Omniglot News (28/06/26)

Omniglot News

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

New language pages:

  • Kara, a Western Oceanic language spoken in New Ireland Province in Papua New Guinea.
  • Kenyah, a North Bornean language spoken in Indonesia and Malaysia on the island of Bornea.
  • East Ambae, a Southern Oceanic language spoken on Ambae Island in Vanuatu.

New numbers pages:

  • East Ambae, a Southern Oceanic language spoken on Ambae Island in Vanuatu.
  • Komi-Permyak (зыран коми кыв), a Permic language spoken in Perm Krai and the Kirov Oblast in the west of the Russian Federation.
  • Komi-Zyrian (зыран коми кыв), a Permic language spoken mainly in the Komi Republic in the northwest of the Russian Federation.

New Tower of Babel translations:

  • Gela (Nggela), a Southeast Solomonic language spoken in the Nggela Islands in the Solomon Islands.
  • Nukuoro, a Polynesian language spoken in Micronesia
  • Lungga, an Oceanic language spoken in the Solomon Islands.
  • East Ambae, a Southern Oceanic language spoken in Vanuatu.
  • Gizzra, a Papuan language spoken in Papua New Guinea.
  • Gumawana, a Western Oceanic language spoken in the Amphlett Islands in Papua New Guinea.
  • Kaluli, a Bosavi language spoken in Papua New Guinea.

New constructed script: Yapiri, which was created by Animesh Debbarma for Kokborok, a Brahmaputran language spoken in northeastern India.

Sample text in the Yapiri script (Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Kokborok)

New constructed script: Pimato Sandad, which was created by Ander Jiloh as an alternative script for Kadazandusun, a North Bornean language spoken in Malaysia.

Sample text in the Pimato Sandad script (Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Kadazandusun)

New adapted script: Hispakana, a way to write Spanish with the Japanese Hiragana and Katakana syllabaries created by Michael Barboto.

とどす ろ゚す せれす ふまのす なせ゚ん り゚ぶれす え いぐぁれ゚す えん でぃぐにだどぅ い でれちょす い、どたどす こも えすたん' で らそ゚ん' い こんすぃ゚えんすぃ゚あ、でべん こむぽるたるせ ふらてるなる゚めんて ろ゚す うのす こん ろ゚す おとぅろす。

In this week’s Adventure in Etymology, entitled Balletic Symbols, we find out what links the words symbol, ballet and problem.

It’s also available on Instagram and TikTok.

On the Omniglot blog we investigate words for hot and cold and related things in various languages in a post entitled Hot & Cold, and there’s the usual language quiz. See if you guess what language this is:

Here’s a clue: this language was spoken in northern California in the USA, and is being revived.

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Papel (Uium nsau), a Bak language spoken in Guinea-Bissau and Senegal.

On the Celtiadur blog this week there’s a new post entitled Overflowing, about words for discharge, overflow 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 – Balletic Symbols

In this Adventure in Etymology we find out what links the words symbol, ballet and problem.

Punctuation

A symbol [ˈsɪmbəl] is a character or glyph representing an idea, concept or object; a thing considered the embodiment or cardinal exemplar of a concept, theme, etc – other meanings are available.

It comes from French symbole (symbol), from Latin symbolus (sign, mark, token, symbol), from Ancient Greek σύμβολον (súmbolon -a sign, mark, token, badge), from συμβάλλω (sumbállō – to throw together, compare), from σύν (sún – with, together) and βάλλω (bállō – to throw, put) [source].

The origins of σύν (sún) are uncertain [source], but βάλλω (bállō) comes ultimately from PIE *gʷelH- (to throw, reach, pierce) [source].

Other words derived from the Latin symbolus include symbool (symbol, sign, character, glyph) in Dutch, simbolo (symbol, sigh, emblem, icon) in Italian, símbolo (symbol, creed) in Spanish, and Symbol (symbol, icon) in German [source].

Words from the Ancient Greek root βάλλω (bállō), via Latin ballō (to dance), include bailar (to dance) in Portuguese, ballare (to dance, fidget, wobble) in Italian, baller (to dance with one’s arms swinging, to swing, sway, dangle) in French, and ballet, ballad and ballista in English [source].

Other words from the PIE foot *gʷelH- (to throw, etc) possibly include quälen (to torture, torment, agonize) in German, жило (sting, stinger) in Bulgarian, and emblem, problem, qualm, to quell and obelisk in English [source].

The English word devil also comes from the same roots, via Middle English devel (Satan, Lucifer, devil), Old English dēofol (Satan, devil, demon), Proto-West Germanic *diubul (devil), Latin diabolus, and Ancient Greek διάβολος (diábolos – false accuser, slanderer), which comes from διά (diá – through, across) and βάλλω (bállō – throw) [source].

Incidentally, the word Satan comes ultimately from Hebrew שָׂטָן (satán – adversary, accuser) [source], while Lucifer comes from Latin Lūcifer (morning star, the planet Venus, Lucifier), from lūx (light) and -ferō (to bear, carry) [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 (21/06/26)

Omniglot News

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

New language pages:

  • Tupuri (Tpuri), a Northern Mbum language spoken in Chad and Cameroon.
  • Akum, a Plateau Benue-Congo language spoken in Cameroon and Nigeria.
  • Alumu (Alumu Təsu), a Plateau Benue-Congo language spoken in Nigeria.
  • Karao, a Northern Luzon language spoken in the north of Luzon in the Philippines.

New numbers pages:

  • Tupuri (Tpuri), a Bak language spoke in Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, and the Gambia.
  • Karao, a Northern Luzon language spoken in northern Luzon in the Philippines.

There are also recordings of all the Georgian phrases now thanks to Lasse of EasyGeorgian.

New constructed script: Valagata, a script invented by Jakub Cieślak to write a constructed language by the same name.

Sample text in Valagata

New constructed script: Sotwor, an alphabet created by Amaiur Velaz Rodriguez to write English and for Japanese.

Sample text in the Sotwor script in Japanese

New adapted script: Fully Phonetic Devanagari, a modified version of the Devanagari script from India created by Yash Batwal as a universal script.

Sample text in Fully Phonetic Devanagari

There are two new Adventures in Etymology this week as I didn’t get round to making one last week: Befuddled Confusion, in which we untangle the origins of the word confusion.

It’s also available on Instagram and TikTok.

And Delays Expected, in which we investigate the tardy roots of the word delay.

It’s also available on Instagram and TikTok.

On the Omniglot blog everything is in a state of confusion as we investigate the phrase At Sixes and Sevens and other number-related phrases in English, 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 Guinea-Bissau and Senegal.

The mystery language in the last language quiz was Yaghnobi (Яғнобӣ зивок), an Eastern Iranian language spoken in the Yaghnob Valley in Tajikistan.

On the Celtiadur blog this week there’s a new post entitled Dry Barrenness, about words for dry, barren, sterile 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 – Delays Expected

In this Adventure in Etymology we investigate the tardy roots of the word delay.

Expect delays

A delay [dɪˈleɪ̯ / dəˈleɪ̯] is a period of time before an event occurs; the act of delaying; procrastination; lingering inactivity, and various other things.

To delay can mean to put off until later; to defer; to retard; to temporarily stop; to wait; to hesitate, and other things.

It comes from Middle English delaien (to delay, postpone, withhold, hinder), from Old French deslai(i)er (to delay), probably a conflation of the Old Frankish words *lattjan (to delay, hinder) and *laibijan (to leave).

The former comes from Proto-Germanic *latjaną (to delay, hinder, stall), from PIE *leh₁d- (to leave, to be tired), and the latter comes from Proto-Germanic *laibijaną (to leave), from PIE *leyp- (to stick, fat) [source].

Words from the same Old French roots include délai (time limit, extension) in French, tlajja (to loiter, linger, stroll back forth) in Maltese, and dally (to waste time in trivial activities, or in idleness) and dalliance (playful flirtation, a wasting of time in idleness or triffles) in English [source].

Other words from the PIE root *leh₁d- (to leave, etc) include laten (to leave, let, cause to) in Dutch, lassen (to allow, permit, let) in German, laisser (to leave, forget, let) in French, and late, let, lease and lassitude in English [source].

Other words from the PIE root *leyp- (to stick, etc) include leve (to live, to be alive) in Danish, lepiť (to stick) in Slovak and leave, belive, life and liver in English [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.




Adventures in Etymology – Befuddled Confusion

In this Adventure in Etymology we untangle the befuddling roots of the word confusion.

Confusion

Confusion [kənˈfjuːʒən] can mean a lack of clarity or order; the state of being confused; a misunderstanding; the act of mistaking one thing for another, or a lack of understanding due to dementia. It is also the collective noun for a group of wildebeest(s) (a.k.a. gnu).

Wildebeest herd
A confusion of wildebeest(s) / gnus

It comes from Middle English confusioun (destruction, disgrace, disorder), from Old French confusion (spread), from Latin cōnfūsiō (mixing, confounding, trouble), from cōnfundō (to pour, stir up, diffuse, combine, confuse), from con- (with, together) and fundō (to pour out, overthrow, spread out) [source].

Other words from the Latin word cōnfundō include confondere (to mix up, confuse, embarrass) in Italian, confondre (to confuse, mix up) in French, confundir (to confuse, mistake, confound) in Spanish, konfus (confused) in German [source].

Other words from the Latin word fundō (to pour out, etc) include confound, foundation, foundry, fuse and fusion in English, fondre (to melt, smelt) in French, hundir (to sink, ruin, collapse) in Spanish, and ffynnu (to prosper) in Welsh [source].

If you’re both confused and befuddled, you could say that you’re confuddled, but that might be confusing, befuddling, confuddling and maybe even fuddlesome.

Incidentally, befuddle comes from be- (to become, to cause to be) and fuddle (to confuse, intoxicate, get drunk), the origins of which are not known [source].

Some related words include fuddlement (the state of being befuddled), fuddlesome (confusing, marked by fuddling), fuddle-duddle (to depart, be off), and fuddling (drunkenness).

Note: normally I publish these Adventures in Etymology on Saturdays, but I didn’t get round to doing so last week as I was away in London for a few days. So this is either the delayed Adventure from last week, or an early Adventure for this week. If I have time, I will do another Adventure this week as well. I hope that’s not too confusing, befuddling or confuddling.

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 (14/06/26)

Omniglot News

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

New language pages:

  • Vute (Vɨ́tè), a Mambiloid language spoken mainly in northern Cameroon, and also in Nigeria.
  • Manjak (Manjáku), a Bak language spoke in Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, and the Gambia.
  • Weh (Kɨ́wí), a Southern Bantoid language spoken in the North West Region of Cameroon.

New numbers pages:

  • Manjak (Manjáku), a Bak language spoke in Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, and the Gambia.
  • Maninka (Maninkakan), a Mande languages spoken mainly in Guinea and Mali

I also made improvements to the Maninka language page.

New constructed script: Flāmtón, a script created by Leven Walker as an alternative way to write English.

Sample text in Flāmtón

New adapted script: Modern Aljamiado, a contemporary revival and reconstruction of the historical Aljamiado writing tradition of medieval and early modern Iberia developed by Javier A. Hernández Maldonado.

إِسپَانْيَا إِسْ أُونَا نَاثِيُونْ كُونْ أُونَا هِيرِينْثِيَا كُولْتُورَالْ ي لِينْگُوِيسْتِيكَا  مُوي دِيبِيرْسَا

On the Omniglot blog we find out what links the words magic and machine in a post entitled Magic Machines, and there’s the usual language quiz. See if you guess what language this is:

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

The mystery language in the last language quiz was Tigak, a Western Oceanic language spoken in New Ireland Province of Papua New Guinea.

On the Celtiadur blog this week there’s a new post entitled Dry Barrenness, about words for dry, barren, sterile and related things in Celtic languages.

Electric Brixton

In other news, I went to see Band-Maid, one of my favorite Japanese bands in London this week. It was a fantastic performance full of joyfully chaotic musical mayhem and brilliance. Tickets sold out very quickly as soon as they went on sale, but more became available when they moved the show to a larger venue – Electric Brixton, and I was lucky to get one.


BAND-MAID performing their song Dilly-Dally at Electric Brixton in London – video by MetalMonkey

They sing mainly in Japanese, with bits of English thrown in for fun. I’ve heard most of their songs many times, and really enjoy listening to their music, even though I don’t understand many of the lyrics. Sometimes words or phrases will suddenly make sense after hearing them multiple times. This happens with songs in other languages as well, even in English sometimes, when the words are not clearly articulated.

Breakfast in Brixton with Gareth

The morning after the concert, I met a friend who lives in Brixton and we went to a nice little café in Brixton market. I know him through polyglot events I’ve been to, and we spoke mainly in Welsh, one of the languages he speaks well. He teaches Russian and Germain online, and has language learning tips on his website How to get fluent with Dr Popkins.

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 (07/06/26)

Omniglot News

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

New language pages:

  • Noni (Nponi), an Eastern Beboid language spoken in the North West Region of Cameroon.
  • Katë (كمكاتاويرى), a Nuristani language spoken in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
  • Saari (Sari), an Eastern Beboid language spoken in the North West Region of Cameroon.
  • Lotha, a Kuki-Chin-Naga language spoken in Nagaland in northeastern India.

New numbers pages:

  • Kogi (Kággaba), a Chibchan language spoken in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains in northern Colombia..
  • Lotha, a Kuki-Chin-Naga language spoken in Nagaland in northeastern India.

New constructed script: Methwendi, a script developed by Angga Perdana to write his constructed languages, Savlandic and Lwendic.

Sample text in Methwendi

New constructed script: NAVLIPI, a universal phonemic alphabet designed to write any and all languages.

Sample text in NAVLIPI

New Tower of Babel translation: Lak (Лакку маз), a Northeast Caucasian language spoken in Dagestan in the Russian Federation.

In this week’s Adventure in Etymology, Tongues, we find out what links the words tongue and language.

It’s also available on Instagram and TikTok.

On the Omniglot blog this week there’s a new post entitled Polyglottery in Brno about my experiences at the Polyglot Gathering in Brno in the Czech Republic, and there’s the usual language quiz. See if you guess what language this is:

Here’s a clue: this language is spoken in New Ireland Province in Papua New Guinea.

The mystery language in the last language quiz was Rangpuri (অংপুরি), an Eastern Indo-Aryan language spoken in northern Bangladesh and northeastern India.

On the Celtiadur blog this week there’s a new post entitled Fasting Fridays, about words for fast(ing), abstinence and Friday and related things in Celtic languages.

Polyglot Gathering 2026

As I mentioned, last week I went to the Polyglot Gathering, which took place at Mendel University in Brno in the Czech Republic. There were 827 participants from 67 countries who know over 200 different languages to varying degrees. Apart from English, the most spoken languages were German, Spanish, French, Italian, Russian, Polish and Portuguese.

Polyglot Gathering 2026

I got to speak and practice many of the languages I know, including German, French, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese, Japanese, Welsh, Irish, Esperanto, and also bits of Czech, Slovak, Russian, Swedish, Italian, Portuguese, Taiwanese and Scottish Gaelic.

It was very well organized., and there were talks about language, linguistics, culture and related topics; introductions to languages; language practice tables; workshops on various things like comedy, dance, capoeira, juggling, etc; games, quizzes, karaoke, a talent show, a food fair, and tours of local attractions.

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 (24/05/26)

Omniglot News

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

New language pages:

  • Naki, an Eastern Beboid language spoken in the Northwest Region of Cameroon.
  • Nali, an Oceanic language spoken on Manus Island in northern Papua New Guinea.
  • Ndoola (laˊ ndòòlaˋ), a Bantoid language spoken mainly in Nigeria, and also in Cameroon.
  • Chiquitano (Bésɨro), a language isolate spoken in southwestern Bolivia and western Brazil.
  • Cavineña (Kabina), a Tacanan language spoken in the Beni Department in northern Bolivia.

New numbers pages:

  • Nali, an Oceanic language spoken on Manus Island in northern Papua New Guinea.
  • Ndoola (laˊ ndòòlaˋ), a Bantoid language spoken mainly in Nigeria, and also in Cameroon.
  • Chiquitano (Bésɨro), a language isolate spoken in Bolivia and Brazil.
  • Cavineña (Kabina), a Tacanan language spoken in the Beni Department in northern Bolivia.

In this week’s Adventure in Etymology, entitled Gather Together, we’re gathering together the good roots of the word gather.

It’s also available on Instagram and TikTok.

On the Omniglot blog this week there’s a new post entitled Fire Arrows about the Chinese word 火箭 (huǒ​jiàn), which means rocket (lit. “fire arrow”) and related words, and there’s the usual language quiz. See if you guess what language this is:

Here’s a clue: this language is spoken in Bangladesh and India.

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Putukwam, a Southern Bantoid language spoken in Cross River State in southern Nigeria.

On the Celtiadur blog this week there’s a new post entitled Side by Side, about words for side 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 – Gather Together

In this Adventure in Etymology we’re gathering together the good roots of the word gather.

A room full of polyglots

Gather [ˈɡæðə / ˈɡæðɚ] as a verb can mean to collect normally separate things; to harvest food; to accumulate over time; to congregate or assemble; to bring parts of a whole closer; or to infer or conclude.

As an noun, gather can mean a plait or fold in cloth, a blob of molten glass collected on the end of a blowpipe, or a gathering.

It comes from Middle English gaderen (to assemble, congregate), from Old English gaderian (to bring together, to gather), from Proto-West Germanic *gadurōn (to gather, bring together), from *gadur (together, gathered in one place), possibly from PIE *gʰódʰ-r̥, from *gʰedʰ- (to join, unite, suit) [source].

Words from the same roots include godzić (to reconcile, bring together) in Polish, hodit (to fit, suit, be appropriate) in Czech, guõdas (virtue, nobleness, glory, honour) in Lithuanian, goed (good, correct, right) in Dutch, and good and together in English [source].

Next week I’m off to the Polyglot Gathering in Brno in the Czech Republic, where language enthusiasts from all over the world will forgather and regather together to talk in and about languages. There may some woolgathering, but hopefully no misgathering, as we gather our thoughts and ourselves together.

  • to forgather = to assemble or gather together in one place, to gather up, to congregate
  • to regather = to gather again, to gather back together
  • woolgathering = the gathering of fragments of wool torn from sheep by bushes, etc. indulgence in idle fancies or daydreams
  • to misgather = to accumulate or assemble incorrectly, to infer or conclude incorrectly

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 (17/05/26)

Omniglot News

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

New language pages:

  • Lukpa, a Southern Gur language spoken in Benin and Togo.
  • Chepang, a Binanderean language spoken in Morobe Province of Papua New Guinea.
  • Mungbam (Mùŋgbàm), a Southern Bantoid language spoken in the Northwest Region of Cameroon.
  • Rengao (Rơngao), a North Bahnaric language spoken in Quảng Ngãi Province in central Vietnam.

New numbers pages:

  • Rengao (Rơngao), a North Bahnaric language spoken in Quảng Ngãi Province central Vietnam.
  • Northern Emberá (ẽberã bed̶ea), a Chocoan language spoken in Colombia and Panama.
  • Catio (Ẽ́bẽra Katío), a Chocoan language spoken in Colombia and Panama.

New constructed script: Scrollex, an alternative way to write English with lettera shaped a bit like scrolls that was inspired partly by the Chinese Seal script.

Sample text in Scrollex

In this week’s Adventure in Etymology, Burning Torrents, we uncover the burning roots of the word torrent.

It’s also available on Instagram and TikTok.

On the Omniglot blog this week there’s a new post entitled Ashen Hearted, in which we investigate the Chinese word 灰心 (huī​xīn), which means to lose heart, to be discouraged or to despair,and related words, 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 Nigeria.

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Nisgaʼa, a Tsimshianic language spoken in British Columbia in western Canada.

On the Celtiadur blog this week there’s a new post entitled Directly Straight, about words for direct, straight and related things in Celtic languages.

Improved pages Blackfoot language page

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.