Uncle Jazzbeau’s Gallimaufrey

Marc Miyake is a big fan of an anime from 1980 called Ideon, and he says here of one of the show's characters, "To date, Cheryl is the only linguist main character in any TV series I know of." Perhaps that should be emended to "At the time, Cheryl was..."

I disagree with his politics often, but am enthralled by his Asian language posts. Prof. Amritas needs an RSS feed, though.

Wow, I'd love to read that Myra Barnes book.

H-M: I've read Miyake's blog, but hadn't seen that post. Of course, now there's Ensign Hoshi Sato, the linguist, on the latest incarnation of Star Trek, Enterprise

LH: I'm not sure if I read her book or this one: Walter Meyers, Aliens And Linguistics, Language Study and Science Fiction 1980.

Henry Higgins in "My Fair Lady"

I'm not sure if it counts, but the movie "Mountains of the Moon" (1989) is about the adventures of Sir. Richard Francis Burton who was something of a linguist.

And of course, Noam Chomsky has had quite a film career, including "Manufacturing Consent".

Kerim. Thanks. I knew I was forgetting an older film: so, I'll add both Pygmalion and My Fair Lady. Of course, Henry Higgins was based on Henry Sweet. I suppose we should add Dr Dolittle, too. (Named after Eliza Doolittle?) And Chomsky, too. Of course, in supporting roles, we have a whole bunch of speech coaches as in Singin' in the Rain.

What a great thread. I found that pinging the word "linguist" in the imdb search page (under "word search" set to "plot") turns up a lot of hits, such as:

"Vuk Karadzic: Life and times of Vuk Stefanovic: "Karadzic, Serbian linguist from 19th Century, whose grammar was later adopted by most of nations in former Yugoslavia. Beside dealing with Karadzic's life, the series also covers major historical events in Serbia in the first half of 19th Century." (Serbia 1987... um.)

"Relic Hunter": "Sydney Fox is a professor but primarily a globe-trotting "relic hunter," looking for ancient artifacts to return to museums and/or the ancestors of the original owner. She's aided by her linguistic assistant Nigel..."

"Het Dak van de Walvis" (which looks particularly good): "A parody of anthropology, linguistics, and cultural imperialism. The film follows an unlikely team of linguists into the wilds of an ersatz Patagonia ..."

"The Statue": "Bolt, a British linguist, develops a universal language, so he's a sudden sensation and receives a Nobel prize." Somehow this one devolves into something having to do with a penis... Don't ask me :)

Mind you, I can't vouch for the quality or nature of any of these, except to say that there are linguists involved! :)

Pat: Thanks. I've actually seen Het Dak van de Walvis but had forgotten about it. A very strange movie. I've caught one or two epsiodes of Relic Hunter but didn't know that Nigel was a linguist. I also came across Ljubovnik by Valeri Todorovsky.

Rats! Dr Doolittle has been mentioned already. May I just put a word in for Polynesia the parrot then? I haven't seen the film(s) but in the book she is the original language coach who teaches the Dr other animal languages, she herself being something of a polly-glot. (er... i'm going)

Not to start a second thread, but there's also translators to be accounted for. Francesca Vanini, doing simultaneous translation for French, English, German, and Italian, in Godard's Le Mépris (1963) and Salomon Perel in Holland's Europa, Europa (1990) as a Dolmetscher for the Wehrmacht on the Russian front.

Man, I have got to see "Vuk Karadzic: Life and Times of Vuk Stefanovic." I'm sure there are unacceptable levels of crazed Serbonationalism, but the concept is just too wonderful. What's next: "Franz Bopp: Aryan Unifier"?

A life of Jakobson! A life of Jakobson! (Just imagine the visual possibilites of the biopic: czarist Russia, the Revolution, the affair with Elsa Triolet, tales of derring-do in World War II, emigration to the States, drinking bouts with Lévy-Strauss, Paris, New York, Saint Petersburg, Prague... O my, o my, o my).

How can it be possible that to this day THERE IS NO BIOGRAPHY OF ROMAN JAKOBSON??!! Aaaaaaaargh.

Yeah, what aa said. You could write a history of the whole 20th century around Roamin' Roman's biography - in fact you'd more-or-less have to. Although maybe that's why nobody has dared try...

Krzysztof Zanussi's _Camouflage_ (original title: _Barwy ochronne_) is full of linguists -- it's set at a summer retreat for linguistics students. Facets released a VHS edition about 10 years ago, tho I think it's out of print.

I for one would like to see a life of Edward Sapir on film. Well, his life or perhaps Frank H. Cushing. That one would be considerably more exciting, I suppose, what with Cushing joining the Zuñi and all. It's too bad Frank Zappa isn't around to play him... Spittin' image.

I think the celebrated "Dr. Syntax" ought to be included. (though he has nothing except a name in common with Linguistics).

For those who are not familiar with this wandering hero see ...

http://www.antiquemapsandprints.com/geography-travels/THOMAS-ROWLANDSON-CARICATURES.htm

NB: I would not recommend reading Rowlandson's works due to the blatant overuse of rhyming couplets therein.