Vote YES.
Reposted by John Williams, Linguist
The outcome of organisational reviews captured:“Everything was over-organised and so failed to work properly. The new bureaucracy, which was supposed to impose order, was still enjoying itself writing memos and making out permits, and everything was delayed” (Stefan Zweig, The World of Yesterday)
October 18, 2025 at 10:16 AM
The outcome of organisational reviews captured:“Everything was over-organised and so failed to work properly. The new bureaucracy, which was supposed to impose order, was still enjoying itself writing memos and making out permits, and everything was delayed” (Stefan Zweig, The World of Yesterday)
Our institution has just adopted MS OneDrive for file storage. Here's an interesting 'feature': some folders - even though I 'own' them - simply won't accept file uploads. But if you rename the folder, it then accepts uploads. You can then rename it back to what it was and uploads will still work 🤔
October 17, 2025 at 3:09 PM
Our institution has just adopted MS OneDrive for file storage. Here's an interesting 'feature': some folders - even though I 'own' them - simply won't accept file uploads. But if you rename the folder, it then accepts uploads. You can then rename it back to what it was and uploads will still work 🤔
Reposted by John Williams, Linguist
The @ucu.org.uk "We are the University" ballots will be posted to members on Monday. Look out for a pink envelope at your registered address arriving next week. We encourage all members to vote and make their voice heard. #WeAreTheUniversity #LboroUCU
October 17, 2025 at 11:10 AM
The @ucu.org.uk "We are the University" ballots will be posted to members on Monday. Look out for a pink envelope at your registered address arriving next week. We encourage all members to vote and make their voice heard. #WeAreTheUniversity #LboroUCU
I intially read this as if 'rock markets' was a noun compound, designating some kind of financial trading facility for buying/selling granite, limestone, etc - or rare Deep Purple or Led Zeppelin records
October 17, 2025 at 8:43 AM
I intially read this as if 'rock markets' was a noun compound, designating some kind of financial trading facility for buying/selling granite, limestone, etc - or rare Deep Purple or Led Zeppelin records
"new improved workload model"
In honour of spooky month, share a 4 word horror story that only someone in your profession would understand.
"Version control chaos confusion"
"Version control chaos confusion"
In honour of spooky month, share a 4 word horror story that only someone in your profession would understand.
“The tapes wouldn’t start”
“The tapes wouldn’t start”
October 16, 2025 at 8:21 PM
"new improved workload model"
I was playing chess over lunchtime, for the first time in a while. I inadvertently attempted an illegal castling move - it was a rookie error!
(thanks to a colleague for that one)
#LunchPun
(thanks to a colleague for that one)
#LunchPun
October 16, 2025 at 1:33 PM
I was playing chess over lunchtime, for the first time in a while. I inadvertently attempted an illegal castling move - it was a rookie error!
(thanks to a colleague for that one)
#LunchPun
(thanks to a colleague for that one)
#LunchPun