David Adger
@davidadger.bsky.social
syntax and other stuff, mainly more linguistics and cogsci but occasional queerness, poetry, cats and @ans.bsky.social 🏳️🌈
Reposted by David Adger
I really understand very little about the current version of reality.
January 25, 2026 at 10:26 PM
I really understand very little about the current version of reality.
Reposted by David Adger
Same story over and over. These larpers - Kirkegard, Pesta et al - pumping out the same effluence with their strategy - exposed by @harryshukman.bsky.social + @hopenothate.org.uk - to normalise and spread scientific racism. They KNOW it's bullshit too.
Read this:
www.theguardian.com/world/2024/o...
Read this:
www.theguardian.com/world/2024/o...
January 25, 2026 at 11:39 AM
Same story over and over. These larpers - Kirkegard, Pesta et al - pumping out the same effluence with their strategy - exposed by @harryshukman.bsky.social + @hopenothate.org.uk - to normalise and spread scientific racism. They KNOW it's bullshit too.
Read this:
www.theguardian.com/world/2024/o...
Read this:
www.theguardian.com/world/2024/o...
I've just used Good Law Project's tool to email MPs on the Council of Europe about the conversion therapy ban and Sex Matter’s transphobic threats. goodlaw.social/9f10d1
Stop Sex Matters infiltrating the Council of Europe
In just one week, the Council of Europe will be voting to ban conversion therapy. This would be an incredibly important step to stop the rollback in the rights of LGBTQ+ people. But Sex Matters is inf...
goodlaw.social
January 23, 2026 at 3:11 PM
I've just used Good Law Project's tool to email MPs on the Council of Europe about the conversion therapy ban and Sex Matter’s transphobic threats. goodlaw.social/9f10d1
Reposted by David Adger
I just created a series of seven deep-dive videos about AI, which I've posted to youtube and now here. 😊
Targeted to laypeople, they explore how LLMs work, what they can do, and what impacts they have on learning, well-being, disinformation, the workplace, the economy, and the environment.
Targeted to laypeople, they explore how LLMs work, what they can do, and what impacts they have on learning, well-being, disinformation, the workplace, the economy, and the environment.
Part 1: How do LLMs work?
YouTube video by Andrew Perfors
www.youtube.com
January 22, 2026 at 12:45 AM
I just created a series of seven deep-dive videos about AI, which I've posted to youtube and now here. 😊
Targeted to laypeople, they explore how LLMs work, what they can do, and what impacts they have on learning, well-being, disinformation, the workplace, the economy, and the environment.
Targeted to laypeople, they explore how LLMs work, what they can do, and what impacts they have on learning, well-being, disinformation, the workplace, the economy, and the environment.
Do love some syntactic ambiguity in the morning
Yesterday it was cows using tools, today its penguins using satellite imagery.
January 21, 2026 at 7:31 AM
Do love some syntactic ambiguity in the morning
Reposted by David Adger
You can find me in the Times flying the flag for humanities and social sciences in this story about changes to funding at @ukri.org
www.thetimes.com/article/be92...
www.thetimes.com/article/be92...
January 19, 2026 at 8:50 PM
You can find me in the Times flying the flag for humanities and social sciences in this story about changes to funding at @ukri.org
www.thetimes.com/article/be92...
www.thetimes.com/article/be92...
Reposted by David Adger
I feel I should bang the drum for this post, which hasn't received the love it deserves.
It helps to know that Jenrick's constituency is Newark.
It helps to know that Jenrick's constituency is Newark.
Robert Jenrick is unique in British politics for being the only MP who is an anagram of his constituency
January 18, 2026 at 12:58 PM
I feel I should bang the drum for this post, which hasn't received the love it deserves.
It helps to know that Jenrick's constituency is Newark.
It helps to know that Jenrick's constituency is Newark.
Reposted by David Adger
“The United States will not let men steal trophies from women…”
- says guy who happily took the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to a woman
- says guy who happily took the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to a woman
January 17, 2026 at 8:58 AM
“The United States will not let men steal trophies from women…”
- says guy who happily took the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to a woman
- says guy who happily took the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to a woman
Reposted by David Adger
The Doomsday Machine that is our university funding system will destroy everything in the end. First it destroys individual lives, then social mobility, then most universities, followed by the structure of income tax and the pension system. In the end it could threaten to destroy the economy itself.
I left university in 2019 with £49,600 of debt. A few months later, I became an MP and have since received a salary that puts me in the top 5% in the country. 6 years on, the repayments from my salary have brought this total to down to £48,600 - just £1,000 less.
January 17, 2026 at 10:34 AM
The Doomsday Machine that is our university funding system will destroy everything in the end. First it destroys individual lives, then social mobility, then most universities, followed by the structure of income tax and the pension system. In the end it could threaten to destroy the economy itself.
Reposted by David Adger
The new chair of EHRC within first week seeking to meet with transphobic group about how to collaborate 🤮 So much for Stephenson wanting to build relationships with LGBTQI+ community again and to be judged on her actions.
The fight continues.
Wonder what @commonswec.parliament.uk can do?
The fight continues.
Wonder what @commonswec.parliament.uk can do?
FOI reveals that within the first week in office, Dr Mary-Ann Stephenson requested a meeting with Sex Matters to discuss "mutual priorities and ways to work together going forward"
January 17, 2026 at 8:29 AM
The new chair of EHRC within first week seeking to meet with transphobic group about how to collaborate 🤮 So much for Stephenson wanting to build relationships with LGBTQI+ community again and to be judged on her actions.
The fight continues.
Wonder what @commonswec.parliament.uk can do?
The fight continues.
Wonder what @commonswec.parliament.uk can do?
great post by @dingemansemark.bsky.social on predatory publishers in academia, some of whom are quite well established and reputable ideophone.org/on-plagiaris...
On plagiarism, predatory publishers and creating the future we want – The Ideophone
ideophone.org
January 17, 2026 at 8:31 AM
great post by @dingemansemark.bsky.social on predatory publishers in academia, some of whom are quite well established and reputable ideophone.org/on-plagiaris...
Reposted by David Adger
Please help spread the word on this, especially to those who may be feeling cold winds towards their research.
We’ve opened the call for our International Fellowships, enabling early career researchers to work for two years at a UK research institution
www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/funding/sche...
We’ve opened the call for our International Fellowships, enabling early career researchers to work for two years at a UK research institution
www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/funding/sche...
January 15, 2026 at 8:00 PM
Please help spread the word on this, especially to those who may be feeling cold winds towards their research.
We’ve opened the call for our International Fellowships, enabling early career researchers to work for two years at a UK research institution
www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/funding/sche...
We’ve opened the call for our International Fellowships, enabling early career researchers to work for two years at a UK research institution
www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/funding/sche...
Reposted by David Adger
Just published "The (in)transparency of meaning change and variation: A study of the indefinite cualquiera in European and Argentinian Spanish" by Olga Kellert #openaccess #ahl langsci-press.org/catalog/book...
January 13, 2026 at 2:22 PM
Just published "The (in)transparency of meaning change and variation: A study of the indefinite cualquiera in European and Argentinian Spanish" by Olga Kellert #openaccess #ahl langsci-press.org/catalog/book...
Reposted by David Adger
Excited to share that our book "History of Ideas in the Science of AI" (co-authored with Luc Steels and Ann Dooms) is now freely available as #OpenAccess!
#OpenScience, #AIResearch, #HistoryOfAI
doi.org/10.5281/zeno...
#OpenScience, #AIResearch, #HistoryOfAI
doi.org/10.5281/zeno...
January 12, 2026 at 9:33 AM
Excited to share that our book "History of Ideas in the Science of AI" (co-authored with Luc Steels and Ann Dooms) is now freely available as #OpenAccess!
#OpenScience, #AIResearch, #HistoryOfAI
doi.org/10.5281/zeno...
#OpenScience, #AIResearch, #HistoryOfAI
doi.org/10.5281/zeno...
Reposted by David Adger
our profile of Nadhim Zahawi from 2023, including
- his friendship with author-turned-jailbird Jeffrey Archer
- his HMRC settlement of nearly £5mn, made up of £3.7mn of unpaid taxes, a £1.1mn fine and some interest
- his work as an oil industry fixer *while* a Tory MP
www.ft.com/content/9a49...
- his friendship with author-turned-jailbird Jeffrey Archer
- his HMRC settlement of nearly £5mn, made up of £3.7mn of unpaid taxes, a £1.1mn fine and some interest
- his work as an oil industry fixer *while* a Tory MP
www.ft.com/content/9a49...
From Iraqi oilfields to Tory HQ: how Nadhim Zahawi mixed business and politics
The UK Conservative party chair’s tax travails are the latest chapter in a career that has brought him great wealth
www.ft.com
January 12, 2026 at 11:59 AM
our profile of Nadhim Zahawi from 2023, including
- his friendship with author-turned-jailbird Jeffrey Archer
- his HMRC settlement of nearly £5mn, made up of £3.7mn of unpaid taxes, a £1.1mn fine and some interest
- his work as an oil industry fixer *while* a Tory MP
www.ft.com/content/9a49...
- his friendship with author-turned-jailbird Jeffrey Archer
- his HMRC settlement of nearly £5mn, made up of £3.7mn of unpaid taxes, a £1.1mn fine and some interest
- his work as an oil industry fixer *while* a Tory MP
www.ft.com/content/9a49...
Reposted by David Adger
Sentence Processing by Matthew Wagers: https://doi.org/10.21428/e2759450.624d819a
January 12, 2026 at 12:00 PM
Sentence Processing by Matthew Wagers: https://doi.org/10.21428/e2759450.624d819a
Reposted by David Adger
a decade is a long time in politics
January 12, 2026 at 11:55 AM
a decade is a long time in politics
Reposted by David Adger
very disappointing.
There is a code of conduct for Royal Society fellows - it's not a value judgement to say that Musk has contravened it!
see relevant bits of code and the Royal Society stated values below.
There is a code of conduct for Royal Society fellows - it's not a value judgement to say that Musk has contravened it!
see relevant bits of code and the Royal Society stated values below.
January 9, 2026 at 5:11 PM
very disappointing.
There is a code of conduct for Royal Society fellows - it's not a value judgement to say that Musk has contravened it!
see relevant bits of code and the Royal Society stated values below.
There is a code of conduct for Royal Society fellows - it's not a value judgement to say that Musk has contravened it!
see relevant bits of code and the Royal Society stated values below.
My new book is available open access from MITPress. It's a pretty new take on syntax, with some cool consequences for long-distance syntactic dependencies, and I think it should also appeal to non-minimalist syntacticians (since there isn't really any movement!) direct.mit.edu/books/oa-mon...
Mereological Syntax: Phrase Structure, Cyclicity, and Islands
An argument for replacing Chomsky’s set-theoretic Merge view of syntax with a theory of syntax based on mereological objects.Mereology is the study of part
direct.mit.edu
January 9, 2026 at 1:32 PM
My new book is available open access from MITPress. It's a pretty new take on syntax, with some cool consequences for long-distance syntactic dependencies, and I think it should also appeal to non-minimalist syntacticians (since there isn't really any movement!) direct.mit.edu/books/oa-mon...
Reposted by David Adger
Dot-watching link is now live for @spinerace.bsky.social
I'm the 🔵 (#195: non-binary category), so easy to spot 😂
Remember that messages of encouragment / kicks up the arse can also be left on this site 😉
#spinerace #pennineway #ultramarathon
live.opentracking.co.uk/spinerace26/
I'm the 🔵 (#195: non-binary category), so easy to spot 😂
Remember that messages of encouragment / kicks up the arse can also be left on this site 😉
#spinerace #pennineway #ultramarathon
live.opentracking.co.uk/spinerace26/
Live Tracking
Montane Spine Race 2026 - Live Event Tracking
live.opentracking.co.uk
January 8, 2026 at 10:58 AM
Dot-watching link is now live for @spinerace.bsky.social
I'm the 🔵 (#195: non-binary category), so easy to spot 😂
Remember that messages of encouragment / kicks up the arse can also be left on this site 😉
#spinerace #pennineway #ultramarathon
live.opentracking.co.uk/spinerace26/
I'm the 🔵 (#195: non-binary category), so easy to spot 😂
Remember that messages of encouragment / kicks up the arse can also be left on this site 😉
#spinerace #pennineway #ultramarathon
live.opentracking.co.uk/spinerace26/
Reposted by David Adger
Hey #linguistics check out this headline. The human language faculty is truly miraculous.
January 8, 2026 at 8:44 PM
Hey #linguistics check out this headline. The human language faculty is truly miraculous.
Reposted by David Adger
First paper of 2026 with Rhys Sandow, @jwgrieve.bsky.social, and Rose Stamp!
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Lexical variation and change: Integrating lexis into variationist sociolinguistics | Language Variation and Change | Cambridge Core
Lexical variation and change: Integrating lexis into variationist sociolinguistics
www.cambridge.org
January 9, 2026 at 10:51 AM
First paper of 2026 with Rhys Sandow, @jwgrieve.bsky.social, and Rose Stamp!
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Reposted by David Adger
We’ve today formally written to multiple public bodies about BBC reporting on transgender people.
Here’s who we’ve contacted and why. 1/6
Here’s who we’ve contacted and why. 1/6
December 23, 2025 at 4:46 PM
We’ve today formally written to multiple public bodies about BBC reporting on transgender people.
Here’s who we’ve contacted and why. 1/6
Here’s who we’ve contacted and why. 1/6
eeek! I plan to be at the end with a pint in hand to welcome Anson to the Scottish Borders!!
Dot-watching link is now live for @spinerace.bsky.social
I'm the 🔵 (#195: non-binary category), so easy to spot 😂
Remember that messages of encouragment / kicks up the arse can also be left on this site 😉
#spinerace #pennineway #ultramarathon
live.opentracking.co.uk/spinerace26/
I'm the 🔵 (#195: non-binary category), so easy to spot 😂
Remember that messages of encouragment / kicks up the arse can also be left on this site 😉
#spinerace #pennineway #ultramarathon
live.opentracking.co.uk/spinerace26/
Live Tracking
Montane Spine Race 2026 - Live Event Tracking
live.opentracking.co.uk
January 9, 2026 at 1:18 PM
eeek! I plan to be at the end with a pint in hand to welcome Anson to the Scottish Borders!!
Reposted by David Adger
Packing an extensive mandatory kit for @spinerace.bsky.social becomes its own art from! #ultramarathon #spinerace
January 9, 2026 at 11:05 AM
Packing an extensive mandatory kit for @spinerace.bsky.social becomes its own art from! #ultramarathon #spinerace