Fwd: cross-post of possible interest

[Jonathan Lighter]

The word "stodgy" is OFFENSIVE to professors.  As are the words "absent-minded" and "tweedy."

  Progressive persons must avoid these words.  "Popular," "savvy," and "rockin' " are acceptable substitutes.  We all must work together to fight the stereotype.

  JL

  Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU> wrote:
  ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
Sender: American Dialect Society
Poster: Laurence Horn
Subject: Fwd: cross-post of possible interest
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Not that anyone *we* know would harbor stereotypic images of "stodgy
linguists"...

LH

>Date: Sat, 15 Dec 2007 19:01:25 -0500
>Reply-To: M van Naerssen
>Sender: The discussion list for Language and the Law
>
>From: M van Naerssen
>Subject: [FL-LIST] linguists & Jim Fitzgerald's retirement from FBI
>
>Dec. 7 there was a retirement party for our colleague Jim Fitzgerald
>from the FBI Academy--held at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia.
>
>First, congratulations & best wishes in your new adventures, Jim.
>
>Second, several linguists were present and 2 were on the progam to
>"roast him and toast him":
>
>Natalie Schilling-Estes (sociolinguist, one of Jim's professors at
>Georgetown U when he was doing him Master's in Sociolinguistics) and
>Rob Leonard (Hofstra U.--on this list)
>Natalie did a cleverly worded and timed script for her "roast".
>Rob's comments also brought applause and laughter.
>This definitely broadened visibility for linguists in the FBI!
>
>All of this probably also gave many of the FBI agents (current &
>retired) in the Behavioral Analysis Unit-- and friends & family-- a
>fresh image of linguists! Not just stodgy professors. Word also
>got around about Rob being the "model" for the forensic linguist in
>Kathy Reichs' book Bones to Ashes and about being co-founder of the
>Sha-nah-nah rock band.
>
>The next morning at a brunch at Jim's house, and after Rob had left
>for the train station, Jim played a DVD Rob had given him of clips
>from Rob's Sha-nah-nah days. That really shattered any remaining
>images that his family and friends might have had of linguists being
>stodgy ! With his guitar Rob was singing a solo, with high drama
>and in vertical and horizontal positions--the tragic song "Teen
>Angel".
>
>Jim, once the writer's strike is over in Los Angeles/ Hollywood, let
>us know if you manage to get any linguistics into the tv series
>"Criminal Minds" that you'll be consulting on.
>
>Margaret van Naerssen
>

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