The Chav Nativity – picture and text at Charon QC
Then these three geezers turn up, looking proper bling, wiv crowns on their heads. They’re like ‘Respect, bay-bee Jesus’, an’ say they’re wise men from the East End.
Joe goes: ‘If you’re so wise, wotchoo doin’ wiv this Frankenstein an’ myrrh?
Why dincha just bring gold, Adidas and Burberry?’
A Google image search reveals others.
Newsday reported on November 29 (when I first drafted this entry) that Kathy Reichs has introduced a forensic linguist called Rob Potter in her latest novel. He is based on Robert Leonard, an academic and private forensic linguist. It was news to me that he retired as a rock singer at the age of 21.
The newcomer is based on one of Reichs’ friends, Robert Leonard, 59, a real-life former rock star-turned-forensic linguistics professor. Leonard, in fact, heads the Forensic Linguistics Project at Hofstra University. Professionals in that field analyze written and spoken language – including grammar, word choice, dialect and structure – in contracts, confessions, ransom notes, spoken threats, undercover recordings, transcripts of interrogations and other correspondence linked to crimes.
This Christmas tree was not cut down in the forest. It must be one of the largest fake Christmas trees in Germany. According to the local paper, it has met with mixed reactions (anything artificial or gaudy tends to be despised).
This is more worrying:
The Fürther Nachrichten reported on Saturday that this is just an SPD pre-election initiative.
Above the law reports this exchange by Blackberry at Dewey & Leboeuf:
From: Ralph C. Ferrara
To: DL All Attorneys – US
Cc: Ferrara, Ralph C.
Sent: Mon Dec 17 11:00:29 2007
Subject: German Translation – CompletedDear All,
Thank you for your many quick responses [to a request for translation of a German document]. The translation has been completed.
Regards, Ralph
______________From: Stephen A. Best
Sent: Monday, December 17, 2007 11:02 AM
To: Ferrara, Ralph C.; DL All Attorneys – US
Subject: Re: German Translation – CompletedZieg Heil!!!!!!
Sent from my Blackberry Wireless Handheld
This led to great excitement in the comments both there and on The Volokh Conspiracy.
Interesting that you write to all attorneys to get a German translation.
Thanks to Ed. at Blawg Review for the tipoff)
Frauenkirche Munich. I was just looking to see if photography was forbidden (I don’t usually use flash if I can help it).
The Linguists – A Very Foreign Language Film
Here is some blurb from an email (via Forensic Linguistics Mailing List)
We are nothing short of elated to announce that our documentary feature
THE LINGUISTS was selected to world premiere in the newly
minted “Spectrum: Documentary Spotlight” category at the 2008 Sundance
Film Festival.THE LINGUISTS is the first documentary supported by the National Science
Foundation to ever make it to Sundance.The trailer is at http://www.thelinguists.com. Here’s a brief synopsis:
It is estimated that of 7,000 languages in the world, half will be gone by
the end of this century.THE LINGUISTS follows David Harrison and Gregory Anderson, scientists
racing to document languages on the verge of extinction. In Siberia,
India, and Bolivia, the linguists’ resolve is tested by the very forces
silencing languages: institutionalized racism and violent economic unrest.David and Greg’s journey takes them deep into the heart of the cultures,
knowledge, and communities at risk when a language dies.…
Happy Holidays,
Seth Kramer, Daniel A. Miller, and Jeremy NewbergerIronbound Films, Inc.
…
www.ironboundfilms.com
In this connection, see a ridiculous BBC News article about a language that is endangered because its two last speakers have stopped talking to each other. (Can’t remember where I got the link)