Monthly Archives: July 2010

HOW LINGUISTS THINK OF A “WARDROBE MALFUNCTION.”

Posted on July 31, 2010 by Philip

HOW LINGUISTS THINK OF A “WARDROBE MALFUNCTION.” There was an extended discussion of Janet Jackson’s “wardrobe malfunction” at the 2004 Super Bowl. Linguists think of it differently than the other discussants. In Professor Boroditsky’s article, and in the comments on … Continue reading →

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DO LANGUAGES AFFECT THINKING ABOUT CAUSATION?

Posted on July 31, 2010 by Philip

DO LANGUAGES AFFECT THINKING ABOUT CAUSATION? Professor Boroditsky gives an example of a cognitive science experiment which shows how a language can shape thinking about causality. In the experiment, subjects were shown videos of people breaking eggs or spilling drinks … Continue reading →

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UPDATE ON THE LINGUISTIC RELATIVITY WARS.

Posted on July 30, 2010 by Philip

UPDATE ON THE LINGUISTIC RELATIVITY WARS. I posted here at the beginning of this year about the “fierce debate” in linguistics between “those, such as Noam Chomsky, who think that all languages function roughly the same way in the brain … Continue reading →

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DON’T REJECT KEYNES.

Posted on July 29, 2010 by Philip

DON’T REJECT KEYNES. Kids, you will be reading claims in the future that Keynes should be ignored because his ideas were unsuccessful in dealing with this great recession. I know you will be reading that because many people are saying … Continue reading →

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A KEYNESIAN ANALYSIS OF DEFICITS.

Posted on July 28, 2010 by Philip

A KEYNESIAN ANALYSIS OF DEFICITS. I think that in analyzing a policy to deal with a recession, Keynes would include an analysis of the policy’s effect on aggregate investment. A letter in the Financial Times (July 22, 2010) by Sheila … Continue reading →

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GOING BACK TO KEYNES—THE IMPORTANCE OF INVESTMENT.

Posted on July 27, 2010 by Philip

GOING BACK TO KEYNES—THE IMPORTANCE OF INVESTMENT. Professor Glaeser observed that “For decades, the economics profession had been moving away from Keynes….” One indication that economists have moved away from Keynes is that while the name of Keynes has been … Continue reading →

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“WHAT ECONOMISTS DON’T KNOW AND PERHAPS CAN’T.”

Posted on July 26, 2010 by Philip

“WHAT ECONOMISTS DON’T KNOW AND PERHAPS CAN’T.” The caption for this post is taken from the title of this article by Professor Edward Glaeser. I posted here about the pessimism that I learned in the sixties about what economists can … Continue reading →

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SEAM AND GREASE (COMMENT).

Posted on July 25, 2010 by Philip

SEAM AND GREASE (COMMENT). I think that Professor Liberman’s association of “unseaming” with “guts” remains valid. My OED gives the usage of “seam” for “fat” or “grease” going back to 1200, with examples from 1483, 1513 and 1541. I think … Continue reading →

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SEAMS AND SEWING (COMMENT).

Posted on July 25, 2010 by Philip

SEAMS AND SEWING (COMMENT). I posted here on Professor Biberman’s observation that in the phrase “he unseamed him from the nave to th’ chops”, Shakespeare’s audience would be familiar with the use of “seam” to refer to “guts.” Trent commented … Continue reading →

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CHESTERTON ON TIMES SQUARE.

Posted on July 24, 2010 by Philip

CHESTERTON ON TIMES SQUARE. The human context often distracts us from the visual beauty of a scene. Back in the day, I treasured the beauty of sunsets that resulted from air pollution. G. K. Chesterton said about Times Square (at … Continue reading →

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