Author: Simon

I am a linguist, web developer and musician. I live in Bangor in Wales and run Omniglot - the online encyclopedia of writing systems and languages, as well as making the Radio Omniglot Podcast.

Government Opposition to Esperanto

By Simon

Esperanto plaque

Today we have a guest post by Alexis Bonari

Although Esperanto arguably has the potential to serve as a unifying linguistic force, not every government has been convinced that such unification would be a good idea. Here are a few historical examples, by country, of oppression faced by Esperanto speakers:

Russia

  • From 1895-1905, the Tsar of Russia outlawed all material printed in Esperanto.
  • In the year 1938, the leaders of Soviet Russia ordered that all registered Esperanto speakers be shot or deported to Siberia. Although the language was legalized again in 1956, there was still strong government opposition to its use. It wasn’t until the 1980’s that Esperanto was once again fully accepted by the Russian government.

Germany

  • In a 1922 speech and in Mein Kampf, Hitler stated that Esperanto was “a tool of Jewish world domination”.

Middle East

  • Iranian Mullahs initially encouraged Esperanto. Unfortunately, followers of the Baha’i religion began to show interest in incorporating the language into their teachings. In 1981, the Mullahs declared Esperanto a threat to the Islamic faith.

During the past decade, increased global access to the Internet has served to discourage overt government intervention in language use. Esperanto is thriving on online forums. Now that most of the bans have been lifted, many Esperanto enthusiasts hope to avoid further government intervention. It would seem that the language flourishes best where the least government regulation is present.

Alexis Bonari is a freelance writer and blog junkie. She is currently a resident blogger at onlinedegrees.org, researching areas of online universities. In her spare time, she enjoys square-foot gardening, swimming, and avoiding her laptop.

In-laws once removed

By Simon

The other day I started wondering there are terms to describe your relationship with your in-law’s relatives. For example, my sister’s husband is my brother-in-law, but is his sister some kind of in-law to me? She is my sister’s sister-in-law, but as far I can work out, there is no particular term to describe my remote connection to her – sister-in-law once removed, perhaps. Then there’s her husband and their children – are they any kind of in-laws to my sister or me?

Are specific terms for relationships in any of the languages you know?

According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, in-law is “anyone of a relationship not natural” and the earliest known use of the phrase in writing was in the form of brother-in-law. The law in question is Canon Law (church law), which defines degrees of relationship within which marriage is prohibited.

Conseil de l’Union européenne

By Simon

If you would like to work for the Conseil de l’Union européenne (Council of the European Union, aka Consilium) or other EU institutions, you have to take the entry examinations in a second language. According to an article I came across today, the British government believes this is unfair for Brits and has arranged that from next year the pre-selection tests for EU civil service exams can be taken in the candidate’s first language.

Has anybody considered trying to encourage more Brits to learn foreign languages, or is that just wishful thinking?

Poubelle

By Simon

Une poubelle

One of the things we discussed last night in the French conversation group was the origins of the word poubelle (bin / trash can). Fortunately one of us had an French etymological dictionary and we discovered that such receptacles are named after Eugène Poubelle (1831-1907), a lawyer, administrator and diplomat who was préfet of the Seine region of France and introduced the bin to Paris.

It was on 7th March 1884 that Poubelle decreed that owners of buildings must provide those who lived there with three covered containers for household rubbish, which was to be sorted into perishable items, paper and cloth, crockery and shells.

The containers proved popular with Parisians, who named them Boîtes Poubelle after Monsieur Poubelle, although building owners were not so keen as they had to pay for the containers and to have them emptied. Another group who didn’t welcome the Boîtes Poubelle were the chiffoniers (rag-and-bone men), who made their living from collecting rubbish.

As well as meaning bin, poubelle can also be used to refer to old cars in a poor state of repair – old bangers in the UK. Related words include:

  • camion-poubelle – bin lorry
  • jeter à la poubelle – to throw in the rubbish
  • sac poubelle – bin liner

The name Poubelle comes from pou bel (peu beau – just beautiful), from the dialect of Pas-de-Calais in northern France.

In English there are many words for poubelle. In the UK, for example, the small ones used inside are known as waste baskets, waste paper baskets, rubbish bins or bins; and the larger ones used outside are known as dustbins, rubbish bins, wheelie bins (if they have wheels) or bins. The ones in public places are known as litter bins. Names for such receptacles in the USA include trash can and garbage can, and I’m sure there are others.

In the UK rubbish is collected by bin men (the majority of them are men) who drive (dust)bin lorries / rubbish trucks / dust carts, and is taken to (rubbish) tips / dumps / landfills / recycling centres / incinerators. There are also official terms for all these – refuse disposal operatives, and such like. What about in other countries?

Jamaican and Scots

By Simon

A few weeks ago I had an interesting discussion with a Jamaican poet about the Jamaican language. He told me how it is being standardised and used as a medium of instruction in schools, and is now considered a language in its own right. One advantage of using Jamaican in schools is that pupils who are hesitant to express themselves in English feel much more comfortable using Jamaican, and according to an article I found today, pupils educated bilingually in Jamaican and English tend to achieve better results and have better literacy skills in both languages than those educated solely in English.

In related news, the use of Scots in Scotland is increasing and this has had positive benefits for the pupils. According to this article, the introduction of Scots in one primary school has led to significant changes in the attitudes of some pupils. For example, boys who had little or no interest in reading really took to reading in Scots, and using the language they normally speak outside school has made them feel more engaged, comfortable and confident in school.

Jacob’s join

By Simon

Jacob’s join is the term used by my mum and her friends to describe a get-together that involves each person bringing food – usually something they’ve made themselves – to share with the others. I would probably call such a gathering a potluck dinner/supper.

According to Wikipedia, the word potluck pr pot-luck first appeared in England during the 16th century in the workd of Thomas Nashe. At that time it referred to “food provided for an unexpected or uninvited guest, the luck of the pot”. It took on the sense of a meal where guest contribute dishes in the late 19th / early 20th century in the USA, and is thought to come from the Chinook Jargon word potlatch (gift), which comes from the Nootka p̓ačiƛ (to give in ceremony).

Other terms for Jacob’s join / potluck include: potluck dinner, spread, Jacob’s supper, faith supper, covered dish supper, pitch-in, carry-in, bring-a-plate and smorgasbord.

Is this kind of meal popular in your area? If so, what do you call it?

M’ayr

By Simon

Ta mee ayns thie m’ayr as my voir rish shiaghtin dy leih nish. Ta’n lught thie aym ayn ayns shoh – my voir, my vraar, as my huyr as my vraar ‘sy leigh as ny kiyt oc. Agh dy meeaighar cha nel m’ayr ayn – hooar eh baase yn çhiaghtyn shoh chaie. V’eh 74 bleeaney d’eash as cha row eh çhing, as hooar shin greain agglagh tra hooar ee baase dy doaltattym jeh teaym chree moghrey ‘sy voghree Jecrean.

Va shirveish ny merriu ayn Jerdein yn çhiaghyn shoh as va ram sleih ayn. Hug my vraar, shenn co’obbree m’ayr as yn saggyrt moyllejyn yindyssagh, as ec yn farrar ny yei yn shirveish, haink mee ny quail ram sleih nagh vel mee er n’akin ad rish foddey dy hraa.

Mairagh hem er-ash dys Bangor, as hed my huyr, my vraar ‘sy leigh as ny kiyt oc er-ash dys Plymouth, agh ta cooney ry-gheddyn er my voir rish yn pobble ynnydagh ‘syn balley beg shoh.

M’athair

Tá mé i dteach mo thuismitheoirí ar feadh seachtaine go leith anois. Tá an teaghlach ar fad anseo – mo mháthair, mo dheartháir, agus mo dheirfiúr agus mo dheartháir céile agus a gcait. Ar an drochuair, níl m’athair ann – fuair sé bás an seachtain seo caite. Bhí sé 74 bliain d’aois agus ní raibh sé tinn, agus baineadh croitheadh asainn nuair a fhuair sé bás go tobann le taom croí go luath ar maidin Dé Céadaoin.

Bhí seirbhís na marbh ann Déardaoin an seachtain seo agus bhí a lán daoine ann. Thug mo dheartháir, sean chara agus comhghleacaí m’athair agus an biocáire ómós corraitheach, agus i ndiaidh an seirbhís, bhuail mé leis go leor daoine nach bhfuil mé ag bualadh leo le blianta.

Amárach rachaidh mé ar ais go Bangor, agus rachaidh mo dheirfiúr, mo dheartháir céile agus a gcait ar ais go Plymouth, ach tá cuidiú agus tacaíocht le fáil ag i bpobail i sráidbhaile beag seo.

Fy nhad

Dw i wedi bod yn nhŷ fy rhieni ers wythnos a hanner erbyn hyn. Mae’r teulu yma – fy mam, fy mrawd, a fy chwaer a brawd-yng-nghyfraith ac eu cathod. Ond yn anffodus dydy fy nhad ddim yma – mi wnaeth o farw yr wythnos diwetha. Roedd o’n 74 blwydd oed a doedd o ddim yn sâl, ac mi wnaethon ni sioc mawr pan wnaeth o farw efo trawiad ar y galon yn gynnar fore Mercher.

Roedd yr angladd Ddydd Iau yr wythnos hon ac roedd cryn dipyn o bobl yna. Mi wnaeth fy mrawd, hen gydweithiwr a’r ficar teyrngedau hyfryd, ac mi wnes i cwrdd â llawer o bobl mod i ddim wedi eu weld ers amser maith yn yr derbyniad ar ôl yr angladd.

Yfory bydda i’n mynd yn ôl i Fangor, ac bydd y chwaer, fy mrawd-yng-nghyfraith ac eu cathod yn mynd yn ôl i Plymouth, ond mae cymorth ar gael ar gyfer fy mam yn nghymuned agos y pentref bach ‘ma.