just semantics

This brief post serves as an introduction Just Semantics, what inspired it, and its purpose. I’m starting this blog not only due to thef fact that I like to yap, but also because I’m passionate about several “niche” topics which have suddenly become more broadly relevant in light of recent events. Such topics include linguistic justice, language revitalization, education, pedagogy, community building, etc. Since I have experiences and perspectives regarding these areas, it may be useful to share them. 

The Title of the Blog

The turn of phrase “It’s just semantics” is employed to dismiss subtle discrepancies in meaning between various descriptions of a situation. While traditionally invoking a reductive definition of “just” (simply, only), my usage is quite the opposite. In terms of this blog, just indicates “fair” and “equitable”.  Rather than dismiss discursive differences, I hope to draw attention to the ways we discuss such topics. My hope is that this collection of accessibly-academic writing can introduce/elaborate on these subjects in a constructive way. Perhaps I can demonstrate how widespread their impacts really are.

Whether you find this blog entertaining, informative, provocative, or a mixture of the three, thank you for taking the time to read it over. I look forward to covering new topics as they arise.

(I probably should have posted this first, but I was eager to cover my first topic — conlang ethics.)