What's This Nonsense?

In June, 2001, the Oxford English Dictionary Online (OED) announced that it was adding the word "Doh!"—the signature expression of Homer Simpson (a cartoon character). One of my friends, hearing this news, spluttered with anger, "This is just more of the dumbing down of America!"

Many people dislike or distrust slang, at least that slang their own generation did not coin. However, by the time a bit of slang works its way into standard dictionaries, it has become a respectable word recognized by many more than the close-knit group who originally used it. The words "Doh!" and its close kin "duh" can teach us about the nature of language:

• how words are constructed and arbitrarily assigned to sounds;
• how beautiful and precise the sounds of language are;
• how meaning evolves over time;
• how our minds structure words into phrases.

These web pages examine "Doh!" and "duh" to touch on some of these questions.

Of course, since I am not a well-trained and serious linguist, and since the subject-matter is contemporary, my pronouncements and speculations are only speculation. This is merely my project to think about and enjoy the tools that linguists employ. While the pages are not written as a parody, I am trying to say that linguistics is fun.

I appreciate any corrections, suggestions for resources, or comments. Please send them to dw@think-ink.net.

By the way. . .
Throughout these pages I spell "Doh!" with a capital "D" and an exclamation mark for reasons explained in the section on phonology. This sometimes leads to peculiar effects in punctuating a sentence. I apologize.

The Glossary also serves as an Index to topics included in the web site. I have also tucked some questions on that page.

If you only want to skim or sample, I recommend the page on phonology or semantics.