I've just come across a Wiki project on linguistics, at Glottopedia.

It's very much under construction at the moment but may well prove interesting and useful as it develops.

I note that many in the advisory team seem to be Scandinavian, judging by their names. Is this a reflection of the level of interest that many English people have about their native tongue, one wonders?

It doesn't seem so active now, but I've signed up and will probably do some light editing and maybe even an article. Thanks, arnie.

quote:

I note that many in the advisory team seem to be Scandinavian, judging by their names.

The two Editors-in-Chief, Prof. Dr. Martin Haspelmath and Sven Naumann, are both at German universities and have Germanic names.

The members of the Scientific Advisory Council, Gabriel Altmann (German/Jewish?), Pier Marco Bertinetto (Italian), Greville G. Corbett (English), Östen Dahl (Swedish), Martin Haase (Germanic), Reinhard Köhler (Germanic), John McWhorter (Scottish), Paul Newman English/Jewish), and Jürgen Wedekind (Germanic) have names that appear to have originated in various European countries; only Östen Dahl has an immediately identifiable Scandinavian name - he's at Stockholm University. Of course, many of them could be citizens of English-speaking countries - they or their forebears may well have emigrated.

It looks like it has lots of potential. Thanks, arnie!