Well, I wasn't under consideration for McCain's VP, despite what some contributors may have claimed., but I was otherwise occupied for a few weeks, unfortunately, with pressing stuff that didn't allow me to blog or even read much. But things are back to normal now.I just saw this 'photo' over at FiveThirtyEight.com and had to laugh, despite the spelling mismatch. There have been rumors about Obama choosing Ann Veneman as veep. From a linguistic point of view, though, it calls to mind the linguist Theo Vennemann. He's got broad experience — phonology, morphology, syntax, historical, and other areas of linguistics — and I think he's retired from Munich now, so he should be available. He's German born, though, so that presumably rules him out.
3 comments:
Didn't Theo take the name Vennemann? I think he was Nierfeld? Or was he both Vennemann and Nierfeld?
p.s. on the subject of famous linguists... I'm waiting for a short post / brochure about linguists becoming children's book authors: Rosie Lippi-Green, Donna Jo Napoli, Suzette Haden Elgin... maybe I should start writing children's books?
Not sure on the details, but it was his last name that changed. Some folks around here know him, so probably know the story.
Excellent idea for a post too! A lot of linguists have done fiction of various kinds. Of course Rosina Lippi-Green and Suzanne Hayden-Elgin both blog about writing.
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