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.

Omniglot News (06/09/26)

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Omniglot News

Here’s the latest news from the world of Omniglot.

New language pages:

  • Firan (Fɨràn), a West-Central Plateau language spoken in Plateau State in central Nigeria.
  • Buli, a Gur language spoken in the Upper East Region in northern Ghana.
  • Mpade (Mpadɨ), a Chadic language spoken in northern Cameroon and southwest Chad.

New numbers page:

  • Baoulé, a Kwa language spoken in Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast).
  • Buli, a Gur language spoken in the Upper East Region in northern Ghana.
  • Songe (Kisonge), a Bantu language spoken in the south of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

New phrases page: Buli, a Gur language spoken in the Upper East Region in northern Ghana.

New Tower of Babel translations:

  • Baoulé, a Kwa language spoken in Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast).
  • Bilaspuri, a Western Pahari language spoken in Himachal Pradesh and Punjab in northern India.
  • Ambai, a Malayo-Polynesian language spoken mainly on the Ambai Islands in Papua province in Indonesia.
  • Anuak, a Malayo-Polynesian language spoken mainly on the Ambai Islands in Papua province in Indonesia.
  • Apali, a Trans-New Guinea language spoken in Madang Province in Papua New Guinea.
  • Buli, a Gur language spoken in the Upper East Region in northern Ghana.
  • Gourmanchéma (gùlmàncéma), a Gur language spoken in Burkina Faso, Togo, Niger and Benin.
  • Vidunda (Chividunda), a Bantu language spoken in southern Tanzania.
  • Medumba (Mə̀dʉ̂mbɑ̀), a Bamileke language spoken in the West Region in southwestern Cameroon.

In this week’s Adventure in Etymology, entitled Feeble Foibles, we discover what links the words feeble and foible with bleating and bells.

It’s also available on Instagram and TikTok.

On the Omniglot blog this week we investigate various words for Rice in Swahili, Chinese and Japanese, and there’s the usual language quiz. See if you guess what language this is:

Here’s a clue: this language is spoken in Dagestan in Russia.

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Lenakel (Netvaar), a Southern Oceanic language spoken on Tanna Island in southern Vanuatu.

On the Celtiadur blog this week there’s a new post about words for we, us and related pronouns entitled We Ourselves.

For more Omniglot News, see:
https://www.omniglot.com/news/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/omniglot/
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100046466483286

JapanesePod101.com

You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn and Podchaser.

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.




Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

Adventures in Etymology – Feeble Foibles

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

In this Adventure in Etymology we discover what links the words feeble and foible with bleating and bells.

Feeble Foibles

Feeble [ˈfiːbəl] means deficient in physical strength; lacking force, vigour or effectiveness in action or expression, or faint.

It comes from Middle English feble [ˈfeːbəl / ˈfeːblə] (feeble, weak, insidious), from Anglo-Norman feble (weak, feeble), from Latin flēbilis (lamentable, doleful), from fleō (to weep, cry, lament), ultimately from PIE *bʰleh₁- (to bleat, cry), from *bʰel- (to sound, speak, roar, bark) [source].

Words from the same PIE roots include блеять (blejat’ – to bleat) in Russian, blaten (to bleat, to speak pointlessly) in Dutch, bjalla (bell, to be noisy, to call) in Icelandic, and bell, bleat and blatant in English [source].

Foible [ˈfɔɪbəl] means a quirk, idiosyncrasy, frailty or mannerism; an unusual habit that is slightly strange or silly, or a weakness or failing of character.

It comes from Early Modern French foible (feeble, weak), from Old French feble / foible (weak, feeble), from Latin flēbilis (lamentable, doleful), and so on – the same root as feeble [source].

Words from the same Latin roots include feble (weak, feeble) in Catalan, flébil (tearful, fragile) in Portuguese, fäbless (penchant, fondness) in Swedish, and Faible (soft spot, weakness, craze) in German [source].

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

The Fastest Way to Learn Japanese Guaranteed with JapanesePod101.com

I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the Celtiadur blog.




Omniglot News (30/08/26)

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Omniglot News

Here’s the latest news from the world of Omniglot.

New language pages:

  • Leonese (Llionés), a Ibero-Romance language spoken mainly in the northwest of Spain.
  • Angaataha (Angaatɨha), a Trans-New Guinea language spoken in Morobe Province in Papua New Guinea.
  • Northwest Gbaya (Làì / Kàrà), an Atlantic-Congo language spoken in Cameroon and the Central African Republic.

New numbers page:

  • Angaataha (Angaatɨha), a Trans-New Guinea language spoken in Morobe Province in Papua New Guinea.
  • Nizaa (Nízɑɑ̀), a Mambiloid language spoken in the Adamawa Region in northern Cameroon.

New adapted script: Turkish Shavian (·𐑖𐑨𐑝𐑰 𐑑𐑳𐑮𐑒𐑗𐑧 / Şavi Türkçe), a way to write Turkish with the Shavian alphabet devised by Ethan Ikediashi.

𐑚𐑳𐑑𐑳𐑯 𐑰𐑯𐑕𐑨𐑯𐑤𐑨𐑮 𐑣𐑳𐑮, 𐑣𐑨𐑘𐑕𐑰𐑘𐑧𐑑 𐑝𐑧 𐑣𐑨𐑒𐑤𐑨𐑮 𐑚𐑨𐑒𐑦𐑥𐑦𐑯𐑛𐑨𐑯 𐑧𐑖𐑰𐑑 𐑛𐑪𐑙𐑨𐑮𐑤𐑨𐑮. 𐑨𐑒𐑦𐑤 𐑝𐑧 𐑝𐑰𐑡𐑛𐑨𐑯𐑨 𐑕𐑨𐑣𐑰𐑐𐑑𐑰𐑮𐑤𐑧𐑮 𐑝𐑧 𐑚𐑰𐑮𐑚𐑰𐑮𐑤𐑧𐑮𐑰𐑯𐑧 𐑒𐑨𐑮𐑖𐑦 𐑒𐑨𐑮𐑛𐑧𐑖𐑤𐑰𐑒 𐑟𐑰𐑣𐑯𐑰𐑘𐑧𐑑𐑰 𐑰𐑤𐑧 𐑣𐑨𐑮𐑧𐑒𐑧𐑑 𐑧𐑑𐑥𐑧𐑤𐑰𐑛𐑰𐑮𐑤𐑧𐑮.

New Tower of Babel translation: Abaza (абаза бызшва), a North West Caucasian language spoken in the Republics of Karachay-Cherkessia and Adygea in the southwest of Russia.

If someone is described as having come-hither eyes, it means their eyes are seducitve or alluring. If you tell a horse to come hither though, what would you expect it to do? Find out in this blog post Hither & Thither, and there’s the usual language quiz. See if you guess what language this is:

Here’s a clue: this language is spoken in southern Vanuatu.

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Umbundu (Úmbúndú), a Bantu language spoken in western Angola.

On the Celtiadur blog this week there’s a new post about words for I, me and related pronouns entitled Me, Myself & I.

For more Omniglot News, see:
https://www.omniglot.com/news/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/omniglot/
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100046466483286

JapanesePod101.com

You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn and Podchaser.

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.




Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

Omniglot News (23/08/26)

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Omniglot News

Here’s the latest news from the world of Omniglot.

New language pages:

  • Upper Necaxa Totonac, a Central Totonac language spoken in Puebla in southeastern Mexico.
  • Ngwo (Engwo), a Southern Bantoid language spoken in the North West Region of Cameroon.
  • Nizaa (Nízɑɑ̀), a Mambiloid language spoken in the Adamawa Region in northern Cameroon.

New numbers page:

  • Upper Necaxa Totonac, a Central Totonac language spoken in Puebla in southeastern Mexico.
  • Nizaa (Nízɑɑ̀), a Mambiloid language spoken in the Adamawa Region in northern Cameroon.

Improved phrases page: Kichwa – now with translations and recordings of all the phrases.

New Tower of Babel translations:

  • Orokolo, a Western Eleman language spoken in Gulf Province in Papua New Guinea.
  • Khakas (Хакас тілі), a Turkic language spoken in the Republic of Khakassia in southern Russia.

In this week’s Adventure in Etymology, Yawning Hiatus, we discover what links the word hiatus with yawning.

It’s also available on Instagram and TikTok.

On the Omniglot blog we find out when a number is not a number in a post entitled Numbering Houses, and there’s the usual language quiz. See if you guess what language this is:

Here’s a clue: this language is spoken in western Angola.

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Yidgha (یدغہ), an Eastern Iranian language spoken in northern Pakistan.

On the Celtiadur blog this week there’s a new post about words for you and related things entitled You Yourself.

For more Omniglot News, see:
https://www.omniglot.com/news/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/omniglot/
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100046466483286

JapanesePod101.com

You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn and Podchaser.

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.




Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

Adventures in Etymology – Yawning Hiatus

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

In this Adventure in Etymology we discover what links the word hiatus with yawning.

Pause descending Inwood Hill. Chucho yawns.

A hiatus [haɪˈeɪtəs / hɐˈjaː.t̪ʊs] is a gap in a series, making it incomplete; an interruption, break, pause or absence; a temporary break from work, especially one which is unexpected, and various other things.

It comes from Latin hiātus (a hiatus, opening, gap, aperture, cleft, longing, desire), from hiō (to yawn, gape, pause, be amazed), from Proto-Italic *hiāō, from PIE *ǵʰeh₂- (to yawn, gape) [source].

Words from the same roots include zijati (to stare, gape, yawn) in Slovenian, ganar (to gain, earn, win) in Spanish, a căsca (to yawn, gape) in Romanian, gína (to gape) in Icelandic, and gain, gap, gape, gum and yawn in English [source].

The word chaos possibly also comes from the same PIE root. It was borrowed from Ancient Greek χάος (khắos – chaos, the primordial state of existence, space, air, abyss, chasm, infinite darkness), and is probably related to words like *χάϝος (kháwos – hole, empty space, yawning opening) and χάσκω (kháskō – to gape, yawn) [source].

The word gas also shares the same roots. It was coined by Dutch Chemist Jan Baptist van Helmont in 1648, and was derived from Ancient Greek χάος (khắos – chaos, etc). It was possibly also inspired by the Dutch word geest (ghost, spirit, mind), which is related to the English word ghost [source].

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

The Fastest Way to Learn Japanese Guaranteed with JapanesePod101.com

I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the Celtiadur blog.




Omniglot News (16/08/26)

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Omniglot News

Here’s the latest news from the world of Omniglot.

New language pages:

  • Neo, an international auxiliary language created by Arturo Alfandari in the 1930s.
  • Eloyi (Ɛ̀llɔ́ì / Ẹ̀llọ́ì), a Plataeau language spoken in central and southeast Nigeria.
  • Gapapaiwa, a Western Oceanic language spoken in Milne Bay Province in Papua New Guinea.

New numbers page:

  • Neo, an international auxiliary language created by Arturo Alfandari in the 1930s.
  • Gurung (तमु क्यी), a Tamangic language spoken in south and central Nepal and northeast India.

New adapated script: Maltilliku (Малтиллику), a way to write Maltese with the Cyrillic alphabet devised by Michael Lai.

Sample text in Maltilliku

New constructed script: Lafnyan, which was created by Igor W. T. Beccaro Damini to use in an epic fantasy book series he is writing.

Sample text in Lafnyan

In this week’s Adventure in Etymology, Woven Waves, we unravel the woven origins of the word wave.

It’s also available on Instagram and TikTok.

On the Omniglot blog we find out whether the words ford, fjord and port are related in a post entitled Fording Fjord Ports, and there’s the usual language quiz. See if you guess what language this is:

Here’s a clue: this language is spoken in Pakistan.

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Serrano (Maarrênga’twich), an Uto-Aztecan language spoken in southern California in the USA.

For more Omniglot News, see:
https://www.omniglot.com/news/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/omniglot/
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100046466483286

JapanesePod101.com

You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn and Podchaser.

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.




Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

Adventures in Etymology – Woven Waves

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

In this Adventure in Etymology we unravel the woven origins of the word wave.

Tide's Coming In

As verb, to wave [wɛjv / weɪv] can mean to move back and forth repeatedly and somewhat loosely; to move one’s hand back and forth in greeting or departure; to call attention to by a waving motion, or to have an undulating or wavy form.

It comes from Middle English waven [ˈwaːvən] (to shake, swing, go away, waver, wave), from Old English wafian [ˈwɑ.vi.ɑn] (to wave), from Proto-West Germanic *wabbjan (to cause to weave, wrap, entangle), from Proto-Germanic *wabjaną (to cause to weave, wrap, entangle), from *webaną (to weave), from PIE *webʰ- (to weave, braid) [source].

Words from the same roots include wasp, waver, weave, web and weft (the horizontal threads that are interlaced through the warp in a woven fabric) in English, weben (to weave, intertwine) in German, väv (weave, fabric, web) in Swedish, guêpe (wasp) in French, and vespa (wasp) in Italian [source].

A wave is a moving disturbance in the level of a body of liquid; an undulation, a moving disturbance in the energy level of a field, and so on.

It comes from partially from the same roots as the verb to wave, and also from Middle English wawe [wau̯] (a wave), from Old English wǣġ [wæːj] (wave, water), from Proto-West Germanic *wāg (wave), from Proto-Germanic *wēgaz (wave, sea), from PIE *weǵʰ- (to bring, transport) [source].

Words from the same roots include vector, vehicle, wagon, way, wedge and weight in English, weg (way, road, manner) in Dutch, veslo (oar) in Czech, gwaith (work, labour, act) in Welsh, and féan (wagon, cart) in Irish [source].

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

The Fastest Way to Learn Japanese Guaranteed with JapanesePod101.com

I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the Celtiadur blog.




Omniglot News (09/08/26)

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Omniglot News

Here’s the latest news from the world of Omniglot.

New language pages:

  • Ngambay, a Central Sudanic language spoken in Chad, Cameroon and Nigeria.
  • Ineseño (Sʰamala), a Chumashan language that was spoken in southern California in the USA and that is being revived.
  • Tungag (Lavongai), a Western Oceanic language spoken in New Ireland Province in Papua New Guinea.

New numbers page: Tungag (Lavongai), a Western Oceanic language spoken in New Ireland Province in Papua New Guinea.

New phrases page: Valencian (valencià), a Western Catalan language spoken mainly in Valencia in eastern Spain.

In this week’s Adventure in Etymology, we discover the origins of the word Influence. This is episode 200 of Adventures in Etymology, by the way.

It’s also available on Instagram and TikTok.

On the Omniglot blog we find out whether near is nearer than nigh in a post entitled Nearly Nigh, and there’s the usual language quiz. See if you guess what language this is:

Here’s a clue: this language is spoken in southern California in the USA.

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Djabugay, a Pama-Nyungan spoken in Far North Queensland in the northeast of Australia.

On the Celtiadur blog this week there’s a new post entitled Shining Bright about words for clear, bright, shining and related things in Celtic languages.

For more Omniglot News, see:
https://www.omniglot.com/news/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/omniglot/
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100046466483286

JapanesePod101.com

You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn and Podchaser.

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.




Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

Adventures in Etymology – Influence

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

In this Adventure in Etymology we discover the origins of the word influence.

Influence

Influence [ˈɪn.flu.əns] can refer to the power to affect, control or manipulate something or someone; an action exerted by a person or thing on another to cause change, or a person or thing exerting such power or action.

In astrology, influence is apparently an element believed to determine someone’s character or individual tendencies, caused by the position of the stars and planets at the time of one’s birth, and it used to mean the action of flowing in or an influx.

As a verb to influence can mean to have an effect on by using gentle or subtle action; to modify, bias or sway; to persuade or induce; to exert or make use of one’s influence, and it used to mean to cause to flow in, to infuse or to instill.

It comes from Middle English influence / influens (control, power, influence, flowing, influx), from Old French influence (inundation, flooding, influence, especially viewed as a mystical force affecting one’s fate), from Medieval Latin īnfluentia (influence), from Latin īnfluēns (flowing into), from īnfluō (to flow into, stream, rush, throng), from in (in, within) and fluō (to flow, stream, pour) [source].

Words from the same Latin roots include influx and influenza in English, influencia (influence, clout, leverage) and influjo (influx, sway, influence) in Spanish, influenza (influence, influenza) in Italian, influer (to influence) in French [source].

Other words with similarly fluid roots (fluō in Latin) include fluid, flume, flux, affluent, effluent, confluent, superfluous in English, confluir (to converge) in Catalan, and fiume (river) in Italian [source].

Incidentally, this is the 200th episode of the Adventures in Etymology podcast. You can find links to all previous episodes on the Adventures in Etymology page of this blog.

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

The Fastest Way to Learn Japanese Guaranteed with JapanesePod101.com

I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the Celtiadur blog.




Omniglot News (02/08/26)

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Omniglot News

Here’s the latest news from the world of Omniglot.

New language pages:

  • Koyrasboro Senni (كࣷيْرَبࣷرࣷ سٜنِّ), a Southern Songhay language spoken in southern Mali.
  • Tuwali, a Philippine language spoken the Province of Ifugao in northern Luzon in the Philippines.
  • Nga La (Matu), a Southern Kuki-Chin language spoken western Myanmar and northeastern India.

New numbers page:

  • Tuwali, a Philippine language spoken the Province of Ifugao northern Luzon in the Philippines.
  • Nga La, a Southern Kuki-Chin language spoken western Myanmar and northeastern India.

New phrases page: Nga La, a Southern Kuki-Chin language spoken western Myanmar and northeastern India.

New Tower of Babel translations pages:

  • Udi (удин муз / udin muz), a Northeast Caucasian language spoken in Azerbaijan, Russia, Georgia and Armenia.
  • Wandala, a Chadic language spoken in northern Cameroon and northwestern Nigeria.
  • Talinga, a Bantu language spoken in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
  • Tamahaq, a Northern Berber language spoken in Algeria, Libya and Niger.
  • Tandroy, a Southern Kuki-Chin language spoken in Chin State in western Myanmar.
  • Tsakhur, a northeast Caucasian language spoken in Azerbaijan and Russia
  • Ut Main, a Northwest Kainji language spoken in northern Nigeria.

New constructed script: Simgeul, a way to write Korean with a “simplified” version of the Korean Hangeul script created by Ajn.

Sample text in Simgeul (concatenated version)

In this week’s Adventure in Etymology, we point out the origins of the word Index.

It’s also available on Instagram and TikTok.

On the Omniglot blog we discover what griffons have to do with messy writing in a post entitled Griffonage, and there’s the usual language quiz. See if you guess what language this is:

Here’s a clue: this language is spoken in northeastern Australia.

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Chakhar (ᠴᠠᠬᠠᠷ), a variety of Mongolian spoken in the Inner Mongolia Region in northern China.

On the Celtiadur blog this week there’s a new post entitled Confluent Ravines about words for ravine, confluence and related things in Celtic languages.

For more Omniglot News, see:
https://www.omniglot.com/news/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/omniglot/
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100046466483286

JapanesePod101.com

You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn and Podchaser.

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.




Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.