Language Log

We’ve been known to worry about language here on Slaw. And so I thought that our readers might enjoy Language Log, a blog by linguistic profs Mark Liberman and Geoffrey Pullum. They offer an enjoyable mix of science and popular culture, applying humour or scorn depending on the requirements of the occasion.

They talk about law from time to time, as in “The Supreme Court Fails Semantics,” where they criticize the U.S. Supreme Court’s analysis in Morse v. Frederick [PDF], the “BONG HiTS 4 JESUS” case, or “The right to do process,” in which they deconstruct aspects of the American constitution, or “Banning “rape” in a rape trial.”

It’s kind of a relief to read people who get as bent out of shape about language as lawyers can.