Samuel Johnson famously defined a lexicographer as "a harmless drudge". Have any other lexicographers or linguists made similarly self-deprecating statements about their profession? (I tried some web searches but came up empty-handed; ChatGPT provided some real zingers from the likes of Ferdinand de Saussure, Noam Chomsky, and David Crystal, alas all hallucinated.)
Ar an t-ochtú lá déag de mí Lúnasa, scríobh Tristan Miller:
> Samuel Johnson famously defined a lexicographer as "a harmless drudge". Have
> any other lexicographers or linguists made similarly self-deprecating
> statements about their profession? (I tried some web searches but came up
> empty-handed; ChatGPT provided some real zingers from the likes of Ferdinand
> de Saussure, Noam Chomsky, and David Crystal, alas all hallucinated.)
Part of the difficulty with this is that Chomsky and e.g. Boas have and had egos the size of North America. I do think one needs a robust self-confidence to be good in the field, above and beyond what those around you would support,
something which will not make people quick to self-deprecation.
On 8/19/2024 12:41 AM, Aidan Kehoe wrote:
Ar an t-ochtú lá déag de mí Lúnasa, scríobh Tristan Miller:
> Samuel Johnson famously defined a lexicographer as "a harmless
> drudge". Have any other lexicographers or linguists made similarly
> self-deprecating statements about their profession? (I tried some web
> searches but came up empty-handed; ChatGPT provided some real zingers
> from the likes of Ferdinand de Saussure, Noam Chomsky, and David
> Crystal, alas all hallucinated.)
Part of the difficulty with this is that Chomsky and e.g. Boas have and had egos the size of North America. I do think one needs a robust self-confidence to be good in the field, above and beyond what those around you would support, something which will not make people quick to self-deprecation.
Lunasa is August? is it related to Lunes, Lunar, Looney?
----- Can an anagram amuse senile lexicographers?
interesting linguists in movies:
Henry Higgins
and the one played by Jimmy Stewart
the one played by Amy Adams
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