@swanrad.ch
Historical linguist from Switzerland working in the field of Germanic languages, etymology, onomastics. I like libraries, tea, Linux, typography & type design, photography, cinnamon buns. https://swanrad.ch pics: https://www.flickr.com/photos/29409291@N05/
Hi friends. As I previously noted, the U. of Iowa is planning to get rid of African American studies; Gender, Women & Sexuality Studies, & the Classical Languages major—along with others. If you wish, please sign the classics petition: www.change.org/p/keep-the-c.... I will add more as I find out.
Just finished a discussion with @timothysnyder.bsky.social
about the political implications and possible causes of Trump’s decision to bomb Iran. It’s important not to normalise the discussion of what is happening.
open.substack.com/pub/snyder/p...
Joseph Bosworth & Old English Studies: Then, Now and the Future (21 May 2026, 16:00-19:00 CEST / 10:00-13:00 EDT) An online academic memorial event reflecting on the continuing impact of Joseph Bosworth († 27 May 1876) and his Old English dictionary on the field of Old English Studies. The programme will consist of a series of 20-minute papers and a roundtable. Confirmed speakers include: • Dabney Bankert (James Madison University) • Rachel A. Fletcher (Leiden University) • Thijs Porck (Leiden University) • Christine Rauer (University of St Andrews) • Ondřej Tichý (Charles University, Prague) • Madeleine Thompson (Anthropic, author of the Bosworth-Toller smartphone app) For more information (or joining the roundtable) you can contact the organisers by sending an e-mail to Rachel A. Fletcher (r.a.fletcher@hum.leidenuniv.nl ). Attendance is free, but please let us know you are coming by filling out this registration form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScj3hMvrYe6vVzQlTWsFyNmgQ44jWkTUyL8ZDlxnF6E6btZJg/viewform Organisers: Rachel A. Fletcher, Thijs Porck, Christine Rauer and Ondřej Tichý This event is is part of a project that has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation program (EMERGENCE, Grant agreement No.101115867, https://doi.org/10.3030/101115867 ). Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Council Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
Like Old English, dictionaries, and/or nineteenth century scholarship? Save the date for an online event celebrating Joseph Bosworth and his Old English dictionary.
Register (free!) here: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
The political effects of X's feed algorithm https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-10098-2 Received: 16 December 2024 Accepted: 4 January 2026 Published online: 18 February 2026 Open access • Check for updates Germain Gauthier,5, Roland Hodler?5, Philine Widmer35 & Ekaterina Zhuravskaya3,4,5 m Feed algorithms are widely suspected to influence political attitudes. However, previous evidence from switching off the algorithm on Meta platforms found no political effects'. Here we present results from a 2023 field experiment on Elon Musk's platform X shedding light on this puzzle. We assigned active US-based users randomly to either an algorithmic or a chronological feed for 7 weeks, measuring political attitudes and online behaviour. Switching from a chronological to an algorithmic feed increased engagement and shifted political opinion towards more conservative positions, particularly regarding policy priorities, perceptions of criminal investigations into Donald Trump and views on the war in Ukraine. In contrast, switching from the algorithmic to the chronological feed had no comparable effects. Neither switching the algorithm on nor switching it off significantly affected affective polarization or self-reported partisanship. To investigate the mechanism, we analysed users' feed content and behaviour. We found that the algorithm promotes conservative content and demotes posts by traditional media. Exposure to algorithmic content leads users to follow conservative political activist accounts, which they continue to follow even after switching off the algorithm, helping explain the asymmetry in effects. These results suggest that initial exposure to X's algorithm has persistent effects on users' current political attitudes and account-following behaviour, even in the absence of a detectable effect on partisanship.
A new paper shows that less than 2 months of exposure to Twitter’s algorithmic feed significantly shifts people’s political views to the right.
Moving from chronological feed to the algorithmic feed also increases engagement.
This is one of the most concerning papers I’ve read in awhile.
Please support the petition against the planned #closure of #Archaeology at the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin.
Archaeology has been a part of Humboldt-Universität academic tradition for almost 200 years, so closing it would break a long-standing research tradition
weact.campact.de/petitions/sc...
From mid-February 2026, the MGH is able to make all articles from the DA and NA available in digital form, fully searchable and open access! #medievalsky
mgh.de/en/publicati...
The program for the Leiden Summer School has been announced! Hope to see some of you there.
www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/education...
graph tracking democratic backsliding is occuring more quickly in the US than elsewhere.
New from me: It is not just that the US is experiencing democratic backsliding. Authoritarianism has emerged more quickly than in other benchmark countries.
This graph from John Burn-Murdoch sums it up. 🧵
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/autocracy-...
The US disappeared as an aid donor to Ukraine in 2025 as Europe filled the gap.
European support rose 67%, ensuring a stable amount of military and humanitarian aid as Ukraine held back the Russian threat.
Actions matter more than words. Thank you, Europe, for your actions.💙💛
Veranstaltungshinweis: Mi., 11 Feb., 2026. Christian Schmutz, Linguist, Autor, Journalist, bekannt von der Sendung «Schnabelweid», erörtert verschwundene Tätigkeiten, die in Redensarten fortleben. Anlass der Gruppe Zürich. 18.30 Uhr Studio 177, Zürich #schweizerdeutsch #mundart #dialekt
Last night saw russia’s most massive combined strike on Ukraine this year.
The approximate routes of missiles and drones:
7th Pavia International Summer School for Indo-European Linguistics unipv-larl.github.io/7th-Pavia-IE... #linguistics #indoeuropean #germanic #historicallinguistics #langsky
A reminder to the news media: “conflicting accounts” is what you say BEFORE the incontrovertible video evidence appears. After that, your job is to ask why one side is lying, not to repeat the lie and pretend no one knows the truth.
Russia launched over 370 drones and 21 missiles overnight, Zelenskyy says. Kyiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, and Chernihiv regions were hit. A maternity hospital and refugee housing were damaged in Kharkiv. Energy infrastructure was the main target in Kyiv.
Harvard's Department of Celtic Languages and Literatures seeks applications for a lecturer (to begin 1 July 2026). 3-year position. Field of Celtic Languages and Literatures broadly conceived (e.g. language, literature, history, manuscript studies, etc.).
🚨 Application deadline: 28 February 2026.
Two open PhD fellowships in English Historical Linguistics at the University of Stavanger! Ideal for candidates familiar with Middle English. These are salaried positions with benefits, and knowledge of Norwegian is not necessary. Application deadline March 4th! www.jobbnorge.no/en/available...
⚡️ Update: Russia targets nuclear power plant substations, thousands in Kyiv without power, water.
Substations connected to Ukraine’s nuclear power plants were targeted, Vitaliy Zaichenko, the CEO of Ukraine’s state-grid operator Ukrenergo, told the Kyiv Independent on Jan. 20.
Jobs as "senior researcher" available in the project "All the names: Culture, naming practices and individual outcomes in the past" (Norway) www.jobbnorge.no/en/available... #jobs #linguistics #onomastics
![The Oseberg ship (Norwegian: Osebergskipet) is a well-preserved longship (probably a karve) discovered in a large burial mound at the Oseberg farm near Tønsberg in Vestfold county, Norway. This ship is commonly acknowledged to be among the finest artifacts to have survived from the Viking Age. The ship and some of its contents are displayed at the Viking Ship Museum at Bygdøy on the western side of Oslo, Norway
Excavation of the ship from the Oseberg burial mound (Norwegian: Oseberghaugen ved Slagen from the Old Norse word haugr meaning kurgan mound or barrow) was undertaken by Swedish archaeologist Gabriel Gustafson and Norwegian archaeologist Haakon Shetelig in 1904–1905.[2] The grave also contained two female human skeletons as well as a considerable number of grave goods. Scientific dating of the ship suggests it was buried no earlier than 834, although certain parts of its structure date from as early as 800, while other parts may be even older.
The ship is a Karve, clinker built, almost entirely of oak. It is 21.58 metres (70.8 ft) in length and 5.10 metres (16.7 ft) broad, with a mast of approximately 9–10 metres (30–33 ft) in height. With a likely sail area of 90 square metres (970 sq ft), the ship could have achieved a speed of up to 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph). The ship has 15 pairs of openings for oars, enabling up to 30 people to row it. Other fittings include a broad steering oar, iron anchor, gangplank, and a bailer. The bow and stern of the ship are elaborately decorated with complex woodcarvings in the characteristic "gripping beast" style, also known as the Oseberg style](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:7jso3p6tttrr26r2xh6r7uoc/bafkreifzpwe5n6kf4mws7evmvfxgfefa3pj4eqbdqxg37jtqyc7ugnsu5q)
The Oseberg ship (Norwegian: Osebergskipet) is a well-preserved longship (probably a karve) discovered in a large burial mound at the Oseberg farm near Tønsberg in Vestfold county, Norway. This ship is commonly acknowledged to be among the finest artifacts to have survived from the Viking Age. The ship and some of its contents are displayed at the Viking Ship Museum at Bygdøy on the western side of Oslo, Norway Excavation of the ship from the Oseberg burial mound (Norwegian: Oseberghaugen ved Slagen from the Old Norse word haugr meaning kurgan mound or barrow) was undertaken by Swedish archaeologist Gabriel Gustafson and Norwegian archaeologist Haakon Shetelig in 1904–1905.[2] The grave also contained two female human skeletons as well as a considerable number of grave goods. Scientific dating of the ship suggests it was buried no earlier than 834, although certain parts of its structure date from as early as 800, while other parts may be even older. The ship is a Karve, clinker built, almost entirely of oak. It is 21.58 metres (70.8 ft) in length and 5.10 metres (16.7 ft) broad, with a mast of approximately 9–10 metres (30–33 ft) in height. With a likely sail area of 90 square metres (970 sq ft), the ship could have achieved a speed of up to 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph). The ship has 15 pairs of openings for oars, enabling up to 30 people to row it. Other fittings include a broad steering oar, iron anchor, gangplank, and a bailer. The bow and stern of the ship are elaborately decorated with complex woodcarvings in the characteristic "gripping beast" style, also known as the Oseberg style
Dendrochronological analysis of timbers in the grave chamber dates the burial to the autumn of 834. Although the high-ranking woman's identity is unknown, it has been suggested that she is Queen Åsa of the Yngling clan, mother of Halfdan the Black and grandmother of Harald Fairhair. Recent tests of the women's remains suggest that they lived in Agder in Norway, as had Queen Åsa. This theory has been challenged, however, and some think that she may have been a shaman. There were also the skeletal remains of 14 horses, an ox, and three dogs found on the ship. According to Per Holck of the University of Oslo, the younger woman's mitochondrial haplogroup was discovered to be U7. Her direct maternal ancestors came to Norway from the Pontic littoral, probably Iran. Three subsequent studies failed to confirm these results, however, and it is likely that the bone samples contain little (if any) original DNA or have been contaminated through handling. Examinations of fragments of the skeletons have provided more insight into their lives. The younger woman's teeth showed signs that she used a metal toothpick, a rare 9th century luxury. Both women had a diet composed mainly of meat, another luxury when most Vikings ate fish. However, there was not enough DNA to tell if they were related.
The skeletons of two women were found in the grave with the ship. One, probably aged around 80, suffered badly from arthritis. The older woman also had Morgagni's syndrome, which would have given her a masculine appearance and beard. The second was initially believed to be aged 25–30, but analysis of tooth-root translucency suggests she was older (aged 50–55). It is not clear which one was the more important in life or whether one was sacrificed to accompany the other in death. The younger woman had a broken collarbone, initially thought to be evidence that she was a human sacrifice, but closer examination showed that the bone had been healing for several weeks. The opulence of the burial rite and the grave-goods suggests that this was a burial of very high status. One woman wore a very fine red wool dress with a lozenge twill pattern (a luxury commodity) and a fine white linen veil in a gauze weave, while the other wore a plainer blue wool dress with a wool veil, possibly showing some stratification in their social status
Oseberg ship
In 1903, Norwegian farmer Oskar Rom discovered a #Viking -era ship after he dug into an #ancient burial mound on his land. It took 21 years for #archaeologists to prepare and restore the #ship, as it needed to dry out fully before being put together.
#History #AncientBlueSky
ICOS Summer School 2026: Digital Tools and Databases in Onomastics e-onomastics.blogspot.com/2026/01/appl... #onomastics #namestudies #namenkunde
Knabe aus Rima, Sesiatal, mit einer Osterrätsche.
Bei den Erhebungen für den Sprachatlas der deutschen Schweiz wurden auch rund 12'500 Fotos gemacht.
Die Negative wurden gescannt, mit Metadaten annotiert und wo möglich mit den Karten des Sprachatlasses und den Lemmata des Schweizerischen Idiotikons verknüpft.
sprachatlas.ch/bilder
A course on Old Norse and Germanic metrics in Reykjavík - wish I'd had one of those when I was young... Application deadline 1st March english.hi.is/old-norse-an...
There's still time to submit your paper proposal for this year's Henry Sweet Society Colloquium!✨ The theme is '(Non-)Native Speakers in the History of Linguistic Ideas'.
🚨Deadline: 31 January 2026🚨
More info here👇
Kyiv hit by emergency power outages amid -10 C freeze: 400,000 households without electricity, heat, or water after Russian strikes on energy infrastructure. City admin urges conservation as repairs underway. Stay strong, #Ukraine!
Russia must be stopped.
Wir haben die Agenda aktualisiert. Es finden wieder viele tolle Mundart-Anlässe statt in den nächsten Monaten! mundartforum.ch/agenda/ #mundart #schweizerdeutsch #dialekt #kultur #schweiz
The Faculty of Languages at Uppsala University is advertising two postdoctoral positions in digital philology: uu.varbi.com/en/what:job/...
Russia launched a massive combined drone and missile strike on Ukraine overnight including Oreshnik. Ukraine downed 244 of 278 targets including 226 drones, 8 Iskander missiles and 10 Kalibr missiles, with 18 missiles and 16 drones hitting 19 locations mainly in Kyiv Oblast, Air Force reported.
"The operation against Venezuela […] amounts to a severe breach of foundational principles of international law."
Marco Rubio is reportedly saying Maduro will stand trial in US courts.
Which means it’s now the US administration’s position that US courts can hold foreign presidents, but not the US president, accountable for crimes.