Omniglot News (17/09/23)

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

There are new language pages about:

  • Tonkawa (Tickanwa•tic), a language isolate that was spoken in western Oklahoma, southern Texas and New Mexico in the USA, and that is being revived.
  • Vamale, a New Caledonian language spoken in the north of Grande Terre Island in New Caledonia.
  • Nisu, a Loloish language spoken in the south of Yunnan Province in southern China.
  • Sani (Nip-dop), a Southeastern Loloish language spoken in central Yunnan Province in southern China.

New numbers pages:

  • Tonkawa (Tickanwa•tic), a language isolate that was spoken in western Oklahoma, southern Texas and New Mexico in the USA, and that is being revived.
  • Ditidaht (Diitiidʔaatx̣), a southern Wakashan language spoken in southern Vancouver Island in British Columbia in Canada.
  • Shoshone (Sosoni’ da̱i̱gwape), an Uto-Aztecan language spoken in Nevada, Utah, Idaho and Wyoming in the USA.
  • Comanche (nʉmʉ tekwapʉ̱), an Uto-Aztecan language spoken in parts of Oklahoma in the USA.

New weather words page: Finnish (suomi).

On the Omniglot blog we find out if the words Tent and Tenant are related, and there’s the usual Language Quiz. See if you can guess what language this is:

Here’s a clue: this language is spoken in British Columbia in Canada.

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Tsat, a Northern Chamic language spoken near Sanya in the south of Hainan Province in southern China.

There’s a new Celtiadur post about words for Down Under and related things in Celtic languages, and I made improvements to the posts about words for Trees, Wood(s) & Forests and Low.

In this week’s Celtic Pathways podcast, entitled Sacred Trees, we explore the roots of some Celtic words for trees and related things.

For more Omniglot News see:
https://www.omniglot.com/news/
https://twitter.com/Omniglossia
https://www.facebook.com/groups/omniglot/
https://www.facebook.com/Omniglot-100430558332117

You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Stitcher, TuneIn, Podchaser, PlayerFM or podtail.

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.

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Celtic Pathways – Sacred Trees

In this episode we’re exploring the roots of Celtic words for tree and related things.

Llyn Padarn

One Proto-Celtic word for tree is *belyom, which comes from Proto-Indo-European *bʰolh₃yo- (leaf), from *bʰleh₃- (blossom, flower) [source].

Descendents in the modern Celtic languages include:

  • bile [ˈbʲɪlʲə] = (large, sacred) tree, a scion or a distinguished person in Irish.
  • bile [bilə] = mast, plough, a cluster of trees, or a sacred tree or grove in Scottish Gaelic
  • billey = tree or big bush in Manx
  • pill [pɪɬ] = (tree) trunk, stock, log, branch, pole, stake, post, fortress or stronghold in Welsh.
  • bill = trunk in Breton

In Manx billey is the usual word for tree, however words for tree have other roots in the other Celtic languages: crann (Irish), craobh (Scottish Gaelic), coeden (Welsh), gwedhen (Cornish) and gwezenn (Breton). Only the Cornish and Breton words are cognate (related).

The Proto-Celtic word *belyom became *bilia [ˈbi.liaː] (tall tree) in Gaulish, which became bille (tree trunk, railway sleeper, rolling pin) and billon (a ridge in a ploughed field) in French, and possibly billa (spigot, tap, stick) in Galician [source].

Words from the same PIE roots include folio and phyllo / fil(l)o (pastry), phyllomancy (diviniation by leaves) in English, feuille (leaf, sheet) in French, and hoja (leaf, petal, blade) in Spanish [source].

You can find more details of words for trees, wood(s) and forests and related things on the Celtiadur blog. I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog.

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.

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Omniglot News (10/09/23)

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

There are new language pages about:

  • Tumulung Sisaala (Sisaaliŋ Tumuluŋ), a Gur language spoken in the Upper West Region of northern Ghana.
  • Paasaal (Pasaale Sisaala), a Gur language spoken in the Upper West Region of northern Ghana
  • Sisaali, a Gur language spoken in the provinces of Sissili and Ioba in southern Burkina Faso.

New numbers pages:

  • Tumulung Sisaala (Sisaaliŋ Tumuluŋ), a Gur language spoken in the Upper West Region in northern Ghana.
  • Sisaali, a Gur language spoken in Sissili and Ioba in southern Burkina Faso.
  • Aari (አፋን፡ኣሪ፡ / Áfan ārí), a South Omotic language spoken in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ region of southern Ethiopia.

On the Omniglot blog we look into the origins of the words Pen and Pencil, which are not related, and there’s the usual Language Quiz. See if you can guess what language this is:

Here’s a clue: this language is spoken in southern China, but isn’t related to Chinese.

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Erzya (эрзянь кель), a Mordvinic language spoken in the Republic of Mordovia in the west of the Russian Federation.

There’s a new Celtiadur post called Take Note! about words meaning note and related things in Celtic languages,.

In this week’s Adventure in Etymology we’re going down the rabbit hole and unearthing the origins of the word down and related things.

I also made improvements to pages about Japanese Kanji and the Bench language.

For more Omniglot News see:
https://www.omniglot.com/news/
https://twitter.com/Omniglossia
https://www.facebook.com/groups/omniglot/
https://www.facebook.com/Omniglot-100430558332117

You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Stitcher, TuneIn, Podchaser, PlayerFM or podtail.

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.

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Omniglot News (03/08/23)

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

There are new language pages about:

  • Buol (Apadu Vuolo), a Gorontalic language spoken in the Buol Regency in the north of Central Sulawesi Province in Indonesia.
  • Talaud, a North Sangiric language spoken in the Talaud Islands in North Sulawesi Province in Indonesia.
  • Blaan (B’laan), a South Mindanao language spoken in the south of Mindanao Island in the Philippines.

New constructed script: Wave, an alternative script for English designed by Nixon Nguyen for artistic purposes.

Sample text in Wave (All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.)

New phrases page: Blaan (B’laan)

New numbers pages:

  • Blaan (B’laan), a South Mindanao language spoken on Mindanao Island in the Philippines.
  • Keres, a language isolate spoken by the Keres Pueblo people in New Mexico in the USA.

New dates page: Vietnamese

On the Omniglot blog there’s a new post called Sailing Away about words for boatsships> and related vessels, and there’s the usual Language Quiz. See if you can guess what language this is:

Here’s a clue: this language is related to Hungarian.

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Wemba Wemba, a Pama-Nyungan language formerly spoken in Victoria in Australia, that is being revived.

There’s a new Celtiadur post about words for Ships and Boats and related vessels in Celtic languages, and I made improvements to the posts about words for Caves and Wide and Broad.

In this week’s Celtic Pathways podcast we delve into the origins of the words for Hollow and related things.

In other news, here’s some Stuff Nonsense, my latest song:

For more Omniglot News see:
https://www.omniglot.com/news/
https://twitter.com/Omniglossia
https://www.facebook.com/groups/omniglot/
https://www.facebook.com/Omniglot-100430558332117

You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Stitcher, TuneIn, Podchaser, PlayerFM or podtail.

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.

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Celtic Pathways – Hollow

In this episode we’re delving into Celtic words for hollow and related things.

Hollows

The Proto-Celtic word *tullos means pierced, perforated or hole, and comes from Proto-Indo-European *tewk- (to push, press, beat, pierce, perforate), from *(s)tew- (to push, hit) [source].

Descendents in the modern Celtic languages include:

  • toll [t̪ˠoːl̪ˠ] = hole, hollow, posterior, piereced, empty in Irish.
  • toll [tɔul̪ˠ] = hole, penetration, hole, hold (of a ship) in Scottish Gaelic
  • towl = aperture, bore, cavity, crater, hole, hollow in Manx
  • twll [tʊɬ] = hole, aperture, dimple, hollow, pit, cave, burrow, den, orifice in Welsh.
  • toll = burrow, hollow, hole, opening, orifice in Cornish
  • toull [ˈtulː] = holed, pierced, hole, entrance in Breton

Words from the same Proto-Celtic root in other languages include tollo (hole in the ground where hunters hide, puddle) in Spanish, toll (pool, puddle) in Catalan, and tol (ditch, dam) in Galician [source].

Words from the same PIE root possibly include tkát (to weave) in Czech, тъка [tɐˈkɤ] (to spin, plait, entwine, weave) in Bulgarian and tkać (to weave, stick, tuck) in Polish [source]. Also stoke in English, stoken (to poke, stoke, light a fire, stir up) in Dutch, and estoquer (to impale) in French [source]

You can find more details of words for hollows, holes, caves and related things on the Celtiadur blog. I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog.

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.

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Omniglot News (27/08/23)

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

There are new language pages about:

  • Iceve-Maci, a Tivoid language spoken in southwest Cameroon and southeast Nigeria.
  • Esimbi, a Tivoid language spoken in the Northwest Province of Cameroon.
  • Chaura (Sanënyö), a Nicobarese language spoken on Chowra (Chaura) Island in the Nicobar Islands, part of the Indian union territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

New constructed script: Foamemes, which is an alternative way to write American English devised by Earthcat Terrence and Rex Angular

Sample text in Foamemes

New constructed script: Jackson’s Dialect Phonetic Alphabet (JDPA), which was devised by Jackson Green as an alternative way to write Canadian English.

Sample text in Jackson's Dialect Phonetic Alphabet (JDPA)

New constructed script: Liran, which was invented by Seth Zaw to write his constructed language, Liran.

Sample text in Liran

New numbers pages:

  • Chaura (Sanënyö), a Nicobarese language spoken on Chowra (Chaura) Island in the Nicobar Islands
  • Kanuri (Kànùrí), a Nilo-Saharan language spoken in Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon.
  • Kpelle (Kpɛlɛwoo), a Mande language spoken in Mali, Senegal, Gambia, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea-Bissau and Chad.

On the Omniglot blog there’s a new post called Gadding About about the meanings and origins of the word gad and related words, and there’s the usual Language Quiz. See if you can guess what language this is:

Here’s a clue: this language was spoken in Australia, and is currently being revived.

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Capiznon (Kapisnon), a Central Bisayan language spoken in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines.

There’s a new Celtiadur post called Fearful Dread, which looks into some fearful and dreadful words in Celtic languages.

In the Adventure in Etymology we investigate the origins of the word Crotchet (♩) and related things.

2222 day streak on Duolingo

In other news, I reached 2222 days on my Duolingo learning streak this week, which seems like quite a milestone to me, and I’m still enjoying it. I’ve nearly finished the Japanese course – only half a unit to complete, plus some legendary levels. I have 2.5 more units to finish in the Spanish course, 3.5 in Finnish, and nearly 4 in Scottish Gaelic. I don’t know which language(s) I’ll study when I finish these courses.

For more Omniglot News see:
https://www.omniglot.com/news/
https://twitter.com/Omniglossia
https://www.facebook.com/groups/omniglot/
https://www.facebook.com/Omniglot-100430558332117

You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Stitcher, TuneIn, Podchaser, PlayerFM or podtail.

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.

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Omniglot News (20/08/23)

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

There are new language pages about:

  • Nahavaq (Lhiimaqalhqamaꞌ), a Southern Oceanic spoken on Malekula Island in Malampa Province of Vanuatu.
  • Noakhailla (নোয়াখাইল্লা), an eastern Indo-Aryan language spoken mainly in the southeast of Bangladesh, and also in the northeast of India
  • Mamasa, a South Sulawesi language spoken in West Sulawesi Province in central Indonesia.

New constructed script: Terraphon, which is an alternative way to write American English devised by Earthcat Terrence.

Sample text in Terraphon

New numbers pages:

  • Nahavaq (Lhiimaqalhqamaꞌ), a Southern Oceanic spoken on Malekula Island in Malampa Province of Vanuatu.
  • Zaghawa (Beria), an Eastern Saharan language spoken mainly in parts of Chad and Sudan.
  • Istriot (Lèngua Eîstriota), a Romance language spoken in the south west of the Istrian Peninsula in Croatia

On the Omniglot blog there’s a new post called Hiding in Caves in which we find out what links the word grotesque with caves and hiding., and there’s the usual Language Quiz. See if you can guess what language this is:

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

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Limbu (ᤕᤠᤰᤌᤢᤱ ᤐᤠᤴ), a Kiranti language spoken in eastern Nepal and northeastern India.

There’s a new Celtiadur post about the words companion, ceilidh and related things in Celtic languages, and I made improvements to posts about words for https://www.omniglot.com/celtiadur/2020/03/22/badgers/Badgers, and Circles.

In the Celtic Pathways podcast we investigate the possible Celtic origins of the word Phon(e)y and find out how it is connect to words for ring and related things.

I also made improvements to the Zaghawa, Uzbek, Karakalpak, Uyghur, Kazakh and Tatar language pages.

For more Omniglot News see:
https://www.omniglot.com/news/
https://twitter.com/Omniglossia
https://www.facebook.com/groups/omniglot/
https://www.facebook.com/Omniglot-100430558332117

You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Stitcher, TuneIn, Podchaser, PlayerFM or podtail.

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.

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Celtic Pathways – Phoney Rings

In this episode we look into the possibly Celtic roots of the word phoney, and find out how it is connected to words for ring and related things.

Irish Claddagh Ring

The Proto-Celtic word *ānniyos means ring, and comes from Proto-Indo-European *h₁eh₂no- (ring). [source].

Descendents in the modern Celtic languages include:

  • fáinne [ˈfˠɑːɲə/ˈfˠæːn̠ʲə] = ring, circle, ringlet, curl or halo in Irish.
  • fàinne [faːn̪ʲə] = ring, ringlet or circle in Scottish Gaelic
  • fainney = circle, puck, wreathe or ring in Manx

The English word phon(e)y (fraudulent, fake) possibly comes from the old slang word fawney (a finger ring, a gilt brass ring used by swindlers), from the Irish fáinne (ring) [source].

The Hiberno-English word fainne [ˈfɑnjə/ˈfɔnjə], which refers to a pin badge worn to show fluency in, or a willingness to speak Irish, also comes from the same Irish root [source]. More information about the fainne badge: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fáinne

Other words from the same PIE root, via the Latin ānus (ring, anus) include annular (ring-shaped, banded/marked with circles) and anus in English, անուր (anur – collar, oppression, yoke) in Armenian, anneau (ring) in French, and anello (ring, link) in Italian [source].

You can find more details of words for circles, rings and related things on the Celtiadur blog. I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog.

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.

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Omniglot News (13/08/23)

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

There are new language pages about:

  • Huehuetla Tepehua (Lhiimaqalhqamaꞌ), a Totonacan spoken in central Mexico.
  • Pááfang, a Micronesian language spoken in Chuuk State in the Federated States of Micronesia
  • Tai Hongjin (Taj₄hong₆tjin₃), a Southwestern Tai language spoken mainly in Yunan Province in the southwest of China, and also in Chiang Rai Province in northern Thailand.

New constructed script: Kanabasic, which is an alternative way to write Japanese created by Safebox that is half-way between romaji and kana.

Sample text in Kana Basic

New numbers pages:

  • Huehuetla Tepehua (Lhiimaqalhqamaꞌ), a Totonacan spoken in central Mexico.
  • Tai Hongjin (Taj₄hong₆tjin₃), a Southwestern Tai language spoken mainly in Yunan Province in the southwest of China
  • Karachay-Balkar (Къарачай-Малкъар тил), a Turkic language spoken mainly in Kabardino-Balkaria, in the Russia Federation.

On the Omniglot blog we find out what conects the word gossamer with the words Goose and Summer, and there’s the usual Language Quiz. See if you can guess what language this is:

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

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Yucuna (Jukuna), a Northern Maipurean or Arawakan language spoken in the south of Colombia

There’s a new Celtiadur post about words for Near and Close and related things in Celtic languages, and I made improvements to the posts about words for Gods and Goddesses, Small and Big, Large and Great.

In the Adventure in Etymology we investigate the origins of the word Twilight and related words.

I also wrote a new song this week called Farewell that goes something like this:

For more Omniglot News see:
https://www.omniglot.com/news/
https://twitter.com/Omniglossia
https://www.facebook.com/groups/omniglot/
https://www.facebook.com/Omniglot-100430558332117

You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Stitcher, TuneIn, Podchaser, PlayerFM or podtail.

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.

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Omniglot News (06/08/23)

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

There are new language pages about:

  • Thai Song (ꪩꪱꪫꪶꪎ꫁ꪉ / ลาวโซ่ง), a Southwestern Tai language spoken in central Thailand
  • Oroko, a Bantu language spoken in southern Cameroon.
  • Ninde, a Southern Oceanic language spoken in central Vanuatu.

New fictional script: Sheikah, which is used to write English and Japanese in the games The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity.

Sample text in Sheikah (in Japanese)

New numbers pages:

  • Kupsabiny, a Southern Nilotic language spoken in eastern Uganda.
  • Ludic (lüüdin kiel’), a Finnic language spoken in part of the Republic of Karelia in Russia
  • Qashqai (Qaşqay dili), a Western Oghuz Turkic language spoken mainly in the Fars region of Iran.
  • Western Yugur (yoɣïr lar), a North East Turkic language spoken in Gansu Province in northwestern China.
  • Ili Turki (İlı turkeşi), a Turkic language spoken in northwestern China and Kazakhstan.

On the Omniglot blog there’s a post entitled Smiling Hum about the Finnish word hymy (smile), and related words, and there’s the usual Language Quiz. See if you can guess what language this is:

Here’s a clue: this language is spoken in Colombia

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Gawwada, a Cushitic language spoken in southern Ethiopia.

There’s a new Celtiadur post about words for Blind and related things in Celtic languages, and I made improvements to the post about words for Kings and related things.

In the Celtic Pathways podcast we uncover the Celtic roots of the word Cream.

In other news, I went to two French conversation groups this week – the usual one on Thursday night in Bangor, and another one on Wednesday night in Dinas Dinlle. It was nice to meet some new people and to see a place I hadn’t been to before.

For more Omniglot News see:
https://www.omniglot.com/news/
https://twitter.com/Omniglossia
https://www.facebook.com/groups/omniglot/
https://www.facebook.com/Omniglot-100430558332117

You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Stitcher, TuneIn, Podchaser, PlayerFM or podtail.

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 Korean with KoreanClass101