A case of anaptyxis, that is, vowel epenthesis, in contemporary English: how and possibly why some public speakers add an additional syllable to words like “doubling, athlete, paraplegic.”
Blog
I’m in the Mood for the Subjunctive
An overview of how the French subjunctive mood is treated on this website, including both the basics and the more curious forms and functions of this mood.
Spotlight on Marie de France
Bisclavret, Marie de France’s fast-paced tale of twelfth-century love and lycanthropy, gets a new presentation and translation in a recently added text file.
New (and Upcoming) Changes at MadBeppo
Timely update about changes to MadBeppo that have been accumulating over the past three years: a redesigned home page, many new authors and texts, more fascinating language files, and glorious original illustrations added to selected pages!
Test Your Omniscience!
Sample final exam questions, of a truly apocalyptic quality, proposed for an unnamed secondary institution, but that was a leading preparatory school in the area where the Professor used to live and work and have his being.
Mark’s Adventures Underground Part 2
The concluding, actually underground part of this two-part series.
Mark’s Adventures Underground Part 1
The tale of Mark’s journeys continues. His descent to the underground and what he found there.
French Subtitles Come to Scientific Method
The animated internet series Scientific Method will soon have closed captioning in English, and selected episodes, such as the very first one (“Ignorance Isn’t Bliss”) will have subtitles in French!
A Request Addressed to Experts in the Thought of René Girard
The Professor admits to his decades-long fascination with René Girard (the thinker, not the footballer) and asks for help interpreting two episodes from the Christian scriptures.
Mark in the Bee-Hive State Part 5: Happy Returns
‘Mark’, with the help of friends, triumphantly concludes his journey of spiritual exploration.
Mark in the Bee-Hive State Part 4: The Salty Terror of Saltair
In Part 4, ‘Mark’, losing for a moment his spiritual bearings, is plunged into a phantasmagoric horror associated with a terrifying Utahan resort of yesteryear.
Mark in the Bee-Hive State Part 3: Definitely in the Desert
The third part of the account of ‘Mark”s journeys in the state of Utah. He starts off on a sound footing, only to misstep subsequently.
‘Mark’ in the Bee-Hive State Part 2: Approaching the Land of Stone and Sand
In Part 2, ‘Mark’ is heading off to the desert but first gets some unexpected spiritual treats.
Mark in the Bee-Hive State Part 1: Mysteries of Salt Lake City
Are spiritual quests a thing of the past? Not a bit of it. Here are memorialized certain high-points of a journey recently made by a friend of mine — I will call him ‘Mark’ — to the land of Brigham Young.
Doctors on the French Stage
On April 21st, 2016, students in my French course Travaux pratiques de la scène put on a show highlighting the important place of medicos in French theater.
Alaskan Signage
Amazing sights seen on a recent (August 2014) trip to the Frozen North, aka Alaska, and in particular on and about the Alaska Marine Highway.
Looking Back At: The Exorcist (1973)
A mini-review of William Friedkin’s The Exorcist. I wouldn’t see it when it came out, out of religious scruples, but now (having become inured to the horror genre in the meantime) I think very highly of it and never re-watch it without pleasure.
Ten Public Figures Who Have Influenced My Speaking Style
It is good to show gratitude where it is due. In this post I acknowledge my debt to excellent public speakers who have left their mark on me.
