iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Rachel A. Fletcher

Dahlem Center for Linguistics @dclberlin.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

#OTD 343 years ago, Elizabeth Elstob (1683–1756) was born 🥳 A translator and pioneer of Old English studies, she authored "The Rudiments of Grammar for the English-Saxon Tongue", the first Old English grammar written in English. #WomenInLinguistics #LinguisticBirthdays #Histlx

01610

Reposted by Rachel A. Fletcher

Henry Sweet Society @henrysweetsoc.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

💥Vivien Law Essay Prize reminder💥 Deadline: 30 September 2025‼️ We welcome essays on any topic related to the history of linguistic ideas by PhD students and recent graduates. The prize includes £200 and more. See details and don't forget to send in your essay!👇 www.henrysweet.org/vivien-law-p...

henrysweet.org

The Vivien Law Prize — Henry Sweet Society

The Vivien Law Prize

055

Reposted by Rachel A. Fletcher

Dr Laura Sangha @lsangha.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

A London stationer left his friend, an apothecary, a ring or breast buckle 'requesting that he would wear it as long if he pleases. I wish he would always wear it when he goes affishing ...

2355

Reposted by Rachel A. Fletcher

Dictionary Society of North America @dictionarysoc.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Two weeks remaining to apply for a DSNA project grant!

011

Reposted by Rachel A. Fletcher

Lynne Murphy @lynneguist.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

The deadline is soon!

044

Reposted by Rachel A. Fletcher

Dahlem Center for Linguistics @dclberlin.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

#OTD 181 years ago, Henry Sweet (1845–1912) was born 🥳 Phonetician and language historian, particularly of Old Germanic languages, a pioneer in language teaching, and the author of the unsuccessful Current Shorthand. The @henrysweetsoc.bsky.social is named after him. #LinguisticBirthdays #Histlx

0198

Reposted by Rachel A. Fletcher

Richard Fallon @richardfallon.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

A highly Victorian segue.

'No apology is necessary in introducing the following lines ON A FOSSIL NAUTILUS'

0205

Reposted by Rachel A. Fletcher

Dr Laura Varnam @drlauravarnam.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Super article in Univ’s Martlet magazine about the ✨AMAZING✨ donation we received last yr from an Old Member- CS Lewis’s own copy of Tolkien’s Beowulf: The Monsters & Critics essay, SIGNED & DEDICATED by Tolkien himself! 🤩 Read online here www.univ.ox.ac.uk/wp-content/u...

The Martlet, the magazine of University College, Oxford

Laura Varnam and her students with the copy of Tolkien’s essay

2154

Reposted by Rachel A. Fletcher

Peter Gilliver @petermgilliver.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

Another pair of #OEDMakers (though in a very modest way): James Edgerton Learned (1839–1902) and Dwight Whitney Learned (1848–1943). Here’s a piece about them. Also available on Facebook to @DictionarySocNAmembers and at themakersoftheoed.wordpress.com/miscellaneou...

023

Reposted by Rachel A. Fletcher

Trinity College Library, Cambridge @trincolllibcam.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Fancy a trip round Anglo Saxon England? A wonderful collection of hand drawn maps have been digitised and are available here:https://archives.trin.cam.ac.uk/index.php/maps-of-anglo-saxon-england #anglosaxon #maps #england

A detailed map of England and Wales showing Anglo Saxon place names.
Drawn by and in black ink.

110029

Reposted by Rachel A. Fletcher

MAMO Conference 2027 @themamoconf.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

A MAMO reminder that we're accepting abstracts through to 30th September. Thanks to everyone who has submitted proposals so far!

088

Reposted by Rachel A. Fletcher

Dictionary Society of North America @dictionarysoc.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

DSNA Project Grants #CFP In 2027, DSNA will award small grants to support practical or scholarly lexicographic projects by independent researchers, #dictionary makers, and early-career scholars. Info & how to apply: dictionarysociety.com/2027-project... Applications are due October 1, 2026.

dictionarysociety.com

CFP: 2027 Project Grants | Dictionary Society of North America

In 2027, DSNA will award small grants to support practical or scholarly lexicographic projects by independent researchers, dictionary makers, and early-care ...

023

Reposted by Rachel A. Fletcher

Dictionary Society of North America @dictionarysoc.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

The 26th Biennial Meeting of the Dictionary Society of North America at the University of California, Davis, will now be held a week later than previously announced, from June 23–26, 2027. #CFP & more info: dictionarysociety.com/dsna26-in-da... Submissions close January 29, 2027. #lexicography

dictionarysociety.com

DSNA26 in Davis, California | Dictionary Society of North America

DSNA26 in Davis, California June 23–26, 2027 Important Update: Revised Dates! The 26th Biennial Meeting of the Dictionary Society of North America at the Un ...

023

Rachel A. Fletcher @rafletcher.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Two and a half weeks to send us your abstracts!

031

Reposted by Rachel A. Fletcher

Dr Matt Firth @mattfirth.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

CFP: IMC Leeds (5–8 July 2027) Conquest, Invasion, Colonisation: Experience and Memory in Early Medieval Britain. Keen for more papers on the experiences and legacies of conquest in early medieval Britain and Ireland. Abstracts to matthew.firth@flinders.edu.au by 31 August 2026.

01810

Reposted by Rachel A. Fletcher

Dictionary Society of North America @dictionarysoc.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

#lexicography #CFP: Dictionaries: Journal of the Dictionary Society of North America is accepting submissions for forthcoming general issues. The journal publishes articles on all aspects of lexicography. Please contact the editor, Lynne Murphy (m.l.murphy@sussex.ac.uk), for submissions or queries.

022

Reposted by Rachel A. Fletcher

Dictionary Society of North America @dictionarysoc.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

New issue of Dictionaries: Journal of the Dictionary Society of North America available on @projectmuse.bsky.social! Read it here: muse.jhu.edu/issue/57355 [1/5]

Samuel Johnson and Francis Stewart: Collection and Collaboration in the Dictionary of the English Language (1755) – Lynda Mugglestone
A Gross Literary Fraud, Revisited – David Micklethwait
Panel discussion: Will Dictionaries Exist in 2075? – Lisa Berglund, Michael Hancher, Wendalyn Nichols, Kory Stamper, Joseph T. Farquharson, and Orión Montoya
Reference Work in Progress: A Canadian English Dictionary for All: Reviving Present-Day Lexicography in an Inclusive Era – John J. Chew, III; Stefan Dollinger; Emma Ferrett; Amir Ghorvei; and Anastasia Riehl
Reference Work in Progress: Towards a Dictionary of Jamaican Slang – Byron M. Jones, Jr., and Joseph T. Farquharson
Book Review: The F-Word, 4th edn. by Jesse Sheidlower – Viktorija Kostadinov

224

Reposted by Rachel A. Fletcher

Dr Ellen Gallimore @emgallimore.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Be sure to check out the Padlet for CfPs for #IMC2027! If anyone wants their CfP adding to the Padlet, email or tag the @imc-leeds.bsky.social team. It's useful for those who don't use the socials and is linked on the IMC 2027 website. padlet.com/universityof...

padlet.com

IMC 2027 'Communities'

Proposals on any topic related to the Middle Ages are welcome, while every year the IMC also chooses a special thematic focus. In 2027 this is ‘Communities’. For any questions, please email imc@leeds....

095

Reposted by Rachel A. Fletcher

Finn Longman is only here occasionally @finnlongman.com · 04/08/2026

COVER REVEAL! My next novel, The Animals We Became, retells the medieval Welsh tale 'Math fab Mathonwy'. It's a book about gender, trauma, and compulsory heterosexuality expressed through non-consensual animal transformations and some deeply unreliable narration... finnlongman.com/books/the-an...

The cover of THE ANIMALS WE BECAME by Finn Longman, featuring an illustration of an owl emerging from flowers and foliage against a starry backdrop. Tree trunks on either side are carved with knotwork forming the shapes of boar, deer, and wolves.

1316860

Reposted by Rachel A. Fletcher

Philip K. @herbilis.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

Vor allem auch für die Literaturwissenschaften interessant, damit ihr nicht immer (nur) DWB-Artikel von 1860 oder so zitieren müsst. #LitWiss

1153

Reposted by Rachel A. Fletcher

Lynne Murphy @lynneguist.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

Congratulations to @bethyoung.bsky.social and team on their new NEH funding for the Webster's Dictionary project! webstersdictionaryonline.com/about

webstersdictionaryonline.com

Noah Webster's Dictionary Online

Browse Noah Webster's 1806 and 1828 dictionaries online.

0112

Reposted by Rachel A. Fletcher

New-Cleckit Dominie @ncdominie.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

This is just to say I have OCRed the text thet was in tne arch:ve and whicb yov were prabaldy seamhing for "breahtast" Fargme ms fheg mem debo:w5 sb ?mccf mmb 5c oc1b

7778512570

Reposted by Rachel A. Fletcher

Kat Steiner @kastrel.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

Would people like a light-hearted Story from the Archives? In my case, the Bodleian's special collections reading room, which was at the time in the basement of the science library. It is entitled "Why Have You Given Me This Block of Wood?"

23414

Reposted by Rachel A. Fletcher

Charlotte Bowyer @charlottebowyer.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

CALL FOR PAPERS Excited to open the CFP for 'Wundor in Old English Literature' at Leeds IMC next year (5th-8th July 2027). If you have any questions, please get in touch! Abstracts due 10th September 2026. #IMC2027 #medievalsky @imc-leeds.bsky.social

Wundor in Old English Literature

Leeds International Medieval Congress 2027
5th-8th July 2027

A sense of wonder runs through the Old English literary corpus, from the marvellous sights described in ‘Alexander’s Letter to Aristotle’ to the ambiguous ‘wundorlicu wiht’ of the Exeter Book riddles. But what does it mean to be wondrous? This session will explore the multivalence of the Old English term ‘wundor’, which holds the simultaneous meanings of marvel, portent and miracle.

Topics may include, but are not limited to:
Wondrous natural phenomena
Monstrous and hybrid bodies
Riddles and the unearthing of wonder
Wonder as an affective response to the inexplicable

Interdisciplinary contributions are very welcome.

To participate, please submit a short biography and a proposal of up to 250 words to Charlotte Bowyer (charlotte.c.bowyer@kcl.ac.uk) by 10 September 2026.

0125

Reposted by Rachel A. Fletcher

Rachel A. Fletcher @rafletcher.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

Interested in the history of #OldEnglish scholarship? @emgallimore.bsky.social, Thijs Porck and I will be editing a volume on OE in the long 19th century; if you'd like to contribute a chapter, the deadline for abstracts is 1 Sept 2026, first full drafts due Sept 2027. Spread the word! #medievalsky

Call for Contributions
Dynamics of Old English Scholarship in the Long Nineteenth Century: Discoveries, Disputes and the Development of a Discipline
ed. Rachel A. Fletcher, Ellen Gallimore & Thijs Porck
The long nineteenth century (1786–1914) was a dynamic and transformative period for the scholarly study of Old English.
The legacies of nineteenth-century scholarship remain deeply embedded in the study of Old English today. As a result, contemporary scholars must engage not only with early medieval language and literature itself, but also with the intellectual and ideological lenses through which nineteenth-century scholars recovered, edited and interpreted this material.
We hope to bring together a peer-reviewed edited volume with papers on various aspects of the scholarly study of Old English in the long nineteenth century, with an additional focus on European continental
contributions in line with the ERC-project EMERGENCE (‘Early Medieval English in NineteenthCentury Europe’). Proposals for chapter contributions of c. 8000 words are welcome from scholars from all academic backgrounds. First drafts full drafts are due at the end of September 2027.
Possible topics/themes include but are not limited to:
- Discoveries of Old English texts
- Disputes about linguistic or literary interpretations of Old English
- Developments in the discipline of Old English studies
- Personal, religious, political and ideological motivations for the study of Old English
- Biographical contributions about scholars of Old English
- Scholarly correspondence on Old English matters
- Editing and printing of Old English texts
- Teaching of Old English
Please send an abstract (500 words) and short bio (150 words) to Rachel A. Fletcher
(r.a.fletcher@hum.leidenuniv.nl), Ellen Gallimore (ellen.gallimore@york.ac.uk) and Thijs Porck (m.h.porck@hum.leidenuniv.nl) before 1 September 2026.

02726

Reposted by Rachel A. Fletcher

Rebecca Brackmann @brackman1066.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

William Lambarde's Perambulation of Kent talks a bit about Rochester Bridge (he even edits an Old English charter about its upkeep) so I decided to research a bit about the bridge's history. Was not expecting everything I found, so here follows a thread: (1/11)

121

Reposted by Rachel A. Fletcher

Josh Coulthard @joshcoulthard.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

See below for a CFP for #leeds2027 organised by Robyn Stewart.

0119

Reposted by Rachel A. Fletcher

Henry Sweet Society @henrysweetsoc.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

✨️Vivien Law Essay Prize✨️ We invite all students and ECRs to submit an essay on any topic in the history of linguistics. Winning essay receives a prize of £200 and more! Deadline: 30 September 2026. See details here and get your submissions ready👇️ : www.henrysweet.org/vivien-law-p...

henrysweet.org

The Vivien Law Prize — Henry Sweet Society

The Vivien Law Prize

175

Reposted by Rachel A. Fletcher

Each to tha Peach, baybee @weareeach.bsky.social · 18/07/2026

"Shoulda bought Sunn O tix when they were still $80" was not on my bingo card for 2026.

011

Reposted by Rachel A. Fletcher

Philip K. @herbilis.bsky.social · 18/07/2026

Karl Simrock, einer der bekanntesten frühen Germanisten der zweiten Generation nach Grimm und Lachmann.

0103

Reposted by Rachel A. Fletcher

HEL (History of the English Language) on the Web @helontheweb.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

Old English Abroad: A hybrid/online lecture series on the reception and study of early medieval English language and literature outside the Anglophone world Professor Santiago Disalvo (Universidad Nacional de la Plata) 21 July, 2026; 14:00 CEST emergence.leiden.edu/OEB1

emergence.leiden.edu

EMERGENCE - ERC Project | Old English Abroad lecture

Professor Santiago Disalvo (Universidad Nacional de la Plata): ‘Awareness and references to early medieval English poetry in Spanish-speaking intellectual circles (late 19th and early 20th centuries)’...

022

Reposted by Rachel A. Fletcher

TOEBI @toebi.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

📣 #CallforContributions #medievalsky #OldEnglish 📜 Dynamics of Old English Scholarship in the Long Nineteenth Century: Discoveries, Disputes and the Development of a Discipline ✍️ Editors: Rachel A. Fletcher, Ellen Gallimore & Thijs Porck ⏰ Abstracts due: 1 Sept 2026 📆 Drafts due: end of Sept 2027

086

Reposted by Rachel A. Fletcher

Dr Ellen Gallimore @emgallimore.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

CFP for @imc-leeds.bsky.social #IMC2027 on Building Scientific Communities: The Transmission of the Quadrivium in the Early Medieval Period (c. 300-1000 C.E.). Posted on behalf of Dr Robyn Stewart (University of York) who is not on Bsky. Deadline 1 Sept 2026 for 250-word abstracts.

A call for papers for Building Scientific Communities: The Transmission of the Quadrivium in the Early Medieval Period (c. 300-1000 C.E.), with an invitation to contact robyn.stewart@york.ac.uk with submissions.

01214

Reposted by Rachel A. Fletcher

Juliane Witte @julianewitte.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

Now that everyone has returned from this year's @imc-leeds.bsky.social, I thought I'd share my CFP for next year's on female communities and networks again 😊 feel free to reach out with questions as well! #MedievalSky

In line with IMC’s thematic focus on communities, this series of sessions will explore female networks and communities in the Middle Ages from a variety of methodological, theoretical, and disciplinary angles. While many medieval sources focus expressly on men and male characters, relationships between women and female characters exist, even if they are sometimes hidden away at the margins. The goal of these sessions is to put female networks, communities, and relationships at the centre of our focus and thereby gain a more nuanced insight into the Middle Ages and our engagement with the time period and its various outputs.

In this context, both “network” and “community” are defined as broadly as possible, namely as relationships of any sort between medieval women, female characters in texts, and/or female audiences (both medieval and modern, both scholarly and popular). The aim of these sessions is to explore where and how such networks and communities can be located, how they are depicted, what effect they have upon their narratives or their historical surroundings, and how we connect to them now. The desire is for these sessions to be as broad and exploratory as possible, inviting scholars from a variety of disciplines.

Papers could address intersectional communities, religious networks, the performance of community, inclusion/exclusion, and much more in historical, literary, and/or material contexts. Doctoral Candidates, late-stage MA students, and Early Career Researchers are actively encouraged to send in proposals. I am planning an edited volume based on these sessions.

Please send an abstract (max. 300 words) and a short biography to juliane.witte@uni-tuebingen.de by the 31st of July 2026. Please do state whether you’d prefer to attend in person or online. Feel free to also reach out with any questions!

02011

Rachel A. Fletcher @rafletcher.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

02726

Reposted by Rachel A. Fletcher

Peter Gilliver @petermgilliver.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

Here’s a piece about a whole group of #OEDMakers: namely the musicians. Also available on Facebook to @DictionarySocNAmembers and at themakersoftheoed.wordpress.com/miscellaneou...

044

Rachel A. Fletcher @rafletcher.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

Heartily seconded, and not just because he's my boss. It's literal laugh-out-loud stuff; Henry Sweet did *not* know when to keep his mouth shut.

171

Reposted by Rachel A. Fletcher

Dr Ellen Gallimore @emgallimore.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Our sessions have moved! Due to a technical issue with our original room, you can now find us in the Esther Simpson Building room 2.08 tomorrow starting bright and early at 9am. Hope to see you there at @imc-leeds.bsky.social! #IMC2026

043

Reposted by Rachel A. Fletcher

Dr Ellen Gallimore @emgallimore.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

I hope you've kept your Thursday of @imc-leeds.bsky.social clear to attend all 3 sessions of Old English in the Long 19th Century! Join us in Laidlaw Library Teaching Room 1 for nine papers on the impact of Old English language, literature, and law in the 19th century. #IMC2026 #medievalsky

Schedule for three Leeds IMC sessions on Thursday 9 July from 9:00-10:30, 11:15-12:45, and 14:15-15:45.

0137

Reposted by Rachel A. Fletcher

Peter Gilliver @petermgilliver.bsky.social · 28/06/2026

Cornelis Stoffel (1845–1908) is my latest #OEDMaker, and here—after another gap (apologies, life continues busy)—is a piece about him. Also available on Facebook to @DictionarySocNAmembers and at themakersoftheoed.wordpress.com/the-quotatio...

011

Reposted by Rachel A. Fletcher

Charlotte Bowyer @charlottebowyer.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

Counting down the days to #IMC2026, especially our panel on M. R. James and Old English! First, Emily Dixon will give a fascinating paper on reading Old English Soul & Body poems through ‘The Mezzotint’, then I’ll talk about James’ work on the Jamnes and Mambres fragment in Cotton MS Tiberius B.v.

16:30-18:00 on Tuesday 7th July. Session 845: New Perspectives on M. R. James: Scholarship and Creative Practice.

‘An Education in Reading Horrific Bodies: Reading Old English Soul and Body Poems in the Context of M. R. James’ The Mezzotint’ - Emily Dixon, King’s College London

‘M. R. James, The Marvels of the East and a ‘Forgotten Fragment’ of Jamnes and Jambres’ - Charlotte Bowyer, King’s College London

2154

Reposted by Rachel A. Fletcher

Elaine Treharne @etreharne.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

Neil Ker’s parallel transcription of all seven instances of the Early English Poema Morale, c.1200-1300. Here’s your big data. He completed this in 1932, while finishing his mammoth BLitt thesis on Ælfric Homilies.

0156

Reposted by Rachel A. Fletcher

Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 01/06/2026

Trivial #fandom update for the Historical #Dictionary of #ScienceFiction: "fannish", with non-SFnal examples from 1901 and 1915 before SF cites from 1948, now has two 1942 uses from SF zines. sfdictionary.com/view/997/fan...

sfdictionary.com

Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction: fannish

Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction

041

Reposted by Rachel A. Fletcher

That Word Chat @thatwordchat.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

On June 2, #ThatWordChat welcomes Michael Adams — lexicographer and curator of "The Whole World in a Book." We’ll discuss the extraordinary Madeline Kripke collection — more than 20,000 dictionaries and language books gathered over a lifetime. Sign up: ThatWordChat.com #Lexicography #Linguistics

052

Reposted by Rachel A. Fletcher

Carin Ruff @carinr.bsky.social · 21/05/2026

In the Bosworth online conference happening right now, Paul Schaffner and @rafletcher.bsky.social remind us that Simon Keynes' Kemble website on Anglo-Saxon charters is still up and running and, indeed, has been updated and modernized over the years: dk.robinson.cam.ac.uk

dk.robinson.cam.ac.uk

Welcome to the Kemble Website. | Kemble

082

Reposted by Rachel A. Fletcher

Carin Ruff @carinr.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

🚨 #medievalsky 🚨 Middle English Dictionary update via FB: "In its 100-year history, MED has enjoyed periods of support, and periods when that support was lacking. It is about to enter on one of the latter. After this year...UMich will no longer fund ongoing editorial work and maintenance." 🧵

49161