Michael Israel
@subcontrarian.bsky.social
Linguist trying to understand logic, emotion, identity and human cognition.
Semantics, pragmatics, syntax; Cognitive Grammar; English history and sociolinguistics.
Berkeley -> San Diego -> Leipzig -> Silver Spring, Maryland
Semantics, pragmatics, syntax; Cognitive Grammar; English history and sociolinguistics.
Berkeley -> San Diego -> Leipzig -> Silver Spring, Maryland
🐦🐦
Don't miss your chance to hear from these fabulous scholars and learn more about the new Racial Justice in Multilingual Eduction journal! Tues, Nov 18th 2pm (ET) wwu-edu.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
November 10, 2025 at 6:47 PM
🐦🐦
und so müsst Mann immer kämpfen
“Against stupidity the gods themselves struggle in vain.”
Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens. (Die Jungfrau von Orleans)
Friedrich Schiller, German philosopher, playwright, co-founder with Goethe of Weimar Theatre; born #OTD 1759.
Portrait c 1810 by von Kügelgen Frankfurter Goethe-Haus
Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens. (Die Jungfrau von Orleans)
Friedrich Schiller, German philosopher, playwright, co-founder with Goethe of Weimar Theatre; born #OTD 1759.
Portrait c 1810 by von Kügelgen Frankfurter Goethe-Haus
November 10, 2025 at 9:14 AM
und so müsst Mann immer kämpfen
Reposted by Michael Israel
This is what feminism looks like. Feminism made this possible.
In the last 24 hours, I've been taken from thinking “Mary Shelley probably thought Byron was a libidinous douchebag” all the way to “Oh, they were totally fucking after Percy died.” And I'm good with that. Head canon duly adjusted.
November 8, 2025 at 7:08 PM
This is what feminism looks like. Feminism made this possible.
Nassau county, NY. Interesting underreported data point.
Has New York Democratic Party chairman Jay Jacobs resigned over Mamdani yet? I hope he hasn't, so that he can instead resign over *improving Republican margins over Trump 2024 in an anti-Republican wave election*. Trump won Nassau by just 4%—now look at this bloodbath
November 7, 2025 at 3:42 PM
Nassau county, NY. Interesting underreported data point.
Reposted by Michael Israel
me at the end of class: here's a little speculative exercises; imagine you wake up from cryosleep in 2085. what's the kind of tech-society r/ship you'd like to see around you?
students: no AI
I honestly think students' views are missing from the 'should AI be integrated in classrooms' discussion
students: no AI
I honestly think students' views are missing from the 'should AI be integrated in classrooms' discussion
November 6, 2025 at 6:32 AM
me at the end of class: here's a little speculative exercises; imagine you wake up from cryosleep in 2085. what's the kind of tech-society r/ship you'd like to see around you?
students: no AI
I honestly think students' views are missing from the 'should AI be integrated in classrooms' discussion
students: no AI
I honestly think students' views are missing from the 'should AI be integrated in classrooms' discussion
Reposted by Michael Israel
when life hands you lemons make caipirinha
November 7, 2025 at 12:40 PM
when life hands you lemons make caipirinha
Reposted by Michael Israel
The New York Times is going through some things, although not, regrettably, a woodchipper.
November 6, 2025 at 2:16 PM
The New York Times is going through some things, although not, regrettably, a woodchipper.
leading by example
Brava: “If I don’t file a complaint, then what message does that send to all Mexican women?” Ms. Sheinbaum said at her daily news conference, noting sexual harassment was a crime… “If this can happen to the president, what’s going to happen to all the young women & women across our country?”
Mexico’s President Presses Charges Against Man Who Groped Her on the Street
www.nytimes.com
November 6, 2025 at 7:17 AM
leading by example
Reposted by Michael Israel
I tried checking "bro" too and it is also a pronoun in our data
check this amazing data point w vocative "dude" and pronoun "bro": "I'm in a poly situation and dude, bro fell in love with me and I didn't want to be serious"
#NWAV53
check this amazing data point w vocative "dude" and pronoun "bro": "I'm in a poly situation and dude, bro fell in love with me and I didn't want to be serious"
#NWAV53
November 5, 2025 at 5:28 PM
I tried checking "bro" too and it is also a pronoun in our data
check this amazing data point w vocative "dude" and pronoun "bro": "I'm in a poly situation and dude, bro fell in love with me and I didn't want to be serious"
#NWAV53
check this amazing data point w vocative "dude" and pronoun "bro": "I'm in a poly situation and dude, bro fell in love with me and I didn't want to be serious"
#NWAV53
It couldn't happen to a nicer pack of psychopaths.
Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) predicted Republicans could face "a bloodbath in the midterms" after Democrats won key elections in New York, New Jersey, Virginia, California, and Pennsylvania.
MAGA Republican predicts 'bloodbath in the midterms' after GOP election losses
Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) predicted Republicans could face "a bloodbath in the midterms" after Democrats won key elections in New York, New Jersey, Virginia, California, and Pennsylvania. During a Wednesday interview with Roy on the War Room podcast, MAGA influencer Steve Bannon blamed GOP candidates who...
bit.ly
November 5, 2025 at 6:12 PM
It couldn't happen to a nicer pack of psychopaths.
Reposted by Michael Israel
November 5, 2025 at 4:07 PM
Big ideas and rhetorical flourish are cool, actually.
Here's another bit of conventional wisdom Zohran completely blew away: His speech was at well above a 10th-grade level. It was complex, erudite, punctuated by deep and fluent references. You don't have to condescend to voters with baby talk! Part of re-establishing norms is speaking like an adult.
November 5, 2025 at 7:15 AM
Big ideas and rhetorical flourish are cool, actually.
Word!
Democrats have flipped 2 seats in the Mississippi senate, and in so doing they've broken the GOP's supermajority in the chamber.
November 5, 2025 at 7:10 AM
Word!
Reposted by Michael Israel
If you'd like to see some serious rhetorical chops, look no further than this clip. A Demosthenes for our day, I'd say.
November 4, 2025 at 6:10 PM
If you'd like to see some serious rhetorical chops, look no further than this clip. A Demosthenes for our day, I'd say.
Maybe it's time for us to stop letting this be kept secret.
Earlier this year, I met a Croatian journalist who was in the US doing a piece on America’s politics and I asked her what surprised her. And she said, “What you all call the far left is just being normal.”
November 4, 2025 at 5:47 PM
Maybe it's time for us to stop letting this be kept secret.
Reposted by Michael Israel
War is Hellman’s
Border Patrol agent Lairmore testifies that he was not injured by the sandwich, but he felt the impact through his ballistic vest.
The sandwich came apart and "kind of exploded" on his chest upon impact, he says.
"I could smell the onions and mustard."
The sandwich came apart and "kind of exploded" on his chest upon impact, he says.
"I could smell the onions and mustard."
November 4, 2025 at 3:56 PM
War is Hellman’s
Reposted by Michael Israel
all the staffers at teen vogue who just got laid off I hope yall feel how appreciated your work has been by so many.
November 3, 2025 at 9:31 PM
all the staffers at teen vogue who just got laid off I hope yall feel how appreciated your work has been by so many.
Reposted by Michael Israel
ON THE LITERAL EVE OF A DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST MAYOR BEING ELECTED, ANNA WINTOUR KILLS PROGRESSIVE AND PROFITABLE TEEN VOGUE POLITICS DESK WHICH HAD JUST INTERVIEWED HIM
*That’s* the headline.
(Unfortunately there’s hardly any news outlet left to run it 😭)
*That’s* the headline.
(Unfortunately there’s hardly any news outlet left to run it 😭)
November 3, 2025 at 8:16 PM
ON THE LITERAL EVE OF A DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST MAYOR BEING ELECTED, ANNA WINTOUR KILLS PROGRESSIVE AND PROFITABLE TEEN VOGUE POLITICS DESK WHICH HAD JUST INTERVIEWED HIM
*That’s* the headline.
(Unfortunately there’s hardly any news outlet left to run it 😭)
*That’s* the headline.
(Unfortunately there’s hardly any news outlet left to run it 😭)
At least we're still winning the important culture wars. Now if we could just convince the people with all the guns and a monopoly on violence to understand that we'd actually prefer that no one be killed, not even them.
November 3, 2025 at 7:30 PM
At least we're still winning the important culture wars. Now if we could just convince the people with all the guns and a monopoly on violence to understand that we'd actually prefer that no one be killed, not even them.
Reposted by Michael Israel
"[Chicago mom] Andrea Soria... overheard her 6-year-old whisper to her dolls: 'We have to be good or ICE will get us.'"
apnews.com/article/chic...
apnews.com/article/chic...
Chicago's children are getting caught in the chaos of immigration crackdowns
In Chicago, children and families have been traumatized by an immigration enforcement action involving tear gas.
apnews.com
November 3, 2025 at 5:42 PM
"[Chicago mom] Andrea Soria... overheard her 6-year-old whisper to her dolls: 'We have to be good or ICE will get us.'"
apnews.com/article/chic...
apnews.com/article/chic...
Academic injustice!
I've been composing a little Substack article on Chomsky's "revolution" and discovered that Wikipedia's page on transformational grammar does not even mention Zellig Harris. AI programs claim Chomsky invented it. Harris never really got the credit he deserved post Chomsky.
#linguistics #syntax
#linguistics #syntax
November 3, 2025 at 6:20 PM
Academic injustice!
I don't know what to say about this
We've got you 👍
November 3, 2025 at 5:15 PM
I don't know what to say about this