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Reposted by Paul Foulkes

Adrian Leemann @adrianleemann.bsky.social · 10d

David Britain, Paul Foulkes, David Willis and I have been awarded 2.5M CHF by SNSF & AHRC for CURLEW – the first major survey of English dialects in England & Wales in 75+ years. Starts: 2026 – posts to come. Outputs: papers + a public dialect atlas 🗺️ 📸 Drafting the proposal, Bern, Jan 2025.

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Paul Foulkes @paulfoulkesyork.bsky.social · 29d

I always liked Jean Aitchison's comment along the lines of 'babies don't form influential social groups'. It struck me when researching this, and I see a similar point in this new paper, that these ideas have gone largely unchallenged since the 1860s, right into e.g. the Fromkin et al textbook 2011

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Paul Foulkes @paulfoulkesyork.bsky.social · 29d

... The analyses both lead to the conclusion that patterns of child phonology differ in several respects from patterns typically found in change, and thus that developmental errors are not a prime influence on change

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Paul Foulkes @paulfoulkesyork.bsky.social · 29d

...We then review the few previous studies based on systematic empirical analysis and present new empirical data from our own research in developmental phonology and sociophonetics. We believe this is the largest dataset yet assembled to address the issue....

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Paul Foulkes @paulfoulkesyork.bsky.social · 29d

... we summarize discussions of the role of acquisition in (especially segmental) phonological change, from the neogrammarians to twenty-first-century textbooks, before considering varying definitions of ‘acquisition’, ‘phonology’ and ‘change’....

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Paul Foulkes @paulfoulkesyork.bsky.social · 29d

cf. also (not cited in that paper):

Foulkes, P. & Vihman, M. (2015) First language acquisition and phonological change. In P. Honeybone & Salmons, J.C. (eds.) Oxford Handbook of Historical Phonology. OUP, 289-312.

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Paul Foulkes @paulfoulkesyork.bsky.social · Jun 4

I'm actively developing that as a work efficiency strategy. If I don't understand the point of the email by the end of para one, bye. Ditto if I detect the word 'cascade', or there's an unknown acronym.

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Paul Foulkes @paulfoulkesyork.bsky.social · May 1

*an* end...

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Paul Foulkes @paulfoulkesyork.bsky.social · Apr 30

1997, a bar in Stornaway. Dapper old man ordering drinks, eventually sighed and said to the barmaid:

"Och, you have the brain of a balloon."

Paul Foulkes @paulfoulkesyork.bsky.social · Mar 14

free support event, 19 March
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-great-...

City Screen are showing The Great Schools Robbery + Q&A with:
Chester Yang (Director, Great Schools Robbery)
Cherry Casey (Journalist)
Michael Kearney (NEU)
Sarah Kilpatrick (President, NEU)
Warwick Mansell (Journalist)

The Great Schools Robbery

Eventbrite - The Great Schools Robbery - Wednesday, 19 March 2025 at City Screen Picturehouse, York, England. Find event and ticket information.

www.eventbrite.co.uk

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Paul Foulkes @paulfoulkesyork.bsky.social · Mar 14

petition in support of Mr Brothers
www.change.org/p/demand-the...

Sign the Petition

Demand The Reinstatement of Mr. Brothers at Millthorpe School

www.change.org

Paul Foulkes @paulfoulkesyork.bsky.social · Mar 14

story by Warwick Mansell
educationuncovered.co.uk/news/academy...

Education Uncovered |News|Academy trust, where pay of its leader surged at least 14% last year, suspends union rep for speaking out about budget pressures

Hundreds of people sign petition calling for re-instatement of teacher at Excel Learning Trust, formerly South Bank Multi-Academy Trust.

educationuncovered.co.uk

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Paul Foulkes @paulfoulkesyork.bsky.social · Mar 14

Joe Brothers, a teacher at Millthorpe School in York, has been suspended and facing possible dismissal. He appeared in a video posted on social media by the National Education Union, for whom he is a union rep. He criticises cuts to school budgets, without naming himself or the school.

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Paul Foulkes @paulfoulkesyork.bsky.social · Mar 7

(9) sun-bathed orangerie (with hanging rail for those victims unable to manage the stairs)

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Paul Foulkes @paulfoulkesyork.bsky.social · Mar 7

(8) attic cell, with open trap door to tip your victim straight from bed to oblivion in the morgue below.

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Paul Foulkes @paulfoulkesyork.bsky.social · Mar 7

(7) the morgue

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Paul Foulkes @paulfoulkesyork.bsky.social · Mar 7

(6) the cistern (severed head removed for the advertising). Not even a lid to put down.

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Paul Foulkes @paulfoulkesyork.bsky.social · Mar 7

(5) triple shower, where you can choose to get wet, very wet, or just a bit damp.

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Paul Foulkes @paulfoulkesyork.bsky.social · Mar 7

(4) interrogation cell.

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Paul Foulkes @paulfoulkesyork.bsky.social · Mar 7

(3) the child's room, with self portrait. Perspex play box for its own safety, and that of others.

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Paul Foulkes @paulfoulkesyork.bsky.social · Mar 7

(2) bar. Carefully balance your drinks on the 2 inch marble divider, put your child on the faux leather banquette to play with the stones and varnished weetabixes, gazed upon by the evil clown.

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Paul Foulkes @paulfoulkesyork.bsky.social · Mar 7

(1) bathroom. Two urinals converted to hand basins in the middle of the room, towel hooks well away from the shower and basins to keep them dry, minimalist mirror, acid-proof bath and handy ceiling rails to hang your victims from while dismembering them.

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Reposted by Paul Foulkes

Melissa Baese-Berk @m2b2.bsky.social · Mar 6

Here's what linguistics experts think about the recent executive order declaring English as the official language of the US (spoiler: they don't think it's a great idea):

www.lsadc.org/content.asp?...

I'm so proud to be a member of the executive committee of @lingsocam.bsky.social!

LSA

Four Reasons English Should Not be the Official Language: Statement Against White House Executive Order Designating English as the Official Language of The Un

www.lsadc.org

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Paul Foulkes @paulfoulkesyork.bsky.social · Mar 7

the problem is that UK HE appears to be in a death spiral, and the best UK brains are jostling in the exit queue. Apart from Oxford, Cambridge and some London colleges there is little scope for recruitment of any sort.

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Paul Foulkes @paulfoulkesyork.bsky.social · Feb 21

I have actually sought reviewers myself and asked them to volunteer.