LINGUIST List 5.1270

Fri 11 Nov 1994

FYI: Fun: "latent Alabama tendencies", Starring James Spader

Editor for this issue: <>

Directory

1. "Bethany Dumas, UTK", latent Alabama tendencies
2. Bob Ingria, ...starring James Spader as The Linguist

In re: "latent Alabama tendencies"

I enjoy reading the sports section of our local newspaper, The
Knoxville News-Sentinel, primarily because of the columns of one John
Adams (Sports Editor). Adams keeps local fans hopping mad because of
his habit of calling dumb play calls dumb play calls, etc. He is a
refreshing presence in the uncritical sea of orange we live in here
during football season. I also enjoy his occasional tongue-in-cheek
use of various idioms and other resources of our language. I want to
share an example from today's newspaper. The column headlined "Bama
ruled out as state champ by technicality" begins thus:

 Correction:

That's an embarrassing start, particularly where it's questionable
whether a mistake was made. However, unlike some columns, this one
doesn't believe the columnist is always right and the reader is always
wrong.

 There are exceptions.

Such as the one raised by a reader with latent Alabama tendencies.

(The rest of the column questions whether Alabama, which has beaten
Tennessee- Chattanooga, Vanderbilt, and Tennessee in football this
year, should not be declared winner of the state football
championship. Adams concludes not, on the basis that "ownership does
not constitute residency.")

Bethany Dumas = dumasbutkvx.utk.edu (English, U of TN, Knoxville)

 I particularly liked the following exchange between Kurt Russell's
 character and Spader's (Daniel Jackson, ```The Linguist''):

 Alright, Jackson, you're on.
 Me?
 You're the linguist.

 I bet you never thought you'd hear THAT in a Hollywood film.

 And then there's: ``It's easy once you know what the vowels are...''

 -30-
 Bob Ingria