Tag Archives: language

(Re)tracing my steps

Posted on 24/12/2022 by alasdairflett

2022 has been an improvement on the success/happiness/fulfilment scale. In comparison with the slow awakening of 2021, this has been a year of activity and spontaneity. The fear of looming lockdown has dissipated and we are left with the legacy … Continue reading →

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Gray’s Gauntlet

Posted on 29/03/2020 by alasdairflett

“At least now there is something we all have in abundance – time” – one of the truisms of the Corona era. But time is what we’re fighting for now; the Quarry’s been brought in to buy it, to put … Continue reading →

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Nynorn and beyond

Posted on 30/07/2019 by alasdairflett

Orkney: an interesting case study for historical linguists In the following, I’ll discuss my passion for historical linguistics and how this discipline is especially interesting in relation to Orkney and the now-extinct language of Norn. Firstly, I’d like to explain … Continue reading →

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German & the Neutral Language?

Posted on 08/04/2018 by alasdairflett

Since I last committed pen to paper with the intention of publishing a blog nearly a whole month of me living in the city of Leipzig has passed. Tomorrow my first lectures and seminars begin after what I have to … Continue reading →

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Opinion: Using correct punctuation is increasingly seen as impolite

Posted on 28/05/2016 by alasdairflett

It starts with the full stop. Every time you substitute an emoji for punctuation you are contributing to the erosion of our linguistic convention. This is not necessarily a bad thing. After all, language evolves; it is a constantly mutating … Continue reading →

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