Last day in London, this round anyway. Luckily, it is also the day that linguist Lynne Murphy, who blogs under rhe name Lynneguist (fascinating blog on UK/US - and other - variations of the English language) is giving a talk at University College London on "polite" words - please, thank you, sorry - and their varied meanings and uses. Picked this up from Lynne's Twitter feed and, happily, she confirmed that non-university people were welcome. Deserved a prize for near success in the maze of UCL buildings. Get close, but a room that appears to have the right number is simply labelled "plant room". Boiler? Orchids? Get re-directed to a seminar room where we are indeed the only non-u types.
Interesting talk, particularly on what is perceived as politeness US style (friendliness, egalitarianism) and UK (non-intrusiveness, preserving right to privacy). Very friendly atmosphere and everyone invited back for a drink and a chat in the linguistics work area. Nice to meet Lynne after years of enjoying her blog.
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