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
my absolute favourite thing of universities buying office 365 licenses is when they do not allow you to share document access with people from other universities because, FAMOUSLY, we do not collaborate
November 25, 2025 at 8:31 AM
my absolute favourite thing of universities buying office 365 licenses is when they do not allow you to share document access with people from other universities because, FAMOUSLY, we do not collaborate
Slightly disconcerting feeling when I found out that the lead speaker at an academic event I'm due to attend next week has exactly the same name as, erm, the former mrs @lexicoj0hn
November 21, 2025 at 2:34 PM
Slightly disconcerting feeling when I found out that the lead speaker at an academic event I'm due to attend next week has exactly the same name as, erm, the former mrs @lexicoj0hn
Reposted by John Williams, Linguist
"And I guess that’s why I hate AI in the classroom as much as I do. Students are afraid to fail, and AI presents itself as a savior. But what we learn from history is that progress requires failure. It requires reflection."
I Set A Trap To Catch My Students Cheating With AI. The Results Were Shocking.
"Students are not just undermining their ability to learn, but to someday lead."
www.huffpost.com
November 21, 2025 at 10:31 AM
"And I guess that’s why I hate AI in the classroom as much as I do. Students are afraid to fail, and AI presents itself as a savior. But what we learn from history is that progress requires failure. It requires reflection."
Reposted by John Williams, Linguist
someone tell the Telegraph the new REF panels just dropped
November 21, 2025 at 10:45 AM
someone tell the Telegraph the new REF panels just dropped
Curious, because the word 'people' in French means celebrities. Maybe Marion Cotillard and Guillaume Canet sent their children there
Categorisation conundrum in France: 'people & baby' (nursery) 🐦🐦
November 21, 2025 at 1:21 PM
Curious, because the word 'people' in French means celebrities. Maybe Marion Cotillard and Guillaume Canet sent their children there
Wouldn't it be nice if humans could do this too?
November 20, 2025 at 4:57 PM
Wouldn't it be nice if humans could do this too?
Reposted by John Williams, Linguist
when I was young, i used to wonder how people like this would fare in life, as they didn't seem suited for gainful employment. it turns out, the internet allowed them to accumulate a massive audience of similar idiots, enriching them and turning them into a presidential advisor
November 20, 2025 at 12:58 AM
when I was young, i used to wonder how people like this would fare in life, as they didn't seem suited for gainful employment. it turns out, the internet allowed them to accumulate a massive audience of similar idiots, enriching them and turning them into a presidential advisor
Just wondering if there is a minimum timespan for something to qualify as 'great' in this strong sense (as opposed to the weaker sense of 'that was a great read/meal/holiday')? OK, JFK, with < 3 years in office, is often described as one of the greatest US presidents, but that's with hindsight
November 19, 2025 at 2:56 PM
Just wondering if there is a minimum timespan for something to qualify as 'great' in this strong sense (as opposed to the weaker sense of 'that was a great read/meal/holiday')? OK, JFK, with < 3 years in office, is often described as one of the greatest US presidents, but that's with hindsight
Reposted by John Williams, Linguist
Reposted by John Williams, Linguist
Jésus parvient à transformer le Beaujolais Nouveau en vin https://www.legorafi.fr/2025/11/17/jesus-parvient-a-transformer-le-beaujolais-nouveau-en-vin/
Jésus parvient à transformer le Beaujolais Nouveau en vin
Toute l'information selon des sources contradictoires.
www.legorafi.fr
November 17, 2025 at 1:35 PM
Jésus parvient à transformer le Beaujolais Nouveau en vin https://www.legorafi.fr/2025/11/17/jesus-parvient-a-transformer-le-beaujolais-nouveau-en-vin/
Reposted by John Williams, Linguist
#Forensic #linguistics: how dark web criminals give themselves away with their language
theconversation.com/forensic-lin...
via @theconversation.bsky.social
#langsky
theconversation.com/forensic-lin...
via @theconversation.bsky.social
#langsky
Forensic linguistics: how dark web criminals give themselves away with their language
Unmasking dark web criminals isn’t easy, but researchers are figuring out how to use their own language against them.
theconversation.com
November 17, 2025 at 9:36 AM
#Forensic #linguistics: how dark web criminals give themselves away with their language
theconversation.com/forensic-lin...
via @theconversation.bsky.social
#langsky
theconversation.com/forensic-lin...
via @theconversation.bsky.social
#langsky
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)