Ben Zimmer has a post about the GLM's "millionth word", and Paul JJ Payack responds.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: goofy,

I read this yesterday. Too funny and too sad.

As I've said before, he's very good indeed at monitoring Internet references to him and his "project". When I mentioned it briefly on my blog (which has an average readership of less than ten) he sent me an almost identically worded response withing 45 minutes of my making the post.

It was an interesting read, though. I rather enjoyed the banter between Payack and the linguists.

"Catapostrophe". There you are - that's the millionth word - 3 months ahead of schedule.

Actually, it's clear enough to me that this whole saga is a con - possibly, as suggested, to create customers for this new book, Payack maybe hoping to emulate Lynn Truss's success.

I will not be one of those who will be dipping into his pocket.

I wonder what Mr Payack's qualifications are to pontificate on the English language. The introduction to his book says that he "was studying comparative literature and dead languages" at Harvard; he is described elsewhere as "Harvard-educated". No mention is made of degrees.

This is my favourite bit, from Geoff Nunberg's comment:

quote:

GN: It's hard to avoid concluding that you're blowing smoke. If you can provide me with specific and sufficiently detailed answers to the questions I've asked here, though, I will absolutely apologize in public, and amend the Fresh Air piece on this that I taped for broadcast next week.

PP: No need to apologize.

Yes, I liked that, too, goofy.

arnie, often in the U.S. when people have only attended universities, but for some reason haven't graduated (i.e., flunk out or whatever), they either say they "attended Harvard" or they were "educated at Harvard." I looked online to see if I could find actual degrees for Payack, but I couldn't find anything. I, too, wonder whether he actually graduated, and, if so, with what degree.

On the other hand, we must remember that Bush graduated from Yale (albeit with a C average).

quote:

he's very good indeed at monitoring Internet references to him and his "project".

We'll see if he monitors my site as I just wrote about him. However, my readership is even smaller than yours, Bob.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Kalleh,

quote:

Originally posted by Kalleh:
often in the U.S. when people have only attended universities, but for some reason haven't graduated (i.e., flunk out or whatever), they either say they "attended Harvard" or they were "educated at Harvard." ... I, too, wonder whether he actually graduated, and, if so, with what degree.

Exactly! It was the wording that made me wonder precisely that.

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Originally posted by Kalleh:
We'll see if he monitors my site as I just wrote about him.

Please cite the location of your site so I can catch sight of it.

Here's the cite of my site. I think it's pretty funny that Bob's and my Blog have the same look.

I did wonder, though, what the plural of "doth" is.