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James McElvenny

@jamesmcelvenny.bsky.social
315 followers 222 following 36 posts

Linguist and intellectual historian. www.jamesmcelvenny.net

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James McElvenny @jamesmcelvenny.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
If people were speaking directly to one another, could they have been using a lingua franca?
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Martin Konvička @teapotlinguist.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
Looking forward to my LiME lecture at the @meertens-knaw.bsky.social today 🤩 I’ll be presenting my work on non-canonical causal constructions (#BecauseX) in English, German, Dutch, Czech, and beyond. Thanks to Jeroen Van Craenenbroeck for inviting me 🙏 lime.meertens.knaw.nl/en/lime-lect...
lime.meertens.knaw.nl
LiME-lecture with Martin Konvička | Linguistics @ MEertens
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HiPhiLangSci @hiphilangsci.bsky.social · 31/10/2025
Episode no. 51 is out 🤩 Martin Haspelmath (@haspelmath.bsky.social) talks about how he got started in linguistics, the rise of large-scale areal typology in the 1990s, language description vs language comparison, and the current state of the field. 🎙️ hiphilangsci.net/2025/11/01/p... #Histlx
hiphilangsci.net
Podcast episode 51: Martin Haspelmath
In this interview, Martin Haspelmath talks about how he got started in linguistics, the rise of large-scale areal typology in the 1990s, language description vs language comparison, and the current…
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James McElvenny @jamesmcelvenny.bsky.social · 14/10/2025
And here’s the open access manuscript works.hcommons.org/records/myft...
works.hcommons.org
Linguistic description between Kleinstaaterei and the Word of God: a case study of the 1838 Lutheran mission to South Australia
This paper presents a case study of the linguistic work conducted by the German Lutheran missionaries Christian G. Teichelmann (1807–1888) and Clamor W. Schürmann (1815–1893) in producing grammars and...
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James McElvenny @jamesmcelvenny.bsky.social · 14/10/2025
Hans Conon v d G features in a recent paper on which I was co-author doi.org/10.1075/hl.0...
doi.org
Linguistic description between Kleinstaaterei and the Word of God | John Benjamins
Summary This paper presents a case study of the linguistic work conducted by the German Lutheran missionaries Christian G. Teichelmann (1807–1888) and Clamor W. Schürmann (1815–1893) in producing gram...
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Brigitte Nerlich @bnerlich.bsky.social · 05/09/2025
My blog posts are always a bit niche, but this one is a bit nicher than others. This is not to say it’s not interesting. It should be of interest to anybody who works on language, #LLMs, #meaning and context. Have a look! makingsciencepublic.com/2025/09/05/u...
makingsciencepublic.com
Understanding computational hermeneutics: Making meaning between the past and the present
A large group of scholars led by Cody Kommers and Drew Hemment at the Alan Turing Institute recently published a paper on ‘computational hermeneutics’. They mention Hans-Georg Gadamer and Wilhelm D…
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HiPhiLangSci @hiphilangsci.bsky.social · 01/09/2025
In the latest episode of our podcast (no. 47), we talk to Geoff Pullum about his career, his contributions to linguistics, and how he sees the future of the field. 🎙️ hiphilangsci.net/2025/09/01/p... #Histlx #Linguistics #BLinguistik
hiphilangsci.net
Podcast episode 47: Geoff Pullum on Geoff Pullum
In this interview, we talk to Geoff Pullum about his career, his contributions to linguistics, and how he sees the future of the field.
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Henry Sweet Society @henrysweetsoc.bsky.social · 13/08/2025
A fresh new batch of Language & History articles has been published online, with a focus on the interactions between ✨Chinese and English✨ language teaching! Give them a look 👀 www.tandfonline.com/toc/ylhi20/0/0
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HiPhiLangSci @hiphilangsci.bsky.social · 11/08/2025
Call of the Consoritium for History of Science, Technology and Medicine (CHSTM): Working group History of the Language Sciences Where? Online When? September 2025 - May 2026 Further details? See the post on our blog 🔗 hiphilangsci.net/2025/08/09/c... #Histlx
hiphilangsci.net
Call: CHSTM History of Language Sciences 2025–26
CHSTM Working group History of the Language Sciences. Meetings online, September 2025–May 2026 Archives scaffold research in both in history and the sciences. Far from passive repositories, they as…
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Philip K. @herbilis.bsky.social · 08/08/2025
Staatliche grammatische Empörung 54books.de/die-sprache-...
54books.de
Die Sprache macht, was sie will – Über grammatische Empörung - 54books
von Philip Kraut So unwahrscheinlich es auch klingt: Unmarkierte Akkusative machen manche Menschen „wahnsinnig“. Stein des Anstoßes war ein auf X/Twitter gepostetes stockfootageartiges…
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HiPhiLangSci @hiphilangsci.bsky.social · 05/08/2025
Call for Papers for the Annual Meeting of the North American Association for the History of the Language Sciences (NAAHoLS) Date: 8-11 January 2026 Place: New Orleans, Louisiana Deadline for submission: 1 September 2025 🔗 hiphilangsci.net/2025/08/05/n... #Histlx
hiphilangsci.net
NAAHoLS 2026 Annual Meeting
Date: 8-11 January 2026Place: New Orleans, LouisianaDeadline for submission: 1 September 2025Information: The North American Association for the History of the Language Sciences (NAAHoLS) will hold…
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History Cafe ☕ Ottoman Heritage @ottomanhistory.bsky.social · 30/07/2025
📕 Puss in Boots in Ottoman Turkish, 1910s #cat
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Thomas Spiteri @tespiteri.bsky.social · 31/07/2025
It was a true privilege to have had the chance to interview Hans-Jörg Rheinberger, whose work has long influenced both my research interests and engagement with this discipline. It's this week's episode of The HPS Podcast – out now! 🎧 @hpspodcast.bsky.social #hps #histsci #experiments
open.spotify.com
S5 E3 - Hans-Jörg Rheinberger on Epistemic Things
The HPS Podcast - Conversations from History, Philosophy and Social Studies of Science · Episode
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Brigitte Nerlich @bnerlich.bsky.social · 26/07/2025
For weekend readers, my first Making Science Public post on my own blog site, reflecting on the current state of and challenges to science communication #scicomm - feel free to press 'subscribe'! makingsciencepublic.com/2025/07/25/m...
makingsciencepublic.com
Making Science Public in a chaotic world
As you know, I am now gradually moving from my old ‘Making Science Public’ blog home at the University of Nottingham to my new personal blog home here. This wasn’t easy and lots of people supported…
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HiPhiLangSci @hiphilangsci.bsky.social · 22/07/2025
A perfect occasion to listen to ep. 44 of our podcast, in which James McElvenny (@jamesmcelvenny.bsky.social) talks to Ian Stewart (@princetonupress.bsky.social) about modern ideas about the Celts and and the role of historical-comparative linguistics. 🎙️ hiphilangsci.net/2025/03/01/p... #Histlx
hiphilangsci.net
Podcast episode 44: Ian Stewart on the Celts and historical-comparative linguistics
In this interview, we talk to Ian Stewart about modern ideas surrounding the Celts and how these relate to historical-comparative linguistics.
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Henry Sweet Society @henrysweetsoc.bsky.social · 14/07/2025
Don't forget that the full archive of the Henry Sweet Society Bulletin (predecessor of Language & History) is available on our website in ✨OPEN ACCESS✨! This includes issues no. 1-51 (1984-2008). Drop by and browse: www.henrysweet.org/bulletin-of-...
henrysweet.org
HSS Bulletin Archive — Henry Sweet Society
Bulletin of the Henry Sweet Society
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Lauren Gawne @superlinguo.bsky.social · 17/07/2025
The latest round of cuts at ANU include an outrageous plan to close the Australian National Dictionary Centre (ANDC). ANU has forgotten its vital function as the national university. Please sign this petition urging ANU to reconsider and protect the ANDC: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
Why the ANDC Matters?

- The ANDC is Australia’s leading centre for lexicographical research, jointly funded by ANU and Oxford University Press.
- It is the definitive authority on Australian English—documenting regionalisms, Aboriginal English, and producing landmark publications like the Australian National Dictionary.
- Its widely celebrated “Word of the Year” initiative connects Australians with their evolving language and identity.
- For ANU, it provides immense national and international visibility—while operating as a low-cost, high-impact asset.

The Cost of Closure:
- Damage to Australian English: Halting systematic documentation of our unique national language.
- Setback for Indigenous Languages: Undermining efforts to research and preserve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages.
- Erosion of National Identity: Undermining the role of language in shaping how Australians see themselves, their history, and their culture.
- Damage to ANU’s Reputation: Compromising its mission as a national university and leader in cultural heritage research.
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Henry Sweet Society @henrysweetsoc.bsky.social · 09/07/2025
✨Vivien Law Essay Prize in the history of linguistic ideas✨ Deadline: 30th September 2025 If you are: a currently registered student or received your PhD/equivalent within the last five years (maternity leave excluded) See details and get your submissions ready!👇 www.henrysweet.org/vivien-law-p...
henrysweet.org
The Vivien Law Prize — Henry Sweet Society
The Vivien Law Prize
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James McElvenny @jamesmcelvenny.bsky.social · 01/07/2025
(aber, ja, um Missverständnisse zu vermeiden: #climatechangeisreal)
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James McElvenny @jamesmcelvenny.bsky.social · 01/07/2025
Bah! Ich habe meine ganze Schulzeit bei 40 Grad im Outback verbracht.
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Aeon Magazine @aeon.co · 23/06/2025
‘If we could stop thinking of the brain like it’s a Rubik’s cube, then perhaps we would have more capacity to talk about what’s truly iconic about Gage: that he survived, both as a body and a person’ buff.ly/1gMuFXd
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James McElvenny @jamesmcelvenny.bsky.social · 29/06/2025
i.e. Voegelin as quoted in Hockett (ed.), just in case it’s not clear. Link to book on archive.org in the post.
archive.org
Internet Archive: Digital Library of Free & Borrowable Texts, Movies, Music & Wayback Machine
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James McElvenny @jamesmcelvenny.bsky.social · 29/06/2025
Sorry, I don’t know. The most fun anecdote I know about that period is the attached from C. F. Voegelin. archive.org/details/leon...
„Charles F. Voegelin has told me of the relation between Bloomfield and Sapr as he observed it in the 1930’s. Each had deep respect for the other, but with certain reservations. Sapir admired Bloomfield’s ability patiently to excerpt data and to file and collate slips until the patterns of the language…“„…emerged, but spoke deprecatingly of Bloomfield’s sophomoric psychology. Bloomfield was dazzled by Sapir’s virtuosity and perhaps a bit jealous of it, but in matters outside language referred to Sapir as a ‚medicine man‘.“
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Laura Rademaker @laurarad.bsky.social · 27/06/2025
Look what's arrived!
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James McElvenny @jamesmcelvenny.bsky.social · 27/06/2025
Interesting! And is there a connection to “slim” as in American “slim customer”?
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Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Hamburg @stabihh.bsky.social · 26/06/2025
Die FAZ über unsere aktuelle Ausstellung: „Warum wir nicht alle plattdeutsch sprechen Die Universitätsbibliothek Hamburg widmet sich in einer Ausstellung der Geschichte des Niederdeutschen.“ Noch bis 21.7. in der Stabi: blog.sub.uni-hamburg.de?p=40359
"Was ist das. - Was - ist das . . ." "Je, den Düwel ook, c'est la question, ma très chère demoiselle!" Im Salon der Familie Buddenbrook versucht die achtjährige Antonie in schulmäßigem Hochdeutsch den Katechismus herzusagen, was ihr Großvater, der ältere Johann Buddenbrook, mit einem wenig christlichen Einwurf auf Plattdeutsch und Französisch unterbricht. Die ersten Sätze in Thomas Manns Roman entfalten die sprachliche Situation, die noch in der Mitte des neunzehnten Jahrhunderts in Lübeck und vielen anderen norddeutschen Städten herrschte: Seine Glanzzeit als internationale Schriftsprache der Hanse hatte das Niederdeutsche zu dieser Zeit zwar längst hinter sich, aber es führte auch im Großbürgertum noch ein geachtetes Dasein neben der Bildungssprache Französisch. Hochdeutsch beherrschte man in diesen Kreisen zwar auch, aber es spielte keine hervorgehobene Rolle. 

In den kommenden Generationen änderte sich das. Niederdeutsch, dessen Gebiet sich von den Küsten bis in den Nordrand Hessens und über große Teile Westfalens erstreckt, wurde zur Sprache der "einfachen Leute". Bis vor nicht allzu langer Zeit galt es als Hemmnis schulischer Bildung und beruflichen Aufstiegs. Erst in jüngster Zeit hat ein Umdenken eingesetzt; der Rückgang wird nun als drohender Verlust angesehen. Das einst belächelte Provinzidiom genießt in großen Teilen Norddeutschlands mittlerweile ein beachtliches kulturelles Prestige. 

Der wechselvollen Geschichte des Niederdeutschen und seiner Erforschung widmet sich eine Ausstellung in der Hamburger Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek, ausgerichtet vom Verein für Niederdeutsche Sprachforschung aus Anlass seines 150-jährigen Bestehens. Das Spektrum der Exponate in der Staatsbibliothek (zu sehen bis zum 21. Juli) spannt sich von mittelalterlichen Handschriften über illustrierte Drucke der frühen Neuzeit bis zu Sprachkarten, Schulbüchern, der Dokumentation plattdeutscher Straßennamen und der Präsentation aktueller linguistischer Untersuchungen. 

Deutlich…
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Aeon Magazine @aeon.co · 20/06/2025
‘Enchantment and wonder can still coexist with the most serious science.’ How French ‘merveilleux-scientifique’ fiction reframed reality buff.ly/QnbZuh8
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HiPhiLangSci @hiphilangsci.bsky.social · 23/06/2025
Check out the latest publications in the history and philosophy of the language sciences for June 2025 🤩 📚 hiphilangsci.net/2025/06/23/p... #Histlx
hiphilangsci.net
Recent publications in the history and philosophy of the language sciences – June 2025
Zwartjes, Otto, ed. 2025. The History of Chinese Linguistics in East and West. [Special issue] Historiographia Linguistica 51(1-3). Amsterdam: John Benjamins. 385 p. ISSN 0302-5…
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HiPhiLangSci @hiphilangsci.bsky.social · 23/06/2025
"Alles Verstehen ist […] zugleich ein Nicht-Verstehen" #LinguisticBirthdays #Histlx #LinguisticQuotes
"Keiner denkt bei dem Wort gerade und genau das, was der andre und die noch so kleine Verschiedenheit zittert, wie ein Kreis im Wasser, durch die ganze Sprache fort Alles Verstehen ist daher zugleich ein Nicht-Verstehen, alle Übereinstimmung in Gedanken und Gefühlen zugleich ein Auseinandergehen." Wilhelm von Humboldt: Über die Verschiedenheit des menschlichen Sprachbaues
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Dahlem Center for Linguistics @dclberlin.bsky.social · 22/06/2025
#OTD 258 years ago, Wilhelm von Humboldt (1767–1835) was born 🎉 A diplomat, politician, and highly influential philosopher of language, he was an early language typologist who contributed to the description of numerous languages, including Basque and Kawi. #LinguisticBirthdays #Histlx
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Darin Flynn @phono-logical.bsky.social · 21/06/2025
Should be interesting: “The Bloomsbury handbook of Saussure” ed. by John E. Joseph (July ’25) www.bloomsbury.com/ca/bloomsbur...
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James McElvenny @jamesmcelvenny.bsky.social · 21/06/2025
I missed out on meeting her, unfortunately, but I’ve absorbed so much of her work and heard so much about her from others
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HiPhiLangSci @hiphilangsci.bsky.social · 21/06/2025
Happy birthday, dear Anna! 🥳 #Histlx #LinguisticBirthdays #LinguisticQuotes
"The recent historiography is still rediscovering, almost daily, precursors of modern theories or supporters of interesting views who did not deserve the oblivion into which they fell." Anna Morpurgo Davies in Nineteenth-Century Linguistics (1992: 326)
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James McElvenny @jamesmcelvenny.bsky.social · 20/06/2025
It’s a problem how ephemeral digital content tends to be, and that it’s increasingly captured by platform capitalism. But universities of all institutions should be providing a stable, long-term home for this important form of sci-com.
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Kai @kaih.au · 19/06/2025
If you've ever fed Vegemite to someone from overseas, I salute you. It's our national duty to do so.
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Briony Neilson @brionyneilson.bsky.social · 19/06/2025
Along the Elbe in Dresden in 1909 (photo by Karl Struss)
photo shows a line of trees with the figure of a woman in hat, white blouse and long dark skirt to the right, a bridge faintly visible behind
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The HPS Podcast @hpspodcast.bsky.social · 17/06/2025
Very excited about the Call for Papers for the upcoming 2025 conference for the Australasian Association for History, Philosophy and Social Studies of Science. Come join us in sunny Brisbane QLD this December!! It is always a wonderful event. #hps #histSTM #philsci #STS #metasci 🧪
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James McElvenny @jamesmcelvenny.bsky.social · 17/06/2025
Thanks for posting. My chapter in Limits of Structuralism covers similar material in greater depth and with refs and footnotes. global.oup.com/academic/pro...
global.oup.com
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James McElvenny @jamesmcelvenny.bsky.social · 17/06/2025
author beat me to posting this! tl;dr awesome book – highly recommmended
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James McElvenny @jamesmcelvenny.bsky.social · 13/06/2025
From the sublime to the ridiculous?
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Philip K. @herbilis.bsky.social · 12/06/2025
Ich habe gestern und heute die handschriftliche Frühfassung der Golemsage in J. Grimms Nachlass gefunden: ein Exzerpt aus Tentzel 1689. (Hatte Moering 2014 schon per Textvergleich vermutet, nun ist aber das histor. Bindeglied nachgewiesen.) Das ist der Ausgangspunkt für den Golemstoff im 19. Jh.
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Kieran Setiya @ksetiya.bsky.social · 10/06/2025
I wrote about the social history of analytic philosophy @lareviewofbooks.bsky.social lareviewofbooks.org/article/the-...
lareviewofbooks.org
The Politics of Apoliticism | Los Angeles Review of Books
Kieran Setiya reviews Christoph Schuringa’s “A Social History of Analytic Philosophy.”
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James McElvenny @jamesmcelvenny.bsky.social · 10/06/2025
I’m getting the available in May message too.
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James McElvenny @jamesmcelvenny.bsky.social · 10/06/2025
Is it possible to watch this outside Ireland? @davidstifter.bsky.social
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Philip K. @herbilis.bsky.social · 08/06/2025
Im Wesentlichen FERTIG! Puh, was für ein Ritt.
Erste Seite meines Artikels "Zur Rezeption der sprachwissenschaftlichen Arbeiten der Brüder Grimm" für ein geplantes germanistisches Handbuch.
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H.P. @hannelore14089.bsky.social · 07/06/2025
„Mein schönstes Gedicht? Ich schrieb es nicht. Aus tiefsten Tiefen stieg es, Ich schwieg es." Guten Morgen mit dem Mascha Kaléko. - 7. Juni 1907 - 21. Januar 1975 - 
Ein Foto von ihr als junge Frau. Sie trägt eine Art Latzhose, hat ein schönes, junges Gesicht, mit großen Augen und lockige Haare
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James McElvenny @jamesmcelvenny.bsky.social · 05/06/2025
www.degruyter.com/document/isb...
degruyter.com
Entstehung und Entwicklung der modernen Linguistik
This book offers a concise introduction to the history of modern linguistics from its beginnings in the early nineteenth century to World War II. It has been written as a collective biography of the s...
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James McElvenny @jamesmcelvenny.bsky.social · 05/06/2025
Danke an @teapotlinguist.bsky.social und viele andere, die mich beim Schreiben unterstützt haben
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James McElvenny @jamesmcelvenny.bsky.social · 05/06/2025
Obligatory photo of physical book. Nice to finally hold it in my hands. With many improvements on the English version (and only a few Verschlimmbesserungen).
Cover of book “Entstehung und Entwicklung der modern Linguistik”
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FID Romanistik @fidromanistik.bsky.social · 04/06/2025
Enfants ne jouez pas à la guerre. Parents... si vous voulez que vos enfants vivent Préparez le désarmement moral Supprimez les jouets militaires gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b5320…
Ein Vintage-Poster mit einem Kind, das mit einer Spielzeugkanone und Militärfiguren spielt, umgeben von Skelettfiguren, die den Tod darstellen. Der Text warnt Eltern davor, Kindern das Spielen mit Kriegsspielzeug zu erlauben, und setzt sich für moralische Abrüstung ein.
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