http://mondomagazine.net We're not geeks! Wed, 23 Nov 2011 18:39:29 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 en hourly 1 http://mondomagazine.net/2009/lexipoeiaconsumer-whore-advocate-cross-column-swine-flu-and-you/ http://mondomagazine.net/2009/lexipoeiaconsumer-whore-advocate-cross-column-swine-flu-and-you/#comments Tue, 19 May 2009 05:00:18 +0000 lifestyle http://mondomagazine.net/?p=5380 Profiting off Pandemic Panic By Sam Linton So I was talking to a friend of mine the other day when he dropped a knowledge-bomb on me. Apparently, the Powers That Be are attempting to change the name of current global pandemic media darling Swine Flu into something a bit less descriptive. Why? Because the negative connotations of that name have had a corresponding negative impact on global pork prices. That's right, it appears that the name "Swine Flu" has turned people off of swine. Whoda thunk? Now, I generally strive to avoid being topical in these Lexipoeia columns (I want them to have a timeless quality), but something like this hits home for me as both a general promoter of the powers of language and as an advocate of opportunistic consumer slacktivism. So when I see them intersecting like this, I know it's time to come down from my ivory tower and get topical. Right here, this attempt by those in power to re-brand pig flu (I won't repeat their proposed new name; it would only further their agenda) graphically demonstrates the power that language holds in global economics, and the good news is that this is a power that we, the people, can seize! The fact that the global vernacular now tangentially links a horrible disease with delicious pork products is nothing but good news for the consumer. Cheap bacon, cheap ham, and cheap sausage are now readily at hand because linguistically, we've tied them in with the decidedly un-marketable spectre of a painful, vomit-fueled death [...]]]> http://mondomagazine.net/2009/lexipoeiaconsumer-whore-advocate-cross-column-swine-flu-and-you/feed/ 3 http://mondomagazine.net/2009/lexipoeia-taxonomy-time-or-douchebags-defined/ http://mondomagazine.net/2009/lexipoeia-taxonomy-time-or-douchebags-defined/#comments Fri, 20 Feb 2009 05:00:44 +0000 lifestyle http://mondomagazine.net/?p=4189 Answering the questions you purposefully didn't ask! By Sam Linton Every so often, the language-using community gets itself up in a snit over some new issue in our beloved English language making waves in the pools of those who actually take all this seriously. Remember truthiness? That was a good example of what I'm talking about. Anyways, since the English language lacks an "Academie Français"-style central regulating body, these things usually just get tossed around from columnist to columnist until some basic consensus is found. So what's the hot-button word that has the armchair linguistic community up in a tizzy now? Douchebag! [...]]]> http://mondomagazine.net/2009/lexipoeia-taxonomy-time-or-douchebags-defined/feed/ 0 http://mondomagazine.net/2008/lexipoeia-offensive-content/ http://mondomagazine.net/2008/lexipoeia-offensive-content/#comments Tue, 29 Jul 2008 04:00:56 +0000 lifestyle http://mondomagazine.net/?p=1446 Answering reader mail is so gay, it's retarded. By Sam Linton This week, against my better judgment, I'll be doing something a little different in Lexipoeia: responding to reader mail. Now as a near omniscient voice of authority in the Lifestyle section (and, frankly, in most aspects of life), I like to believe that I have all the answers. Nevertheless, that doesn't necessarily mean that I have all the questions. Thus, it sometimes falls to me to have you, the readers, tell me what to weigh in on, as in this little gem of a letter I received recently: Dear Sam "Lexipoeia" Linton, What is your position on the use of currently re-popularized terms "retarded" and "gay"? My own position is that using the terms is immature and obnoxious. However, I find the terms far more offensive when they are used to prop up old stereotypes — i.e. "Tommy doesn't play hockey? That's totally gay," or, "Catherine failed physics, what a retard." How do you feel about the re-popularization of these terms? Thanks, Completely Anonymous Reader [...]]]> http://mondomagazine.net/2008/lexipoeia-offensive-content/feed/ 5 http://mondomagazine.net/2008/lexipoeia-the-proper-terminology-of-pimp/ http://mondomagazine.net/2008/lexipoeia-the-proper-terminology-of-pimp/#comments Fri, 23 May 2008 04:00:25 +0000 lifestyle http://mondomagazine.net/?p=1122 pimp. [...]]]> http://mondomagazine.net/2008/lexipoeia-the-proper-terminology-of-pimp/feed/ 0 http://mondomagazine.net/2008/lexipoeia-tinfoil-hat-cancon-edition/ http://mondomagazine.net/2008/lexipoeia-tinfoil-hat-cancon-edition/#comments Tue, 22 Apr 2008 05:00:06 +0000 lifestyle http://mondomagazine.net/?p=902 The CBC is stealing my ideas! By Sam Linton Well, we all knew that it was high time for me to start write another Lexipoeia. It really has been too long. And oh, I had the beginnings of a beauty this week, to be sure. But what should I hear as I turned on the CBC Radio Friday morning to start my day with the fresh voices of Sounds Like Canada? A language piece. But not just any language piece, oh no. A piece on the revival of old, abandoned pop-culture expressions. Hey, sounds like a winning idea, right? A Canadian institution running a piece on hilarious expressions of yesteryear that have fallen by the wayside? Yeah, and it was a great idea — when I first wrote it! Sounds Like Canada, eh? Sounds like plagiarism to me! Now, a lot of people would be justified in saying that the readership of MONDO does not contest that of the CBC's audience, that the concept of linguistic revival is really quite broad, that my article and the CBC's rip-off job actually examined quite different sources for the expressions they took, and that my accusing a government organization of stealing my intellectual property speaks more to my own delusions of grandeur than it does to any legitimate grievance. But these people would be wrong. The CBC is stealing my ideas. Period [...]]]> http://mondomagazine.net/2008/lexipoeia-tinfoil-hat-cancon-edition/feed/ 5 http://mondomagazine.net/2008/lexipoeia-continental-drift/ http://mondomagazine.net/2008/lexipoeia-continental-drift/#comments Mon, 18 Feb 2008 05:00:35 +0000 lifestyle http://mondomagazine.net/?p=592 Two Nations Divided by a Common Language, and About 100 Years of New Songs and Dances By Sam Linton Asalaam Aleikum, Language users! Y'know, I've gone on record as a being a big fan of the English language (see previous columns in this series), but even I recognize that it has its problems. Problems like standardization. You see, one of the central problems in having a truly global language, spoken in multiple countries over multiple continents, are those little discrepancies that occur over distance. A word may be spelled one way on one continent, but slightly differently on another. Specifically in the case of English, there are two elephants in the room: Britain and the US, two cultural [...]]]> http://mondomagazine.net/2008/lexipoeia-continental-drift/feed/ 0 http://mondomagazine.net/2008/lexipoeia/ http://mondomagazine.net/2008/lexipoeia/#comments Wed, 09 Jan 2008 00:26:03 +0000 lifestyle http://mondomagazine.net/?p=46 http://mondomagazine.net/2008/lexipoeia/feed/ 0 http://mondomagazine.net/2007/lexipoeia-stoppit/ http://mondomagazine.net/2007/lexipoeia-stoppit/#comments Mon, 16 Jul 2007 20:43:23 +0000 lifestyle http://mondomagazine.net/?p=212 Pure Alarmism! By Sam Linton Greetings, loyal linguists! Once again, I have returned to offer my sage advice on all things wordly. Before you get all fired up, however, I'm afraid that I have some bad news to impart: this one will not be a column about advancing the language. Quite the opposite, in fact, as I have unfortunately found it necessary to rein some of you in the speaking community in, in (in!) a segment I call "Stoppit!" [...]]]> http://mondomagazine.net/2007/lexipoeia-stoppit/feed/ 0 http://mondomagazine.net/2007/lexipoeia-engsperanto/ http://mondomagazine.net/2007/lexipoeia-engsperanto/#comments Mon, 04 Jun 2007 20:40:37 +0000 lifestyle http://mondomagazine.net/?p=211 This article does NOT advocate cultural Imperialism. No, really! By Sam Linton Esperanto is a constructed language, designed to facilitate communication across cultures through its use of several different linguistic features found across several different families of language (Slavic, Indo-European, etc.) More can be found on in the wiki article, but I warn you, it is a dry read. Esperanto is also, to put it bluntly, a failure [...]]]> http://mondomagazine.net/2007/lexipoeia-engsperanto/feed/ 0 http://mondomagazine.net/2007/lexipoeia-filthy-words-of-the-past/ http://mondomagazine.net/2007/lexipoeia-filthy-words-of-the-past/#comments Mon, 16 Apr 2007 20:37:47 +0000 lifestyle http://mondomagazine.net/?p=210 Swiving language from behind.By Sam Linton Hey there, y’all! Yes, I know that it’s been quite a while since my last Lexipoeia entry, but I’ve been busy. Yes I, your humble scribe, am also a university student, and occasionally that must take precedence over my internet-writing duties. But never fear! I have returned, with a cornucopia of filthy words to make both Miss Torrid and Dr. Smoothmoves blush and hide in shame [...]]]> http://mondomagazine.net/2007/lexipoeia-filthy-words-of-the-past/feed/ 1 http://mondomagazine.net/2007/lexipoeia-the-columnist%e2%80%99s-dilemma-elexicography/ http://mondomagazine.net/2007/lexipoeia-the-columnist%e2%80%99s-dilemma-elexicography/#comments Sun, 18 Feb 2007 20:35:00 +0000 lifestyle http://mondomagazine.net/?p=209 Giving English a friendly push!By Sam Linton Okay! Wow! Well, it seems that my last article in this series was particularly well received, in circles extending even slightly beyond my immediate network of family and friends. Yes, apparently cuntwaste is the word we all needed. Neat! But now, I admit, I’m worried. If I want to keep "Lexipoeia" going as a semi-regular column, does that mean I have to come up with that type of brilliance all the time? Can I do that? [...]]]> http://mondomagazine.net/2007/lexipoeia-the-columnist%e2%80%99s-dilemma-elexicography/feed/ 0 http://mondomagazine.net/2007/lexipoeia-new-words-for-a-new-age/ http://mondomagazine.net/2007/lexipoeia-new-words-for-a-new-age/#comments Sun, 21 Jan 2007 20:32:51 +0000 lifestyle http://mondomagazine.net/?p=207 Giving English a friendly push! By Sam Linton It is often stated, in some circles, that our society is becoming more crass; that we are rapidly losing our societal taboos. One of the arguments most often posited as evidence of this “decline in moral hygiene” is the rapidly declining power of certain words to shock us. Bitch, shit, Christ’s name taken in vain, even old stand-bys like fuck and its derivative, motherfucker, don’t pack the same punch they used to [...]]]> http://mondomagazine.net/2007/lexipoeia-new-words-for-a-new-age/feed/ 0