Category Archives: language

Philosophy News | The Gettier Problem: A Study

Posted on 2011-07-27 by alan

Philosophy News | The Gettier Problem: A Study. I haven’t read this yet, but my take on “Gettier” problems is that they break on the issue of “justified” rather than “belief”. (And further that the break is so obvious that … Continue reading →

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Born on a Blue Day

Posted on 2009-04-15 by alan

Coincidentally I read ‘Born on a Blue day’ just yesterday – i.e. one day before zac at squareCircleZ posted his summary review – (having been led to the order the book after watching a video posted – also at SqCZ … Continue reading →

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Standards of Accuracy?

Posted on 2008-06-05 by alan

Toronto Star reporter Lesley Ciarula Taylor took issue with the idea of a language test for immigrants, citing a silly question about whether standard-of-living should be said to increase or to rise, but blogger Brett disputes the source of the … Continue reading →

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Grammar Needs Abandoned?

Posted on 2007-11-13 by alan

Columnist Jan Freeman defends the habit, common in some regions, of using the past participle in place of the gerund or infinitive phrase – ie saying “t’lawn needs cut” rather than “the lawn needs to be cut”. The main issue … Continue reading →

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Times Less

Posted on 2007-10-21 by alan

In Do the math – The Boston Globe columnist Jan Freeman dismisses objections to the common usage of “three times less than” to mean equal to one third of. But the Merriam-Webster editors (per JF) are completely off base if … Continue reading →

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Even the New Yorker Gets it Wrong

Posted on 2007-07-27 by alan

ok, This may be a picayune comment in the context of a serious issue, but in David Remnick’s Letter from Jerusalem: The Apostate: Reporting & Essays: The New Yorker he refers to Avram Burg’s “flouting of the fact that he … Continue reading →

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