A Computational Linguist with HOPE

image002 768x432 1

logo HOPE

Hope project logo

In late February 2020, I found myself sitting at a table in the Interacting Minds Center with a diverse group of Aarhus University researchers discussing how to research the social and behavioural aspects of the emerging Covid-19 epidemic. The expertise of the other researchers spanned media and information studies, anthropology and ethnography, religious studies, political science, and computer science. I represented linguistics. At the time, Covid-19 had not (to our knowledge) reached Denmark, and it was still at least a week before the WHO would officially designate it a global pandemic. We suspected that this virus might have significant consequences for our lives, but we could never have imagined how much and how quickly.

Just weeks later, …

How do you define “samfundssind”? – A little questionnaire study

figeng1 e1640184043571

Along with the word “hygge”, the Danish word “samfundssind” (roughly ‘community mindedness’) has recently become one of the few internationally known Danish words. The concept it stands for has achieved worldwide credit for the comparatively successful handling of the COVID-19 crisis in Denmark.

The word was first introduced into the Danish language in 1936 by Thorvald Stauning (Danish Prime Minister 1924 – 1926 and 1929 – 1942) to urge the Danish people to solidarity in the difficult times around World War II. Since then, the word has been used, but without anyone paying too much attention to it (the online dictionary of The Danish Language Council ordnet.dk quotes, for example, a passage from the regional newspaper Fyens Stiftstidende from 2007: …

Indigenous languages ​​in Brazil and the Corona epidemic.

Screenshot 2021 02 14 at 18.17.45

Soon after the start of the corona pandemic, the Associação Brasileira de Linguística (ABRALIN) initiated a virtual lecture and workshop series entitled Abralin ao Vivo: Linguists Online. The many wonderful contributions, from budding local talents to international celebrities (including Peter Bakker from Denmark), have been recorded on the website and can be watched again. Brazil is of course well represented in the program, and the indigenous languages ​​are often featured. Brazil has up to 160 different Amerindian languages, of which around 120 are spoken in the Amazon. Virtually all of Brazil’s indigenous languages ​​are in danger of extinction due to factors such as the small size population groups, the appeal of the Portuguese language, and the physical …

NOW THAT’S WHAT I CALL LINGUISTIC CHRISTMAS

now thats

It’s Chistmas-time again – and what would this time of year be without Christmas music? A lot of us start counting the days ’till Christmas from the moment “Last Christmas” surprises us in a shopping center sometime around November 20th. With the ongoing corona pandemic, the Danish Health Authorities recommend that people don’t sing on Christmas Eve as is otherwise customary – a recommendation that has received continuing media coverage since the end of November. In other words: We can’t get enough of Christmas songs!

Or maybe Christmas music just isn’t your thing. Is it really possible to listen to ”All I Want for Christmas is You” throughout December without losing your mind, you might be thinking. I …

The first ever Twitter-conference on linguistics is taking place this Saturday!

twitterconf

Would you like to go to a free, online linguistics conference this Saturday? Well, good news:

On Saturday, December 5th, you can follow the presentations of the first ever Twitter-conference on linguistics, Linguistweets! The concept is very simple: Research presentations will be delivered via a series of no more than 6 tweets, presented during a 15 min time slot, under the hashtag #linguistweets. All you have to do is search for the hashtag on Twitter, and you’re good to go! You can find the full conference program her.

The organizers of the event is the Brazilian Linguistics Association (Abralin). On the conference website, the organizers write:

”Besides removing the hassle of travelling, especially during the pandemic, Twitter

Global live presentations on linguistics on the net: Lingoblogger featured on June 7th

ABRALIN EVENTS

Interested in language and linguistics? We thought so! Want to attend an almost three month long global event with talks from some of the world’s leading linguists for free? Of course you do! And now you can!

The Brazilian Linguistics Association (Abralin), in a joint project with the Permanent International Committee of Linguists, the Asociación de Lingüística y Filología de América Latina, Sociedad Argentina de Estudios Lingüísticos, the Association Internationale de Linguistique Appliquée, the Societas Linguistica Europaea, the Linguistic Society of America, the Linguistics Association of Great Britain, and the Australian Linguistic Society, is organizing a virtual event: Abralin ao Vivo – Linguists Online. The event takes place from May 4th

COVIDictionary. Your go-to dictionary in times of Coronavirus and COVID-19

corona tegning til signe

Lingoblog.dk goes viral! Ideas worth spreading! Please send this link: https://www.lingoblog.dk/en/covidictionary-your-go-to-dictionary-in-times-of-coronavirus-and-covid-19/ to all your isolated friends, relatives and colleagues who can be uplifted by some COVID-19 humor.

by Peter Bakker and Joshua Nash

COVIDictionary 20: your go-to dictionary in times of Coronavirus and COVID-19

© Peter Bakker and Joshua Nash

COVIDeology:The idea to shut down the world in order to prevent that hospitals shut down.
COVIDiotic:

 

(1)   The process of closing down the world for no real and apparent reason.

(2)   The process of opening up the world for no real and apparent reason after a lockdown.

(3)   The process of taking no measures for no real and apparent reason.

COVIDe:The feeling of emptiness during lockdown.
COVIDiosity: