Thursday, July 8

Linguistic Fallout - One of John's favorite portions of NPR's Fresh Air is the commentary by Stanford linguist Geoffrey Nunberg. Nunberg has a new book exploring pronounciation, including an investigation into the way Bush says 'nucular,' asking if it's a deliberate choice, a "faux-bubba"...the sort of thing "he might have started doing at Andover or Yale, by way of playing the Texan to all those earnest Eastern dweebs" or "something he picked up from the Pentagon wise guys." And how to determine if it's staged? Find out how the President pronounces the word "when he uses a phrase like 'nuclear family.'" Another title to add to the old Amazon wishlist, John?