The Verb in the news

Well, this blog has been silent for quite a while. If you read the papers, you'll know Mr. Verb's is surfacing here and there as a possible running mate for John McCain. I imagine they won't let him use his laptop or something. It's August and the collaborators are scattered far and wide — a couple on the East Coast and three in the UK alone, including yours truly.

But while he's being vetted for veep, I can at least take on one of his normal duties and call your attention to the latest Speculative Grammarian, here. (You probably read LINGUIST and know about this, but The Verb still does it every issue, it seems.) This line on the cover gets your attention:

Less data than Linguistic Inquiry,
Less analysis than Studies in Language

Ouch. But I'd expect Mr. Verb, even from some secure undisclosed location for some security check / enhanced interrogation, would take a moment to note this article, by John Miau:

"The Life And Death Of An Anonymous Verb"

Probably a cousin or something. As a more phonologically-inclined member of Team Verb, I'm puzzling a little over "Cartoon Theories of Linguistics—Part 12—Syllables" by Phineas Q. Phlogiston, Ph.D. I mean, do we cry at a good challenge?

Anyway, let's see when The Verb returns.