Tony Thorne
@tonythorne007.bsky.social
Slang, new language, etymology, cultural history. Language Consultant at King's College London.
Try to cheer up. First blossom in suburbia…
November 30, 2025 at 11:35 AM
Try to cheer up. First blossom in suburbia…
Reposted by Tony Thorne
I am once again thinking about Cher’s author bio.
November 29, 2025 at 6:28 PM
I am once again thinking about Cher’s author bio.
Reposted by Tony Thorne
Hard-hitting truth-telling from UCL Prof Anthony Costello….
“The Covid Public Inquiry is a devastating critique of medical advisers, civil servants and politicians who led the UK to the worst public health disaster in a century. More than 230,000 deaths.”
www.bylinesupplement.com/p/230000-dea...
“The Covid Public Inquiry is a devastating critique of medical advisers, civil servants and politicians who led the UK to the worst public health disaster in a century. More than 230,000 deaths.”
www.bylinesupplement.com/p/230000-dea...
230,000 Deaths and the ‘Calculated Silence’ of the Medical Establishment About the COVID Inquiry
The Covid Inquiry Report is a devastating critique of the medical establishment which led the UK to the worst public health disaster in a century, argues Anthony Costello
www.bylinesupplement.com
November 29, 2025 at 9:58 AM
Hard-hitting truth-telling from UCL Prof Anthony Costello….
“The Covid Public Inquiry is a devastating critique of medical advisers, civil servants and politicians who led the UK to the worst public health disaster in a century. More than 230,000 deaths.”
www.bylinesupplement.com/p/230000-dea...
“The Covid Public Inquiry is a devastating critique of medical advisers, civil servants and politicians who led the UK to the worst public health disaster in a century. More than 230,000 deaths.”
www.bylinesupplement.com/p/230000-dea...
Reposted by Tony Thorne
more than that, it reinforces the idea that telling people what to do is some kind of work
AI appeals to those who think that telling other people what to do is the most important job. If flatters their sense of worth to think that they are the only thing that can’t be automated.
www.businessinsider.com/executives-a...
www.businessinsider.com/executives-a...
Execs are embracing AI more than their employees are, new research suggests
Research from HR software company Dayforce suggests that executives are leaning into AI far more than their employees.
www.businessinsider.com
November 29, 2025 at 5:38 PM
more than that, it reinforces the idea that telling people what to do is some kind of work
Reposted by Tony Thorne
For weekend readers, the last post in my trilogy about metaphors for AI, this one trying to discern some general trends emerging in recent years #AI #metaphors
makingsciencepublic.com/2025/11/28/o...
makingsciencepublic.com/2025/11/28/o...
Observing shifts in metaphors for AI: What changed and why it matters
In my previous two posts I have made the case for an AI metaphor observatory and surveyed the recent academic landscape of studies dealing with metaphors for AI in the sense of GenAI and LLMs. In t…
makingsciencepublic.com
November 29, 2025 at 7:31 AM
For weekend readers, the last post in my trilogy about metaphors for AI, this one trying to discern some general trends emerging in recent years #AI #metaphors
makingsciencepublic.com/2025/11/28/o...
makingsciencepublic.com/2025/11/28/o...
Reposted by Tony Thorne
I am delighted to announce the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement between Philippine Association for Forensic & Legal Linguistics and #Bukidnon State University to collaborate in research and the training of faculty in #ForensicLinguistics.
#Linguistics
#Linguistics
November 29, 2025 at 7:33 AM
I am delighted to announce the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement between Philippine Association for Forensic & Legal Linguistics and #Bukidnon State University to collaborate in research and the training of faculty in #ForensicLinguistics.
#Linguistics
#Linguistics
Reposted by Tony Thorne
Slightly niche read but a familiar picture around class and accent.
www.gramophone.co.uk/blogs/articl...
www.gramophone.co.uk/blogs/articl...
'I didn’t even realise I had an accent until other students laughed at it' | Composer Gavin Higgins on classical music and class
The issue isn’t the artform; it’s access — and every child should have access to music
www.gramophone.co.uk
November 29, 2025 at 7:46 AM
Slightly niche read but a familiar picture around class and accent.
www.gramophone.co.uk/blogs/articl...
www.gramophone.co.uk/blogs/articl...
Reposted by Tony Thorne
New #preprint: "Un mes en Bluesky con bello, bonito, hermoso y lindo" [A month on Bluesky with bello, bonito, hermoso, and lindo]
A corpus study of 4 Spanish aesthetic adjectives over a month on Bluesky (23,743 posts).
#linguistics #langsky
doi.org/10.13140/RG....
A corpus study of 4 Spanish aesthetic adjectives over a month on Bluesky (23,743 posts).
#linguistics #langsky
doi.org/10.13140/RG....
(PDF) Un mes en Bluesky con bello, bonito, hermoso y lindo
PDF | Este artículo presenta un estudio de cuatro adjetivos estéticos del español: bello, bonito, hermoso y lindo, a partir de un corpus de 23 743... | Find, read and cite all the research you need on...
doi.org
November 28, 2025 at 8:07 AM
New #preprint: "Un mes en Bluesky con bello, bonito, hermoso y lindo" [A month on Bluesky with bello, bonito, hermoso, and lindo]
A corpus study of 4 Spanish aesthetic adjectives over a month on Bluesky (23,743 posts).
#linguistics #langsky
doi.org/10.13140/RG....
A corpus study of 4 Spanish aesthetic adjectives over a month on Bluesky (23,743 posts).
#linguistics #langsky
doi.org/10.13140/RG....
I’m a ‘grumpy retiree’, but I’ve so far managed not to create a failed state and imperil the West
The fundamental thing to understand about this administration is the president is a grumpy retiree. He has no interest in working anymore. Which leads to him being pissed that he is getting asked a question, pissed he has to show up and work, the scheming viziers running the show, etc..
“You’re a stupid person” — Trump lashes out at a reporter who presses him on the fact that the suspected DC shooter was actually thoroughly vetted before he was let in the US from Afghanistan
November 28, 2025 at 8:22 AM
I’m a ‘grumpy retiree’, but I’ve so far managed not to create a failed state and imperil the West
On est mercredi…
November 26, 2025 at 11:53 AM
On est mercredi…
Reposted by Tony Thorne
Meanwhile, @tonythorne007.bsky.social explains for BBC Bitesize what 6-7 tells us about slang trends and young people. www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/art...
6-7 and the 'secret' language of kids - BBC Bitesize
Have you noticed your teens – or younger kids - laughing and doing a hand gesture every time the numbers 6 and 7 come up in sequence? Any idea what they’re actually saying or laughing at? As a parent ...
www.bbc.co.uk
November 26, 2025 at 10:59 AM
Meanwhile, @tonythorne007.bsky.social explains for BBC Bitesize what 6-7 tells us about slang trends and young people. www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/art...
‘Fresh from the triumph’
EXCLUSIVE: US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff advised Russia on how to pitch Ukraine plans to Trump, in audio files reviewed by Bloomberg
Witkoff Advised Russia on How to Pitch Ukraine Plan to Trump
US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff, fresh from the triumph of the Gaza peace deal, held a phone call last month with a senior Kremlin official to suggest they work together on a similar plan for Ukraine — and that Vladimir Putin should raise it with Donald Trump.
bloom.bg
November 25, 2025 at 8:59 PM
‘Fresh from the triumph’
‘Recipe slop’
Yikes--be careful out there!
NEW: AI “recipe slop” is overrunning search and social. Food creators say Google’s AI Overviews and glossy fake food pics are drowning out real, tested recipes — collapsing traffic and setting home cooks up for disaster, especially this Thanksgiving.
Gift link: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Gift link: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
November 25, 2025 at 7:42 PM
‘Recipe slop’
Reposted by Tony Thorne
Reposted by Tony Thorne
Good study from KCL: “Terms like 'bots' or 'trolls' no longer capture the full variety of online manipulation. Today, we observe a spectrum of actors ranging from fully automated accounts to 'cyborgs'…co-ordinated troll farms, and loyalist users who…become part of orchestrated campaigns.”
This is useful recent research on how the “bot” category breaks down into people and actual bots - “inauthentic participation” is the unifier www.kcl.ac.uk/orchestrated...
Orchestrated Crowds: Rethinking Inauthentic Participation in Digital…
What is driving online communication today?
www.kcl.ac.uk
November 24, 2025 at 9:34 PM
Good study from KCL: “Terms like 'bots' or 'trolls' no longer capture the full variety of online manipulation. Today, we observe a spectrum of actors ranging from fully automated accounts to 'cyborgs'…co-ordinated troll farms, and loyalist users who…become part of orchestrated campaigns.”
Reposted by Tony Thorne
Letter in Times today
November 25, 2025 at 11:53 AM
Letter in Times today
Reposted by Tony Thorne
Contresens ontologiques, raccourcis théoriques, erreurs factuelles et manipulation des sources : la recette de la panique existentielle qui entoure les anglicismes est indigeste.
Mon billet de blog pour les @tract-linguistes.org :
Mon billet de blog pour les @tract-linguistes.org :
Les anglicismes auront-ils la peau du français ? - Le français va très bien, merci
Erreurs, approximations et manipulation : la recette de la panique autour des anglicismes et de la disparition du français.
www.tract-linguistes.org
November 25, 2025 at 6:36 AM
Contresens ontologiques, raccourcis théoriques, erreurs factuelles et manipulation des sources : la recette de la panique existentielle qui entoure les anglicismes est indigeste.
Mon billet de blog pour les @tract-linguistes.org :
Mon billet de blog pour les @tract-linguistes.org :
Reposted by Tony Thorne
Growing up bilingual: how Spain’s children learn to see the world in two languages
Growing up bilingual: connecting with the world
For many children in Spain, switching between languages is as natural as breathing. In classrooms and playgrounds from Madrid to Málaga, Spanish, English and often a third language mix effortlessly, making bilingualism less a goal and more a way of life.
euroweeklynews.com
November 24, 2025 at 8:39 PM
Growing up bilingual: how Spain’s children learn to see the world in two languages
Reposted by Tony Thorne
This week I take a look at a word the #French gave us - bribe - and its connection to #food history - wordfoolery.wordpress.com/2025/11/24/t... #etymology #bread
a person is cutting a loaf of bread with a knife .
ALT: a person is cutting a loaf of bread with a knife .
media.tenor.com
November 24, 2025 at 12:44 PM
This week I take a look at a word the #French gave us - bribe - and its connection to #food history - wordfoolery.wordpress.com/2025/11/24/t... #etymology #bread
(…and ‘Wellderly’)
If only the Telegraph understood that welfare is not a "giveaway" but a safety net for those who are having a tough time
November 24, 2025 at 6:33 AM
(…and ‘Wellderly’)
Reposted by Tony Thorne
The English word ‘blue’ is a horse of a different colour.
While ‘blue’ is related to the words in its Germanic sister languages, such as German ‘blau’ and Swedish ‘blå’, it took a different route.
Its Germanic ancestor was loaned to French, where it became ‘bleu’, and then borrowed into English:
While ‘blue’ is related to the words in its Germanic sister languages, such as German ‘blau’ and Swedish ‘blå’, it took a different route.
Its Germanic ancestor was loaned to French, where it became ‘bleu’, and then borrowed into English:
November 23, 2025 at 5:36 PM
The English word ‘blue’ is a horse of a different colour.
While ‘blue’ is related to the words in its Germanic sister languages, such as German ‘blau’ and Swedish ‘blå’, it took a different route.
Its Germanic ancestor was loaned to French, where it became ‘bleu’, and then borrowed into English:
While ‘blue’ is related to the words in its Germanic sister languages, such as German ‘blau’ and Swedish ‘blå’, it took a different route.
Its Germanic ancestor was loaned to French, where it became ‘bleu’, and then borrowed into English: