Posts by David Haywood
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Merc wrote:
This hurt quite a bit I have to confess.
This is when misunderstandings could have been so easily avoided by use of Che's excellent RLML (Real Life Markup Language) tags.
<ironic>What DO they teach in schools these days <Desc = "Comment related to the frequent misconception of linguists as grammarians (see Frank Haden, Max Cryer, etc.)"></ironic>
<ironic>it looks like my husband might come over and beat you up <Desc = "Comment related to said husband unnecessarily springing (unasked) to the Assoc-Prof's defence"></ironic>
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Andrew Llewellyn wrote:
So can everyone now stop receiving "invites"?
I've had long discussions with Assoc-Prof Hay on this sort of thing. As I understand it, she sees linguistics as being descriptive rather than prescriptive.
To use the musician analogy: I think (if asked) she'd inform you that your 'C' was a eighth-tone flat -- but she wouldn't suggest for a moment that you stopped playing it. She'd just try to figure out how your brain worked in making sense of a eighth-tone flat 'C'.
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Merc wrote:
I do now understand University Presses publication decisions more fondly following this insight into academia's inner grammar machinations...it's a proprietory pride thing.
Dude, I don't know if this is an insight into "academia's inner grammar machinations" at all.
But if you ask an internationally-regarded linguist whether a word is a noun or a verb... Well, it's like asking a professional classical musician if the note you're playing is a 'C'. Either it is, or it isn't. There's no 'machination' about their reply. It's simply a statement of fact.
But if it's any consolation, I can't tell a noun from a verb either. Actually, I think I was away from school that day.
My greatest fear is being on a plane during a hijack by grammar terrorists. They point a gun at my head, and ask me to parse a sentence. I'd be: "Mate, do us both a favour, just pull the trigger."
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Jo S wrote:
Do you know if Aotearoa biocarbon are actually looking at liscencing the flash-burner from UH to make carbon for agriculture?
I think there's a degree of commercial sensitivity about some of Aotearoa Biocarbon's plans -- but I do know that they are very impressed with UH's work in this area. I'll see if I can get them to comment.
Joe Wylie wrote:
...it COULD be the muskrat - darn tiny gravatars - but it's meant to be the Groke
They do bear a remarkable similarity (when you can't see them actual size).
I must say that it takes a certain type of person to use the Groke as a gravatar, and not to overwhelm their fellow Public Address readers with nameless, inescapable dread. But you're doing quite a good job of it so far.
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Hi Benjamin,
I've set up an RSS feed for you...
http://www.avon-river.net/Public_Address_Science.rss
Cheers,
David -
Rob:
Very interesting about Bank's peninsula. As I understand it, the charcoal has to be worked about 30-40 cm deep for significant effects. Apparently, the soils in the Amazon can have charcoal worked up to 2 metres deep (but presumably that occurred over several generations).
Yes, the new technique for charcoal production is much cleaner and more efficient than previous methods. I'm told that the process is a net energy producer, as opposed to the previous methods which required an energy input. See the information on the energy-efficient production of charcoal at the University of Hawaii.
Joe:
Many thanks for the link to the report on the Australian Agrichar conference. I'll add that to the 'Further reading' section on Public Address Radio.
By the way, I am terribly impressed that you have the Muskrat as your gravatar. I hope you don't have mysterious forebodings too often...
"I am the Muskrat," said the wretched creature faintly. "A philosopher, you know. I should like to point out that your bridge-building activities have completely ruined my house on the river bank, and although ultimately it doesn't matter what happens, I must say even a philosopher does not care for being soaked to the skin."
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Could the mysterious agricultural techniques of an ancient Amazonian civilization make New Zealand farming more competitive? Find out in this week's episode of Public Address Science...
NOTE: A complete transcript of this episode is available here.
Further information:
-- Read more about Terra Preta de Indio at Cornell University.
-- Read about the energy-efficient production of charcoal at the University of Hawaii.
-- Read Kelpie Wilson's report on the first meeting of the International Agrichar Initiative in Australia.
-- Read the Terra Preta links page at energybulletin.net.
This episode of Public Address Science was originally broadcast on Radio Live, 5th May 2007, 2 pm - 3 pm.
Public Address Science dedicated RSS feed
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RE: definition of theatre
Assoc-Prof Jen Hay (Department of Linguistics, University of Canterbury) tells me that "I call theatre on this thread" is to use it as a noun, not a verb. Apparently "I theatre this thread" would be using it as a verb.
Not that I noticed anything amiss, myself.
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Damian Christie wrote:
... good to see the quotes around "Bishop"...
Ironic quotation marks are nice, Damian, but I also think there's a place for the semi-archaic 'self-styled'.
Actually, you could use both -- it rather rolls off the tongue, now that I think of it:
Self-styled 'Bishop' of Destiny Church, Brian Tamaki...
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Public Address reader Jon Knox has just directed me to this clip of a gigantic wave-powered musical instrument in Zadar, Croatia.
So cool!