Do You Speak Easport?
by Deborah Fallows
A town teaches itself to talk positive. (Read it here.)
Category Archives: Language
EATNN TTUNA SNWCH – hold (at) MAYYO: More on the Secret Language of the Skies
EATNN TTUNA SNWCH – hold (at) MAYYO: More on the Secret Language of the Skies
by James Fallows
“The approach fixes, in order, are TRAMP, FLOZY, SILKY, and JAKOR. I’m sensing a pattern here but would love to know the back story.” (Read it here.)
ITAWT ITAWA PUDYE TTATT: The Secret Language of the Skies
ITAWT ITAWA PUDYE TTATT: The Secret Language of the Skies
by Deborah Fallows
Aviation has a lot of special language, like sailing or gymnastics. Its brief, even curt efficiency and orderly templates keep planes on course and out of each other’s way. Short. To the point. Unambiguous. No small talk to clog up the frequency. But there is one special set of aviation jargon, more alien than the concocted vocabulary of Esperanto and more bizarre than patterned wordplay of Pig Latin or Id. This is the lexicon of waypoints, which are the road markers in the sky for directing planes on a course. (Read it here.)
Magical Roundabouts and the Language of Signs
Magical Roundabouts and the Language of Signs
by Deborah Fallows
I noticed signs that target two subsets of the upscale population of Burlington: the literati and the affluent Canadian tourists (which may overlap). Just have a look at themed Eat-Pray-Love knock-offs: the savvy bookstore, whose patrons would recognize the allusion; the wine store with their connoisseurs; and finally, the ice cream shop of Burlington’s own favorite sons, Ben & Jerry. (Read it here.)
‘Say Souls On Board,’ and Other Secrets of the Skies
‘Say Souls On Board,’ and Other Secrets of the Skies
by Deborah Fallows
You never know what a day in the air will bring, but you can be sure that you’ll be witness to some kind of interesting, curious, or even dramatic events. Here are a few from our recent days in the air. (Read it here.)
Everyone’s a Linguist: More on ‘Coming With’
Everyone’s a Linguist: More on ‘Coming With’
by Deborah Fallows
“Come with,” also “go with” (“Are you going with?”), is an upper Midwest thing, where you had the bulk of settlers from Germany, Norway, Sweden, and some from Holland. All of those languages have the “come with” thing… Norwegian especially, but also Swedish and Dutch. (Read it here.)
How to Make Nice with the Call Center
How to Make Nice with the Call Center
When we arrived in Sioux Falls, I was very excited about hearing the Dakota accent. Think Frances McDormand in the movie Fargo. Or try listening to the language in this mash-up video (not embeddable) between McDormand and Sarah Palin. Those “O’s” ; the friendly “you betcha’s”! Having spent 7 formative childhood linguistic years in nearby Minnesota, I find the Dakota way of speaking familiar and comforting. (Read it here.)
Thanks Much! On the Geography of Language
Thanks Much! On the Geography of Language
by Deborah Fallows
As we travel around America, I like taking stock of the linguistic landscape of the places we visit. By that I mean listening for the words and phrases, and the accents and idioms of the region. I also mean seeing the written language on the signs of shops, restaurants, and street names or in public places like museums, zoos, beaches, trash cans, and toilets. You never know what you’ll run into, but many nuggets offer clues about the local culture: who is living there, where they come from, and even how long they have been around and what they value or worry about. (Read it here.)
American Futures 