Glossophile
New Member
Greetings, fellow skeptics and deep thinkers of all sorts!
I'm Greg, an American graduate student at the University of Florida. In addition to an M.A. in Linguistics from UF, where I am currently pursuing my PhD in the same field, I also hold a B.A. in Spanish from Florida Gulf Coast University. My affinity for studying languages began in high school, and in addition to Spanish, I also have what I would call a solid foundational knowledge of French, Italian, Latin, German, and classical Greek.
I have developed the rather unique hobby of translating/adapting song lyrics between the various languages that I know. The primary challenge is to convey the original meaning as faithfully as possible while making it all fit the rhyme scheme and melody of the song. It's rarely easy, to be sure, but the results are always rewarding! For one thing, it's a rather fun way to exercise and expand my command of the relevant languages! Many of my translations/adaptations can be heard or at least read on my YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/TranslatorCarminum.
I am also an advocate of English orthographic reform for the benefit of children and non-native speakers. I believe that the regularization of standard spelling would contribute greatly to literacy and education in Anglophone countries and that English's unprecedented status as a global lingua franca makes this issue more relevant than ever before. If you're interested, you can learn more about the specifics of the reform that I propose on my website at http://www.hsmespanol.com/RestLatSpellSite/Index.html
For the past couple of years, I have become fascinated by the philosophy of apologetics and counter-apologetics, and it is largely as a consequence of what I learned from that fascination that I personally shifted from deism to atheism. YouTube is my main source, and one of my favorite passtimes has become watching a good theist/atheist debate (e.g. Nye vs. Ham). I've also become a fairly regular viewer of content from YouTubers like Aron Ra, Steve Shives, King Crocoduck, etc.
Politically, I've come to feel somewhat stuck between a rock and a hard place. Although I am a registered Republican, firmly supporting fiscal conservatism and small government, my social views are actually quite liberal, and I am particularly concerned about the encroachment of the Christian right into public policy (which is, of course, a disproportionately Republican feature). I guess you could say that my ideal candidate for any public office would be a centrist Republican, and I've sporadically considered changing my status to Independent.
I decided to look up this forum after Aron Ra mentioned it in "OFNF vs the Facts" on YouTube, thinking it might be a great place for me to stimulate my intellect further by engaging in debates directly and personally, a bit of which I've already done via YouTube comments. So here I am! I look forward to lively discussions in which all involved can hone both our knowledge and our debating skills!
A couple of my all-time favorite quotes:
The only sacred truth in science is that there are no sacred truths. – Carl Sagan
The world is too serious not to laugh at it. – Jeff Danzinger (sp?)
I'm Greg, an American graduate student at the University of Florida. In addition to an M.A. in Linguistics from UF, where I am currently pursuing my PhD in the same field, I also hold a B.A. in Spanish from Florida Gulf Coast University. My affinity for studying languages began in high school, and in addition to Spanish, I also have what I would call a solid foundational knowledge of French, Italian, Latin, German, and classical Greek.
I have developed the rather unique hobby of translating/adapting song lyrics between the various languages that I know. The primary challenge is to convey the original meaning as faithfully as possible while making it all fit the rhyme scheme and melody of the song. It's rarely easy, to be sure, but the results are always rewarding! For one thing, it's a rather fun way to exercise and expand my command of the relevant languages! Many of my translations/adaptations can be heard or at least read on my YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/TranslatorCarminum.
I am also an advocate of English orthographic reform for the benefit of children and non-native speakers. I believe that the regularization of standard spelling would contribute greatly to literacy and education in Anglophone countries and that English's unprecedented status as a global lingua franca makes this issue more relevant than ever before. If you're interested, you can learn more about the specifics of the reform that I propose on my website at http://www.hsmespanol.com/RestLatSpellSite/Index.html
For the past couple of years, I have become fascinated by the philosophy of apologetics and counter-apologetics, and it is largely as a consequence of what I learned from that fascination that I personally shifted from deism to atheism. YouTube is my main source, and one of my favorite passtimes has become watching a good theist/atheist debate (e.g. Nye vs. Ham). I've also become a fairly regular viewer of content from YouTubers like Aron Ra, Steve Shives, King Crocoduck, etc.
Politically, I've come to feel somewhat stuck between a rock and a hard place. Although I am a registered Republican, firmly supporting fiscal conservatism and small government, my social views are actually quite liberal, and I am particularly concerned about the encroachment of the Christian right into public policy (which is, of course, a disproportionately Republican feature). I guess you could say that my ideal candidate for any public office would be a centrist Republican, and I've sporadically considered changing my status to Independent.
I decided to look up this forum after Aron Ra mentioned it in "OFNF vs the Facts" on YouTube, thinking it might be a great place for me to stimulate my intellect further by engaging in debates directly and personally, a bit of which I've already done via YouTube comments. So here I am! I look forward to lively discussions in which all involved can hone both our knowledge and our debating skills!
A couple of my all-time favorite quotes:
The only sacred truth in science is that there are no sacred truths. – Carl Sagan
The world is too serious not to laugh at it. – Jeff Danzinger (sp?)