Why do Moderna Språk and Arne Olofsson spread lies about the English language?

August 4, 2011
Why do Moderna Sprak and
Arne Olofsson spread lies about
the English language?
There seems to be some sort of `unholy' academic alliance
between the editors of Moderna Sprak and Professor Arne
Olofsson.
Olofsson is a professor of English and Moderna Sprak is an academic
journal that deals with the English language.
Readers may wonder how a professor and an academic journal in a
country like Sweden disseminate `lies' about the English language.
I call them `lies' because one of Olofsson's articles in the journal is full
of some basic English language errors and fallacies.
I call them `lies" because the article, published in one of the journal's
2010 issues, includes things which are not true about the English
language and the book he talks about.
Why would a professor of English resort to falsehood and fabrication?
How come that an academic journal in Sweden, supervised by a team
of editors (eight language scholars), turns a blind eye to such basic
errors and fallacies.
One might say that Olofsson's stature as an English language
professor was enough to publish the article without submitting it to
blind reviewing or even a thorough read by one of the editors.
Under no circumstances, one may argue, the editors would accept
such glaring errors to pass without issuing an apology or an erratum.
The editors, one may also argue, would have rejected the article or at
least asked Olofsson to rewrite and rid the piece of its basic errors.

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But nothing of the sort happened when the editors were made aware
of the basic errors and fallacies in Olofsson's article.
On the contrary, the journal's administrator - a title which is
incomprehensible for me - came out to Olofsson's defense in one of
his emails to me.
The editor did not defend the errors. He did not say Olofsson was not
wrong. He simply said he could not issue an apology or an erratum or
a response to what Olofsson has written.
This is the `unholy' alliance between the team of editors (scholars) of
Moderna Sprak and Arne Olofsson.
In academia, preparedness and willingness to acknowledge one's own
errors is a virtue.
For Moderna Sprak and its eight editors, pointing out Olofsson's errors
is a `sin.'
Do these editors realize that their counterparts at a local daily
newspaper would have dealt with basic errors in one of their issues
differently.
I am sure the editors of the newspaper would have at least apologized
or issued an erratum
But that is not the way Moderna Sprak's editors work.
Keeping their `unholy' alliance with Olofsson is more important for
them than apologizing to their readers for his glaring errors.
I promise my readers to write shortly a separate piece on the `lies'
Olofsson and Moderna Sprak have propagated about my book: Where
Swedes Get it Wrong When Writing English.
Note: For further details on the shortcomings, errors, and sweeping
generalizations and assumptions Olofsson makes in Moderna Sprak,
please go to
http://jibsblogs.se/leonbarkho/wp-content/uploads/Response-to-
Moderna-Spr%C3%A5k%E2%80%99s-review-of-Leon-

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Barkho%E2%80%99s-Where-Swedes-Get-it-Wrong-When-Writing-
English.pdf
or
http://jibsblogs.se/leonbarkho/
Leon Barkho

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