Wednesday, August 25, 2004
Obviously when I linked Language Log yesterday, I hadn't noticed the post about the dual use of old and new Francs, or more precisely, this line: I haven't been there in a while and don't know to what extent this is sitll [sic] the practice. Quite a while by the sounds of it. Isn't there some little thing called the Euro that superseded all that?
It almost balances out him publicising that English people think of Heinz as English [in fairness, it's what we do with them that makes them ours - hence sending one American friend into apoplexy, and another into hysterics, by making baked beans on toast]. Though deep down I know they're American, it's just that some others forget this sometimes - like the woman I was acquainted with [couldn't stand], who was moving to Florida, and was talking about what she'd miss. "...and of course, we won't be able to get baked beans there". Because as we all know, Orlando is a third world country.
LL also mentions the Perfors study on vowel sound attractiveness in names (which I thought had only been mentioned on weekday afternoon Radio 4). Another factor that seems to be completely ignored is the frequency with which people use names, especially their own. If the attractiveness is the reverse of the expected pattern, and so broad masculine sounds are more attractive in female names, could it be because usually the female subject does not usually say their own name? And so names which flatter the sayer work better? So if a girl's name demonstrates the masculinity of her male suitor's voice, could this have an impact on attractiveness?
Though looking at the stuff about the study, it's an interesting idea, but there's so many uncontrollable factors that I'm not sure there can be a definite linguistic basis for the link. For a start, working solely on my prejudices, names like "Brittany" are just bloody stupid (unless one's surname happens to be "Ferries"). And names that end in confused mangled of "ee" don't do well (e.g. Ashly, Ashley, Ashlea, Ashlee, Ashlie, Ashli, Ashleigh, Ashlé [ignore the fact that that accent usually makes the vowel sound "ay"]). Yeah, I know I'm being snobby about council-estate chic (but having spent a large part of the day working through lists of names, there are an awful lot the trigger the "that's just cruelty" response).
And as for calling names like Jamie and Lee androgynous: well, Lee is the male spelling, and the only female Jamie I've heard of is Jamie Lee Curtis [and I'm not sure if I can mention her and the word "androgynous" in the same sentence without being sued (oh hang on, I'm thinking of the wrong word, but I never understood those rumours anyway. Actually, what would it matter if it were true?)]. And as a girl's name, what's it a variant on?
Basically, the test is biased towards a US audience, but that doesn't matter because as we all know, the internet is a solely American affair. For example, .com means a company (based in America) right?
Coincidentally, check out the description of the Webster's Dictionary listed on Google (bottom of the page): ... photo, hermaphrodite stories, hermaphrodite sex, hermaphrodite porn, free hermaphrodite pictures, real hermaphrodite, jamie lee curtis hermaphrodite, photos of ... Now you'd never get the OED saying that.
Which brings me neat on to my other topic for the day: search engine hits.
[By the way, someone over at LL appears to have coined the word "ghits" to describe the number of results listed on Google per search term. I like, except for the phononymic qualities. Admittedly, some of the other neologisms swilling round there don't seem quite as obvious. Can the use of igry be classed as an igrifying (or possibly igrious) act? And what's glemphy all about? Other than a man wanting his name in dictionaries - the original interview is gone, and the post doesn't help explain where it came from].
Confusing hit of the day: combi,boiler,heat system in taiwan. Yes, that's right, in Taiwan, yet they were using the Turkish version of Google (and from a .co.uk server).
CHotD2: Quotation dog lampost De Gaulle. No idea, and neither do the other two results. Could someone enlighten me please?
Googlewhackage. A. trundles hullaballoo [even the "did you mean hullabaloo" version only gets 11 ghits]. B. dappy derivation - I don't know, but probably from daft [+ happy?].
This just in from Hong Kong: Euro Lotila Porn. Disappointed? Methinks so.
Curiously I lead the results for hamspter dance song free download. Go to the 29th June posting, and then on to the site. Helpful huh?
Portsmouth UK jazz combos, 1960s. Drawn a blank here, I'm afraid.
And what is an AVS? palace slave avs
It's quite odd how the incoming searches have changed, as they used to be dominated by odd, obscure, little things that I could understand, and which I could answer. But now they're just getting stranger and stranger (should that be "more and more strange"?).
Anyway, I've run out of energy again, and so must bid you a temporary adieu [please don't point out that the suitable French phrase is au revoir. I'm not if sure one can bid au revoir, or merely say it. And why is it bid?].
Anyhoo,
It almost balances out him publicising that English people think of Heinz as English [in fairness, it's what we do with them that makes them ours - hence sending one American friend into apoplexy, and another into hysterics, by making baked beans on toast]. Though deep down I know they're American, it's just that some others forget this sometimes - like the woman I was acquainted with [couldn't stand], who was moving to Florida, and was talking about what she'd miss. "...and of course, we won't be able to get baked beans there". Because as we all know, Orlando is a third world country.
LL also mentions the Perfors study on vowel sound attractiveness in names (which I thought had only been mentioned on weekday afternoon Radio 4). Another factor that seems to be completely ignored is the frequency with which people use names, especially their own. If the attractiveness is the reverse of the expected pattern, and so broad masculine sounds are more attractive in female names, could it be because usually the female subject does not usually say their own name? And so names which flatter the sayer work better? So if a girl's name demonstrates the masculinity of her male suitor's voice, could this have an impact on attractiveness?
Though looking at the stuff about the study, it's an interesting idea, but there's so many uncontrollable factors that I'm not sure there can be a definite linguistic basis for the link. For a start, working solely on my prejudices, names like "Brittany" are just bloody stupid (unless one's surname happens to be "Ferries"). And names that end in confused mangled of "ee" don't do well (e.g. Ashly, Ashley, Ashlea, Ashlee, Ashlie, Ashli, Ashleigh, Ashlé [ignore the fact that that accent usually makes the vowel sound "ay"]). Yeah, I know I'm being snobby about council-estate chic (but having spent a large part of the day working through lists of names, there are an awful lot the trigger the "that's just cruelty" response).
And as for calling names like Jamie and Lee androgynous: well, Lee is the male spelling, and the only female Jamie I've heard of is Jamie Lee Curtis [and I'm not sure if I can mention her and the word "androgynous" in the same sentence without being sued (oh hang on, I'm thinking of the wrong word, but I never understood those rumours anyway. Actually, what would it matter if it were true?)]. And as a girl's name, what's it a variant on?
Basically, the test is biased towards a US audience, but that doesn't matter because as we all know, the internet is a solely American affair. For example, .com means a company (based in America) right?
Coincidentally, check out the description of the Webster's Dictionary listed on Google (bottom of the page): ... photo, hermaphrodite stories, hermaphrodite sex, hermaphrodite porn, free hermaphrodite pictures, real hermaphrodite, jamie lee curtis hermaphrodite, photos of ... Now you'd never get the OED saying that.
Which brings me neat on to my other topic for the day: search engine hits.
[By the way, someone over at LL appears to have coined the word "ghits" to describe the number of results listed on Google per search term. I like, except for the phononymic qualities. Admittedly, some of the other neologisms swilling round there don't seem quite as obvious. Can the use of igry be classed as an igrifying (or possibly igrious) act? And what's glemphy all about? Other than a man wanting his name in dictionaries - the original interview is gone, and the post doesn't help explain where it came from].
Confusing hit of the day: combi,boiler,heat system in taiwan. Yes, that's right, in Taiwan, yet they were using the Turkish version of Google (and from a .co.uk server).
CHotD2: Quotation dog lampost De Gaulle. No idea, and neither do the other two results. Could someone enlighten me please?
Googlewhackage. A. trundles hullaballoo [even the "did you mean hullabaloo" version only gets 11 ghits]. B. dappy derivation - I don't know, but probably from daft [+ happy?].
This just in from Hong Kong: Euro Lotila Porn. Disappointed? Methinks so.
Curiously I lead the results for hamspter dance song free download. Go to the 29th June posting, and then on to the site. Helpful huh?
Portsmouth UK jazz combos, 1960s. Drawn a blank here, I'm afraid.
And what is an AVS? palace slave avs
It's quite odd how the incoming searches have changed, as they used to be dominated by odd, obscure, little things that I could understand, and which I could answer. But now they're just getting stranger and stranger (should that be "more and more strange"?).
Anyway, I've run out of energy again, and so must bid you a temporary adieu [please don't point out that the suitable French phrase is au revoir. I'm not if sure one can bid au revoir, or merely say it. And why is it bid?].
Anyhoo,
