"Usage and Abusage" @ Free Library of Philadelphia

[alixtii]

So: I went to that "Usage and Abusage" panel with languagelog posters Mark Liberman and John McWhorter as well as Erin McKean and Ben Yagoda. Liberman is right, I think, in saying that a good time was had by all who attended.

One of the best things was being present for the audience reactions--the groans of distaste when some usage or another the audience didn't like was brought out, the audible frustration when the panelists refused to denounce said usage, and whatnot. There was much question and answer, and while I don't think the panelists said much one wouldn't have been able to predict, they always did so in a way which was charming and entertaining, and I had a great time--which makes up for the nightmare I had navigating the NJ/Philly public transportation system.

If anyone was there, I was the gentleman in the "interesting shirt" who asked about the death of whom. I probably should have been more specific or asked about speech instead of writing in order to get a more interesting answer than the equivocal "It'll last longer than you think it will" response I got.

Afterwards, I bought a book by each of the languagelog panelists and of course got them signed, and was present as Liberman conversed about the future and follies of the SAT system. (My response: "The SAT Writing was always graded by automatons, and I don't see the difference between the human and cybernetic variety.")

Comments

[nwhepcat.livejournal.com]

That sounds like a great event. I heard Erin McKean a while back at the book festival in Madison, and she's a wonderful, lively speaker.

(And so full of personal charm that she got pretty much the whole audience of adults to wear pointed birthday hats -- in honor of the anniversary of Verbatim magazine -- without even cajoling.)

[alixtii.livejournal.com]

I can imagine that easily!