bits and bobs q4 2013

The Proof Angel is the trading name of Sarah Perkins, freelance editor and proofreader.www.theproofangel.co.uk or http://ow.ly/sNlFs © Sarah Perkins 2014

Bits & bobs: December 2013

The development of the alphabet

The internet is a wonderful thing. You never know what you will findnext, or where interesting things will turn up.

My husband found this animation of the development of the alphabeton PistonHeads:

http://i.imgur.com/TI8cX45.gif

I think it is interesting how some letters have moved around.

Good words we no longer use

Language changes all the time. New needs arise and fashion changes,but sometimes you wonder how anyone wanted these words in the firstplace. Here is an interesting list of words that have died out:

http://ow.ly/sNGmr

We've missed a trick by letting snollygoster fall into disuse!

How to translate ouch!!

Language is a powerful tool. Most of them give us a broad range ofwords to express a variety of things, thoughts, & emotions.

But sometimes we just open our mouths & make a sound. This postexamines what happens when we feel pain suddenly.

It is interesting how different the reaction is,depending on our native language is:

http://ow.ly/sNGTg

When a typo creeps in

Spell checkers are wonderful things, but they have limitations. We allknow stories about errors that were missed because the word is real,but not the one required.

I suppose the more imaginative the work, the less likely it is thatanyone will notice. We all expect poetry to be slightly unusual, soperhaps that explains why these errors have crept into publication:

http://ow.ly/sNHqN

I wonder how many other examples have gone unnoticed.

Automatic writers

We take technology so much for granted these days, and wesometimes forget what our ancestors achieved. For those of you whomissed the recent repeat of the BBC documentary about automaton,here is the amazing doll who can write any short message.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUa7oBsSDk8

And these days we are impressed that we can draw something & get itmade by a 3D printer. I wonder what this maker could have done withour technology? If you are interested in this sort of thing, here is thewhole programme, including another doll who can draw:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rVevXYXqo

And while we are on the subject, here is a much simpler hand:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDwJ4K3g6Zs

Some original book shop signs

Proof that all you need to drum up trade is a well placed shop, someblackboards and a bit of imagination. Have a look at these bookshopsigns from Australia. I'm not sure that the world really does needfewer night clubs & more book clubs isn't there room for both?

http://ow.ly/sNHAi

The book dominoes world record

This is really clever, utterly fascinating, and very skillful, but you haveto admit it is a complete waste of time. The world record for bookdominoes has just been broken:

http://ow.ly/sPZ7V

www.theproofangel.co.uk or http://ow.ly/sNlFs © Sarah Perkins 2014

Think of all the planning that went into it. How long do you think theyspent working out the correct books to pick? Nothing too floppy,because they wouldn't stand up. Nothing too thick, because they mightnot push over easily enough.

Anyway, it was all done to inspire us to read more, so now we'd bettershow our appreciation. Off you go & read something!

Language history in 100 places

Here is an interesting perspective on the history of languagedevelopment. The English Project asked people to suggest placeswhich shaped the English language. It seems an odd concept, but onceyou get started along that line of thought it is quite intriguing.

You can read about some of the landmarks that have been suggested:

h http://ow.ly/sPZHZ

or you can suggest your own ideas:

http://ow.ly/sQ04b

So what do you do with an old library book?

Birmingham opened a new central library earlier this year. You mighthave seen the blaze of publicity that accompanied it. The attractionscontained in the new building now include a display of art works madeout of surplus books from the old collection. I wonder what the authorswould make of all this?

http://ow.ly/sQ0m2

How spelling caused a case to collapse

Generally people have two problems with spelling:

• The words we can never remember, or always look wrongwhen we've written them, and

• The words we think we know.

Of course the greatest problem is the latter. We don't pause to thinkabout it, or even look the word up, because it just doesn't cross ourminds. Sometimes that tells other people far more than the basic factthat the writer can't spell. In this case it exposed concocted evidence:

http://ow.ly/sNThs





http://ow.ly/sNHqN


Automatic writers



And these days we are impressed that we can draw something & get itmade by a 3D printer. I wonder what this maker could have done withour technology?

If you are interested in this sort of thing, here is the wholeprogramme, including another doll who can draw:






http://ow.ly/sNHAi


This is really clever, utterly fascinating, and very skillful, but you haveto admit it is a complete waste of time.


The most contentious letter in the alphabet

Well, who would have thought it? According to the Guardian, H is themost contentious letter in the alphabet:

http://ow.ly/sNTAr

It is quite a surprise to me that anything as ordinary as a letter couldcause a fuss. I can see that when a new letter is introduced there willbe some discussion between those who welcome the wonderful newidea & those who think it is new fangled nonsense.

If the Normans brought H with them in 1066 you'd think we'd have gotused to it long ago. But I'd forgotten the snob value. Strange that thesame letter can be taken as an indication of both ends of the classscale. Posh people drop the letter from French based words like hotel,while at the other extreme...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUQpoyfbWJ0

Ode to the Typographical Error

Here is an anonymous poem:

The typographical error is

A slippery thing and sly;

You hunt till you are dizzy, but

It somehow will get by.

Until the forms are on the press,

It is strange how still it keeps.

It shrinks down in a corner,

And it never stirs or peeps.

That typographical error is

Too small for human eyes,

Till ink is on the paper,

When it grows to mountain size.





http://ow.ly/sNHqN


Automatic writers










http://ow.ly/sNHAi




The boss, he stares with horror,

Then he grabs his hair and groans.

The copyreader drops his head

Upon his hands and moans.

The remainder of the issue may

Be clean as clean can be,

But the typographical error is

The only thing you see

The history of spelling reform

Here is a nice potted history of attempts to tidy up English spelling:

http://ow.ly/sNUFx

I'm not convinced we are ever going to get anywhere with this oneuntil we all pronounce our words in the same way. Over the last fewdecades, it has become more acceptable to use regional accents,which is a good thing. But it sets us back on the spelling point, doesn'tit?

But apart from all that, what did the Romans ever do for us?

Those of us who didn't have Latin rammed down our throats at schoolmight be surprised how much influence the Romans had on the Englishlanguage:

http://ow.ly/sNUQY

Those of us who did will probably be aware of all this. I wonder howmany others in this category wish they had paid more attention tothose lessons?

Some anagram fun

Here is a nice list of anagrams from the Independent. I was a bitdisappointed, as I thought they were all going to be based on LondonUnderground stations, so I looked into it a bit further:

http://ow.ly/sNVekl

The full version of the London Underground anagram map seems tohave disappeared from the web. You can see the whole thing, but it is





http://ow.ly/sNHqN


Automatic writers










http://ow.ly/sNHAi




too blurred to read, & the link to the real thing doesn't work:

http://ow.ly/sNVzt

Fortunately you can get a flavour of it here:

http://ow.ly/sNVKi

The speed of languages

Sometimes we talk of people jabbering away in foreign languages. I'dalways assumed that it sounded fast because I didn't understand whatwas being said. When we watch a film with subtitles, even in alanguage we understand, it is clear that the subtitles are simplified forspeed. This can add to the impression that other languages are fasterthan our own.

Here are the results of some sensible research into the speed anddensity of a sample of languages:

http://visual.ly/speedlanguage

The history of the speech bubble

One of the nicest things about browsing in a bookshop is the range ofsubjects covered. There are books about all sorts of things I'd neverhave thought about as a book. Of course second hand books areparticularly brilliant for discoveries.

Sometimes the internet can throw up random selections in a similarway. I would never have thought there was a market for British Comics– A Cultural History. But now you come to mention it, there must be alot of interesting stuff to say on the subject. Another one for thereading list, I think!

http://ow.ly/sNW2x

Christmas grammar

In amongst the traditional mispronunciations of Christmas carols,there are one or two serious grammar points:

http://ow.ly/sNWrw

If you are that way inclined. And if you aren't getting engrossed intohow to pronounce the medieval English in some of the old carols.


Personally, I'm far too busy avoiding the more practical problems,including:

• We three kings of Orie & Tar. So why are there 3 kings ifthere are 2 places?

• While shepherds washed their socks by night. You'd think itwould be too cold.

• Most highly flavoured lady, gloria. Not very Christmassyreally, is it?

• And stay by my bedside until morning is night. Which is odd wouldn't it be more comforting to be watched over while youwere in the bed.

• Glad tidings we bring to you and your king. How anyonethinks the original kin rhymes with bring beats me.

Resolutions for the New Year

So where did 2013 go? And can you even remember your resolutionsfrom this time last year? Are you like me, working on the same onesevery year?

The press is full of advice about making your resolutions. I hate the bitabout making sure they are achievable. Where is the challenge in that?

I like this cartoon, which illustrates the main categories of resolution.

http://writerswrite.co.za/newyearscomicforwriters

Happy 2014 everyone!!


bits and bobs q4 2013

Entertainment & Humor

h http

interesting things

likely i

language changes

language history

english language

interesting list of

lysnlfs sarah perkins