Speculative Grammarian
Encyclopedia
Speculative Grammarian (often referred to as SpecGram) is the self-described "premier scholarly journal
featuring research in the neglected field of satirical
linguistics
." It is a parody science
journal, similar in nature to the Annals of Improbable Research
or the Journal of Irreproducible Results
, but with content focusing on linguistics and closely related fields. It has also been compared to The Onion
, but "for linguists."
), and parodies of book reviews, book advertisements, calls for papers
, and other scholarly announcements.
Many papers properly apply serious linguistic concepts to absurd or inappropriate topics. Others provide linguistic analysis of absurd and fabricated language data, or provide a perverse analysis of real, though often severely and selectively limited, data. Still others directly parody linguistics or linguists themselves.
) since 1988, with consecutive issues being anywhere from one month to six years apart. From 2004 to 2006, the journal was published more consistently on a quarterly basis, with occasional special issues throughout the year. In 2007, the journal was published bimonthly, and since the summer of 2008 it has been published monthly. The journal was first edited by Tim Pulju (now Editor Emeritus) and Keith Slater (now Senior Editor), and is currently managed by Trey Jones.
). This fictional history ("much of this rich and varied history is concocted ad lib and ad hoc
") is occasionally revealed in pieces in Letters from the Editor. The first installment claims the journal was "founded by Petrus Hispanus
, one of the original speculative grammarians, in 1276". Later installments trace the inconsistent and fantastical history through the present day. In June 2009, the fictional origin of the journal was pushed back almost four centuries, when the journal had a different name: "Íslensk Tölvumálvísindi ['Icelandic Computational Linguistics'] was founded in Reykjavík in 881 by Ingólfr Arnarson".
The first issue available in the archives bearing the Speculative Grammarian name is Vol. CXLVII, No. 1 from January 1993. However, the "Letter from the Managing Editor" for that issue makes it clear that, despite the assumption of a long previous history, SpecGram is a continuation of the previously titled Journal of the Linguistic Society of South-Central New Caledonia (the last issue of which was sub-titled Langue du Monde).
Lingua Pranca includes humorous pieces by several linguists who, 30 years later, have gone on to become well known in the field, including Bernard Comrie
, Elan Dresher, Norbert Hornstein
, D. Terence Langendoen, James D. McCawley
, Ken Miner, Robert Rankin
, and Leonard Talmy
.
In October 2009, a third anthology, Collateral Descendant of Lingua Pranca, was released which featured articles from "a number of new contributors," and "several veterans from Lingua Pranca and Son". The new articles are similar in tone and style to those in the original anthologies, and many make reference to the original articles.
Academic journal
An academic journal is a peer-reviewed periodical in which scholarship relating to a particular academic discipline is published. Academic journals serve as forums for the introduction and presentation for scrutiny of new research, and the critique of existing research...
featuring research in the neglected field of satirical
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
linguistics
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
." It is a parody science
Parody science
Parody science, sometimes called spoof science, is the act of mocking science in a satirical way. Science can be parodied for a purpose, ranging from social commentary and making political points, to humor for its own sake....
journal, similar in nature to the Annals of Improbable Research
Annals of Improbable Research
The Annals of Improbable Research is a bi-monthly magazine devoted to scientific humor, in the form of a satirical take on the standard academic journal...
or the Journal of Irreproducible Results
Journal of Irreproducible Results
The Journal of Irreproducible Results is a magazine of science humor. JIR was founded in Israel in 1955 by virologist Alexander Kohn and physicist Harry J. Lipkin, who wanted a humor magazine about science, for scientists. It contains a unique mix of jokes, satire of scientific practice, science...
, but with content focusing on linguistics and closely related fields. It has also been compared to The Onion
The Onion
The Onion is an American news satire organization. It is an entertainment newspaper and a website featuring satirical articles reporting on international, national, and local news, in addition to a non-satirical entertainment section known as The A.V. Club...
, but "for linguists."
Content and style
The journal includes humorous articles often written in an exaggerated scholarly tone. Also regularly featured are poetry, cartoons, puzzles (including crosswords and SuDokuSudoku
is a logic-based, combinatorial number-placement puzzle. The objective is to fill a 9×9 grid with digits so that each column, each row, and each of the nine 3×3 sub-grids that compose the grid contains all of the digits from 1 to 9...
), and parodies of book reviews, book advertisements, calls for papers
Call for papers
A call for papers ' is a method used in academic and other contexts for collecting book or journal articles or conference presentations...
, and other scholarly announcements.
Many papers properly apply serious linguistic concepts to absurd or inappropriate topics. Others provide linguistic analysis of absurd and fabricated language data, or provide a perverse analysis of real, though often severely and selectively limited, data. Still others directly parody linguistics or linguists themselves.
Publication history
Based on the online SpecGram archives, the journal has been published sporadically under several names (Psammeticus Quarterly, Babel, and The Journal of the Linguistic Society of South-Central New CaledoniaNew Caledonia
New Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
) since 1988, with consecutive issues being anywhere from one month to six years apart. From 2004 to 2006, the journal was published more consistently on a quarterly basis, with occasional special issues throughout the year. In 2007, the journal was published bimonthly, and since the summer of 2008 it has been published monthly. The journal was first edited by Tim Pulju (now Editor Emeritus) and Keith Slater (now Senior Editor), and is currently managed by Trey Jones.
Fictional history
One of the conceits of the journal is that it has existed in one form or another, and has wielded great influence in world events, for hundreds of years (a clear parallel to the IlluminatiIlluminati
The Illuminati is a name given to several groups, both real and fictitious. Historically the name refers to the Bavarian Illuminati, an Enlightenment-era secret society founded on May 1, 1776...
). This fictional history ("much of this rich and varied history is concocted ad lib and ad hoc
Ad hoc
Ad hoc is a Latin phrase meaning "for this". It generally signifies a solution designed for a specific problem or task, non-generalizable, and not intended to be able to be adapted to other purposes. Compare A priori....
") is occasionally revealed in pieces in Letters from the Editor. The first installment claims the journal was "founded by Petrus Hispanus
Peter of Spain
Peter of Spain or, in Latin, Petrus Hispanus is the Mediaeval author of Tractatus, later known as Summulae logicales magistri Petri Hispani , a standard textbook on logic...
, one of the original speculative grammarians, in 1276". Later installments trace the inconsistent and fantastical history through the present day. In June 2009, the fictional origin of the journal was pushed back almost four centuries, when the journal had a different name: "Íslensk Tölvumálvísindi ['Icelandic Computational Linguistics'] was founded in Reykjavík in 881 by Ingólfr Arnarson".
The first issue available in the archives bearing the Speculative Grammarian name is Vol. CXLVII, No. 1 from January 1993. However, the "Letter from the Managing Editor" for that issue makes it clear that, despite the assumption of a long previous history, SpecGram is a continuation of the previously titled Journal of the Linguistic Society of South-Central New Caledonia (the last issue of which was sub-titled Langue du Monde).
Other satirical linguistics materials
The journal has republished a number of satirical linguistics works, some of which are available elsewhere on the Internet, some previously not, in order to bring them to a wider audience. The more notable collections include the works of Metalleus, which were incorporated into the regular issues from 2005 to 2008, and Lingua Pranca and Son of Lingua Pranca, which were originally published separately.Metalleus
Linguist Ken Miner has written many popular satirical linguistics pieces over the years in the Usenet group sci.lang, under the pen-name Metalleus. Speculative Grammarian republished these, one per issue, from October 2005 through March 2008.Lingua Pranca
Over the course of 2006, the journal converted an older satirical linguistics anthology, Lingua Pranca (1978), to an electronic format, so that it would be available to a wider audience. Over the course of 2007, the sequel, Son of Lingua Pranca (1979), was digitized.Lingua Pranca includes humorous pieces by several linguists who, 30 years later, have gone on to become well known in the field, including Bernard Comrie
Bernard Comrie
Bernard Comrie is a British-born linguist. Comrie is a specialist in linguistic typology and linguistic universals, and on Caucasian languages....
, Elan Dresher, Norbert Hornstein
Norbert Hornstein
Norbert Hornstein is Professor of Linguistics at the University of Maryland. Working within a generative framework, he has worked on the nature of logical form, and has recently proposed that control should, like raising, be analyzed in terms of movement....
, D. Terence Langendoen, James D. McCawley
James D. McCawley
James David McCawley was an American linguist.McCawley was born James Quillan McCawley, Jr. to Dr. Monica Bateman McCawley , a physician and surgeon, and James Quillan McCawley , a businessman...
, Ken Miner, Robert Rankin
Robert Rankin
Robert Fleming Rankin is a prolific British humorous novelist. Born in Parsons Green, London, he started writing in the late 1970s, and first entered the bestsellers lists with Snuff Fiction in 1999, by which time his previous eighteen books had sold around one million copies...
, and Leonard Talmy
Leonard Talmy
Leonard Talmy is a professor of linguistics and philosophy at the University at Buffalo in New York. He is known for his pioneering work in cognitive linguistics, more specifically, in the relationship between semantic and formal linguistic structures and the connections between semantic typologies...
.
In October 2009, a third anthology, Collateral Descendant of Lingua Pranca, was released which featured articles from "a number of new contributors," and "several veterans from Lingua Pranca and Son". The new articles are similar in tone and style to those in the original anthologies, and many make reference to the original articles.