The Split Brain

"Sardonic"

Ever heard the expression "sardonic wit"? I knew how to use the word, but I was never quite sure what "sardonic" meant.

sar·don·ic

   [sahr-don-ik] Show IPA

adjective

characterized by bitter or scornful derision; mocking; cynical;sneering: a sardonic grin.

But the really cool thing about it is the origin of the word (its etymology).

Origin: 1630-40; alteration of earlier sardonian (influenced byFrench sardonique) < Latin sardoni(us) (< Greek sardónios ofSardinia) + an; alluding to a Sardinian plant which when eaten was supposed to produce convulsive laughter ending in death (dictionary.com)

Wikitionary tells a slighty different tale:

French sardonique < Latin sardonius < Ancient Greek σαρδόνιος (sardonios), alternative form of σαρδάνιος (sardanios, “bitter or scornful laughter”), which is often cited as deriving from the Sardinian plant (Ranunculus sardous), known as either σαρδάνη(sardanē) or σαρδόνιον (sardonion). When eaten, it would cause the eater's face to contort in a look resembling scorn (generally followed by death). It might also be related to σαίρω (sairō, “I grin”).

And what does this killer plant with the twisted sense of humour look like?

It's a variety of buttercup.

Can You Tell Psychopaths Simply by the Words They Use?

Maybe so, according to psychologists studying convicted murderers. In a new study of previously diagnosed psychopaths and non-psychopathic murderers, the researchers were able to discern who are psychopathic by analyzing their word choices:

Psychopaths were far more likely to say they committed the crime because of personal needs, like food and money, and they described their deeds in the past tense, suggesting it happened a long time ago and there was little that the perpetrator could do to prevent it. They seemed emotionally detached from the murder, and as might be expected, they showed no remorse. [...]

The non-psychopathic killers, by contrast, were far more likely to describe their past in terms that reflected social needs, like family, religion and spirituality.

"In the context of a committed murder, it is likely that the non-psychopaths were aware of and affected by the profound effects their crime would have had on their own families and the victim's family," the study says. No such concern was shown among the psychopaths.

The bottom line: "Psychopaths operate on a primitive but rational level," say the researchers (Link).

ABC News article on the story HERE... It kindof weirdly links to a piece on the investigation into the tragic double-homicide-suicide of pro-wrestler Chris Benoit, who killed his wife and kid and then himself in one terrible, terrible weekend.

Scientists have studied his brain, as well as that of many pro-football players, and have theorised that years of concussions and blows to the head compromise brain function -- effectively causing early dementia. In Benoit's case, it led to these terrible acts, which all agree were out of character. So, that's interesting and sad, but not exactly what the psycho study mentioned is about... but anyway, enjoy! .. that's really not the right word, is it...).

Illustration by Lo Cole.

Ref: Hancock, J.T. Woodworth, M., & Porter, S. (In press, April 2011). Musings of Murderers: An examination of the linguistic production of psychopathic and non-psychopathic homicide offenders. Legal and Criminological Psychology.

Translation and the Meaning of Everything

So publishing companies now make these kind of "trailers" for books before they come out, and they're often just delightful. This one is for a new book on how our relationship to the world is reflected and mediated through culture and language.

From what Manhattanese has in common with the Kuuk Thaayorre language of South Australia to why we don’t have a word for all things with chrome handlebars, Is That a Fish in Your Ear?: Translation and the Meaning of Everything dances across linguistic fascination, cultural history, and pure wit to deliver a unique meditation on mankind’s ever-evolving tango with global communication.

Animation – Is That A Fish In Your Ear? – David Bellos from Penguin Books on Vimeo.

Dolphin News

Article: How far will dolphins go to relate to humans?

Whales may embed their name in clicks...

New information on the clicks via an article at Wired:

Rendell and his collaborators, including biologists Hal Whitehead, Shane Gero and Tyler Schulz, have for years studied the click sequences, or codas, used by sperm whales to communicate across miles of deep ocean. In a study published last June in Marine Mammal Sciences, they described a sound-analysis technique that linked recorded codas to individual members of a whale family living in the Caribbean.

In that study, they focused on a coda made only by Caribbean sperm whales. It appears to signify group membership. In the latest study, published Feb. 10 in Animal Behavior, they analyzed a coda made by sperm whales around the world. Called 5R, it’s composed of five consecutive clicks, and superficially appears to be identical in each whale. Analyzed closely, however, variations in click timing emerge. Each of the researchers’ whales had its own personal 5R riff...

Moreover, 5R tends to be made at the beginning of each coda string as if, like old-time telegraph operators clicking out a call sign, they were identifying themselves. Said Rendell, “It may function to let the animals know which individual is vocalizing.”..

That individual whales would have means of identifying themselves does, however, make sense. Dolphins have already been shown to have individual, identifying whistles.

The video above (not part of the study) has several minutes of clicks.