Language notes from the slopes of E-15.

[George Thompson]

Wilson: "I failed to achieve greatness"

Not so, though a workyday world may have failed to appreciate you.

GAT

George A. Thompson
Author of A Documentary History of "The African Theatre", Northwestern Univ. Pr., 1998, but nothing much lately.

----- Original Message -----
From: Wilson Gray <hwgray at gmail.com>
Date: Friday, June 25, 2010 7:29 pm
Subject: Re: Language notes from the slopes of E-15.
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU

> It's also a good bet that any Icelander that you encounter will have
> heard of any other Icelander of any note, e.g. "famous in the field."
> At M.I.T in the '70's, I had an Icelandic classmate who is now
> somewhat known in the field. In the '80's, I encountered a random
> Harvard undergraduate from Iceland. When I started to tell him about
> my former classmate, he interrupted, saying, "Of course! You're
> referring to Prof. [Hoskuldur] Thrainsson!" He went on to explain that
> Iceland is such a small country, without a lot happening, that, in
> effect, the entire population has already been (in)famous, locally,
> for at least fifteen minutes. It was very likely that, if I met
> another Icelander and mentioned my interlocutor's name, that Icelander
> probably would be at least familiar with it - Local Boy Makes Good!
> Admitted To Harvard! - and, perhaps, might even be from the same
> 'hood.
>
> OTOH, I peaked dekkids ago, when George Lakoff, famous in the field of
> linguistics, upon meeting me, expostulated, "Oh, yes! I've heard of
> you!" Otherwise, though I have been close to greatness, yet have I
> failed to achieve greatness.
>
> BTW, a nephew of the late William Safire is FITF of M.I.T.-school linguistics.
>
> -Wilson
>
> On Fri, Jun 25, 2010 at 4:43 PM, Gordon, Matthew J.
> <GordonMJ at missouri.edu> wrote:
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       "Gordon, Matthew J." <GordonMJ at MISSOURI.EDU>
> > Subject:      Re: Language notes from the slopes of E-15.
> > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > On 6/25/10 9:52 AM, "Jonathan Lighter" <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM> wrote:
> >
> >
> > 6. English-language T-shirts warning "DON'T FUCK WITH ICELAND! We
> may not
> > have cash, but we've got ash!"
> >
> > ---
> >
> >
> >
> > It took me several readings before I realized this was not a
> proclamation of alphabetic pride.
> >
> > -Matt Gordon
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >
>
>
>
> --
> -Wilson
> –––
> All say, "How hard it is that we have to die!"––a strange complaint to
> come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
> –Mark Twain
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org