Here’s a recording in a mystery language.
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Tag: omniglot
Gigs, Jigs & Fiddles
What links the words gig and jig, and what do they have to do a German word Geige (violin)? Let’s find out.
A gig [ɡɪɡ] can mean:
- A live performance by a musician, band, musicial group or comedian
- A job or role for a performer (in film, television, theatre, etc.)
- Any job, especially one that is freelance or temporary, or done on an on-demand basis. Other meanings are available [source].
Its origins are lost in the mists of etymology, but its possibly related to the Old French word gigue (a string instrument similar to a mandolin, a kind of dance), which comes from Frankish *gīge (dance, fiddle), from Proto-Germanic *gīganą (to move, wish, desire), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰeyǵʰ- (to yawn, gape, long for, desire) [source].
The German word Geige [ˈɡaɪ̯ɡə] (violin, fiddle) possibly comes from the same roots, via Middle High German gīge, Old High German gīga and Proto-Germanic *gīganą (to move, wish, desire), etc [source].
The English word jig refers to such things as a light, brisk musical movement; a lively traditional Irish dance in 6/8 time, also known as a double jig (other types of jig are available); or an English Morris dance performed by one or two individual dancers. It shares the same roots as gig and Geige – maybe via Middle English gyge (fiddle), from Old French gigue etc. [source].
Another word from the same roots is guinguette, which in English and French is an old name for a sort of outdoor tavern that once existed in the suburbs of Paris, and appears to be used in modern French to refer to any outdoor bar (see above). It comes from French guinguet (a rough wine produced near Paris), from ginguer (to run, play, move a lot), from giguer (to dance, jump), from gigue (a string instrment, a jig, etc), and so on [source].
The word gig can also refer to:
- A small, narrow, open boat carried in a larger ship, and used for transportation between the ship and the shore, another vessel, etc.
- A similar rowing boat or sailboat, especially one used for racing; specifically, a six-oared sea rowing boat commonly found in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly (see above).
- A two-wheeled carriage drawn by a single horse.
It comes from Middle English gigg (spinning object, a top), possibly from Old Norse (?), from Proto-Germanic *gīganą (to move, wish, desire), etc, or ultimately onomatopoeic [source].
Language Quiz
Shiny Sheens Show
Are the words show, sheen and shine connected? Let’s find out.
Show [ʃəʊ / ʃoʊ] means a play, dance or other entertainment; an exhibition of items, etc. It comes from Middle English schewe (show), from schewen (to show), from Old English scēawian (to watch, look at, examine, show), from Proto-West Germanic *skawwōn, from Proto-Germanic *skawwōną (to look, see, watch), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kewh₁- (to perceive, observe) [source].
A sheen [ʃiːn] is a thin layer of a substance (such as oil) spread on a solid or liquid surface; splendor, radiance or shininess. It comes from Middle English shene (beautiful, fair, handsome, glorious), from Old English sċīene (beautiful, fair, bright, brilliant, light), from Proto-West Germanic *skaunī (beautiful), from Proto-Germanic *skauniz (beautiful), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kewh₁- (to perceive, observe) [source].
Other words from the PIE root *(s)kewh₁- include caution in English, choyer (to cherish, pamper, coddle) in French, cauto (cautious) in Spanish, cautela (caution, care) in Italian, precaver (to prevent, take precautions) in Portuguese, czuć (to feel, sense) in Polish, and qyr (to observe, look, analyse) in Albanian [source].
Shine [ʃaɪn] means to emit or reflect light so as to glow, etc. It comes from Middle English schinen (to shine, stand out), from Old English sċīnan (tp shine), from Proto-West Germanic *skīnan (to shine, appear), from Proto-Germanic *skīnaną (to shine, appear), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ḱeh₁y- (to shine, shimmer) [source].
Other words from the PIE root *(s)ḱeh₁y- possibly include sheer and tinsel in English, schijnen (to shine, appear, seem) in Dutch, scheinen (to shine, gleam, seem, appear) in German, skina (to shine) in Swedish, siljati (to shine, beam, glitter) in Slovenian, and skaer (glow, glimmer, tinge) in Danish [source].
So show and sheen are related, but shine isn’t.
Here are a song called Show by Ado, a Japanese singer. It’s had 238 million views in a year – a few more than my videos – so she’s quite popular:
Language Quiz
Pie in the Sky
If something is unlikely to happen, you might say that it’s just pie in the sky. Have you ever wondered where this expression comes from? Let’s find out.
Pie in the sky refers to:
- a fanciful notion
- an unrealistic or ludicrous concept
- the illusory promise of a desired outcome that is unlikely to happen.
It first appeared in a song called The Preacher and the Slave written and published in 1911 by Joe Hill (1879–1915), a Swedish-American labour activist and songwriter. He wrote it as a parody of a Salvation Army hymn In the Sweet By-and-By, which was published in 1868. It is a criticism of the Salvation Army’s focus on future salvation rather than on present deprivations [source].
The phrase appears in the chorus of the song, which goes something like this:
You will eat bye and bye
In that glorious land above the sky
Work and pray live on hay
You’ll get pie in the sky when you die
You can hear this song sung by Utah Phillips here:
More details of this song and pie in the sky:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Preacher_and_the_Slave
https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/pie-in-the-sky.html
Here’s a song I wrote recently based on this phrase, called Pie In The Sky:
If you fly up high
and open your eyes
you might just spy
some pie in the sky
At the end of the rainbow
you might just find
a pretty pot of gold
or so I’ve been told
If you search here and there
and everywhere
you might just snare
a castle in the air
Whatever you seek
Wherever you peek
You might just see
something unique
So open your eyes
and your ears and your mind
cause you never know
what you might find
cause you never know
what you might find
Other phrases that refer to fanciful notions or things that are unlikely to happen include: castle(s) in the air, eggs in moonshine, jam tomorrow, pipe dreams and the cake is a lie in English [source].
In French you might talk about une promesse en l’air (an empty promise, lit. “a promise in the air”), un château en Espagne (a castle in Spain), or des paroles en l’air (empty words, lit. “words in the air”) [source].
In German you might refer to Zukunftsmusik (future music), ein Luftschloss (a castle in the air), or das Blaue vom Himmel (the blue of the sky) [source].
In Welsh it’s breuddwyd gwrach (a witch’s dream) [source], in Irish you might talk about caisleáin óir (golden castles) [source], and in Swahili you could mention raha ya mbinguni (heavenly bliss) or ndoto za mchana (daydreams) [source].
What about in other languages?
Language Quiz
Roomy Houses
One of the Swahili words I learnt recently is chumba (room). I wondered where it comes from and what other words are related to it. Let’s find out.
Chumba means room, chamber, cabin or cloakroom, and is a diminutive of nyumba [ˈɲu.ᵐbɑ] (house, apartment), which comes from Proto-Bantu *njʊ̀mbá (house) [source].
Related words include
- chumba cha kulia = dining room
- chumba cha kulalia = bedroom
- kichumba = small room
- jumba = mansion, large building
- kijumba = cottage, small house
- uchumba = courtship, engagement
- -chumbisha = to get engaged to be married (of a man)
- -chumbishwa = to get engaged to be married (of a woman)
- mchumba = financé(e), lover, partner
- wachumba = spouse, couple
- unyumba = married life, marital relations
- nyumba ya uzazi = womb, uterus (“house of parenthood”)
- nyumbani = at home, in the house
Other room-related words in Swahili include:
- bafu (bath, bathtub, bathroom), which was borrowed from English bath
- darasa (classroom, class period, lesson), which was borrowed from Arabic دَرْس (dars – study, studies, lesson, class)
- msalani (bathroom, toilet), a locative of msala (private chamber, retreat, bathroom, toilet), from Arabic مُصَلَّى (muṣallan – place of prayer, prayer room/hall)
- faragha (privacy, private chamber, retreat, opportunity), which was borrowed from Arabic فَرَاغ (farāḡ – empty space)
- sebule (living room), which was borrowed from Arabic (?)
Here are a few house- and home-related proverbs and sayings in Swahili:
- Nyumba njema si mlango.
A good house isn’t judged by the door. - Kinywa ni jumba la maneno.
The mouth is a house of words. - Nyumba ya udongo haihimili kishindo.
A house made of mud cannot withstand a strong wind. - Mkate mkavu wa nyumbani ni bora kuliko nyama ya shuwa ya pengine.
A piece of dry bread from home is better than a roasted piece of meat from someone else’s home.
Sources: https://mhariri.com/kamusi/learn-swahili/proverbs-in-swahili-and-their-translations-and-meanings/, https://pristinetrails.com/blog/swahili-proverbs/
The more Swahili I learn, the more interesting it gets.
Language Quiz
Here’s a recording in a mystery language.
Do you know, or can you guess, the language?
If you need a clue, listen to or read the Omniglot News on Radio Omniglot, and there’s an extra clue on my Patreon page.
Gasting Flabbers
Is a flabbergast a gast that’s flabbered? Let’s find out.
A flabbergast is an awkward person, or an overwhelming confusion, shock or surprise, and to flabbergast is to overwhelm with bewilderment, or to amaze, confound, or stun, especially in a ludicrous manner.
Related words include
- flabbergastion = bewildered shock or surprise; the state or condition of being flabbergasted
- flabbergaster = a person, thing, fact or event that is flabbergasting, or that causes extreme shock; a state of surprise or fear
- flabbergastly = surprisingly, astonishingly or amazingly
Flabbergast possibly comes from the Suffolk dialect words flap(py) (to strike) and aghast (terrified), or from Scots flabrigast (to swagger, boast, quite worn out, extremely fatigued). There are also versions of this word from Lancashire: flobbergrast and Northampton: flappergast [source].
Aghast means terrified; struck with amazement, or showing signs of terror or horror. It comes from Middle English agast, from agasten (to frighten or terrify), from Old English gǣstan (to frighten, gast, torment, afflict), from Proto-West Germanic *gaistijan, from Proto-Germanic *gaistijaną, which is related to *gaistaz (fear, terror, spirit, ghost, mind) [source].
Related words include ghost, ghast (an evil spirit or monster) and ghastly in English, gast (ghost) in Swedish, geest (ghost, spirit, mind) in Dutch, and Geist (spirit, essense, mind, ghost) in German [source].
Incidentally, gast is an old word in English meaning to frighten, and also comes from the same roots [source], as does the Old English word gāst (spirit, ghost, breath, demon), which became gost / gast / gaast / goost / goste in Middle English [source]. It acquired an h and became ghoost in the late 15th century due to influence from the Flemish word gheest, possibly thanks to Wynkyn de Worde, William Caxton‘s assistant [source].