wordwatching

At the crossroads of language and culture

Dedicated to the study of language variation and change in American English, with special regard to the West, pop lyrics, and social media.

"Teeter-totter" and "seesaw" in the Middle Rockies

December 28, 2016 by Lamont Antieau in dialectology, lexical variation, Western American English

Variants of teeter-totter in the Linguistic Atlas of the Middle Rockies

"Faith" in Top Ten music (1951-2015)

December 25, 2016 by Lamont Antieau in music video essay

a blog about the word faith in Top Ten music and assorted videos from George Michael

The four elements in Top Ten music (1951-2015)

December 23, 2016 by Lamont Antieau in lyric analysis, music video essay

A post discussing the appearance of the four elements in songs from Billboard's year-end Top Ten charts (1951-2015)

"Kindling" in the Middle Rockies

December 21, 2016 by Lamont Antieau in corpus dialectology, corpus analysis, dialectology, lexical variation, language variation, Western American English

A post on variants of kindling in the English of the Middle Rockies

Songs celebrating tea in Top 30 music

December 19, 2016 by Lamont Antieau in music video essay

A music video essay of songs in Billboard's year-end Top 30 charts (1951-2015) that include reference to tea

"Potluck" in the Middle Rockies

December 19, 2016 by Lamont Antieau in dialectology

The distribution of variants of potluck in the Linguistic Atlas of the Middle Rockies.

Taking flight in Top Ten music

December 17, 2016 by Lamont Antieau in lyric analysis

An analysis of terms associated with air travel in Billboard's year-end Top 10 charts (1951-2015)

"Andirons" in the Middle Rockies

December 12, 2016 by Lamont Antieau in lexical variation, dialectology, language variation, corpus dialectology, Western American English

A post on andiron variants in the Linguistic Atlas of the Middle Rockies

"Bridge(s)" in Top 10 music

December 04, 2016 by Lamont Antieau in music video essay

A music video essay featuring songs from the Billboard year-end Top 10 charts (1951-2015) with the word bridge(s) in them. Includes songs by Simon and Garfunkel, Frankie Valli, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and James Brown.

"Parade" in Top 30 music

November 24, 2016 by Lamont Antieau in music video essay

A music video essay of songs from the Billboard year-end Top 30 charts (1951-2015) that feature the word parade. Includes songs from The Byrds, Jay-Z and Alicia Keys, and The Beatles.

"Vacation" and "holiday" in Top 30 music

November 21, 2016 by Lamont Antieau in music video essay

A music video essay of songs from the Billboard year-end Top 30 charts (1951-2015) featuring the words vacation and holiday. Features songs by The Happenings, The Verve Pipe, Justin Timberlake, and Scorpions.

Eggcorn redux

November 19, 2016 by Lamont Antieau in corpus linguistics, language variation

A post consolidating and linking to my earlier posts on eggcorns in the lyrics of popular music and social media

Soldiering on

November 13, 2016 by Lamont Antieau in music video essay

A post on songs from the Billboard year-end Top 10 charts (1951-2015) that mention members of the military. Includes video clips ofJohnny Horton, Paula Cole, and The Animals.

Words for house haunters in the Linguistic Atlas of the Middle Rockies

October 27, 2016 by Lamont Antieau in corpus dialectology, language variation, lexical variation, Western American English

This post takes a look at variants of ghost in the Linguistic Atlas of the Middle Rockies

"Nasty" in pop music

October 24, 2016 by Lamont Antieau in lyric analysis

A post on the occurrence of the word nasty in songs from the Top Thirty year-end Billboard charts (1951-2015)

Songs about "doing time" in Top 30 music

October 17, 2016 by Lamont Antieau in music video essay

Songs from Billboard's year-end Top 30 (1951-2015) associated with prison. Featuring videos by Tex Ritter, Elvis Presley, Prince, Sam Cooke, Eminem, and OutKast; bonus clips by Johnny Cash and Thin Lizzy.

"Endangered" words in the Linguistic Atlas of the Middle Rockies

October 12, 2016 by Lamont Antieau in corpus dialectology, dialectology, lexical variation, Western American English

A discussion of the use of two "endangered" words, viz. tow sack(s) and whistle pig(s), in the Linguistic Atlas of the Middle Rockies

"Blue skies" in Top 30 music (1955-2015)

October 11, 2016 by Lamont Antieau in music video essay

Music video essay featuring songs about "blue skies" from the Billboard year-end Top 30 charts (1955-2015) and beyond. Artists include The Temptations, Peter Gabriel, Lyle Lovett, and The Allman Brothers.

"Loco" in the Linguistic Atlas of the Middle Rockies

October 11, 2016 by Lamont Antieau in Western American English, corpus analysis

A post on the uses of the morpheme loco in the Linguistic Atlas of the Middle Rockies, particularly those uses in relation to locoweed and its effect on livestock.

"Stormy" weather in Top 10 music

October 06, 2016 by Lamont Antieau in music video essay

Songs from the Billboard year-end Top 10 charts (1951-2015) that mention stormy weather, including videos by The Association, Katy Perry, and Taylor Swift, with bonuses by Neil Young and Ella Fitzgerald.