Omniglot News (15/02/26)

Omniglot News

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

New alphabet page: Berati, an alternative way to write Albanian used during the 19th century.

Sample text in the Berati alphabet

New constructed script: Cartierian, which created by Michael Kohlman to write his constructed language of the same name.

Sample text in Cartierian

New language pages:

  • Bumthang ( བུམ་ཐང་ཁ་), an Eastern Bodic language spoken mainly in Bumthang District in northern Bhutan.
  • Daka, a Northern Bantoid language spoken in Adamawa State in northeastern Nigeria.
  • Dza (nnwa’ dzâ), a Bambukic language spoken in Gomba, Taraba and Adamawa states in northeastern Nigeria.

New numbers pages:

  • Dza (nnwa’ dzâ), a Bambukic language spoken in Gomba, Taraba and Adamawa states in northeast Nigeria.
  • Haryanvi (हरयाणवी), an Indo-Aryan language spoken mainly in Haryana State in northern India.
  • Batak Angkola (ᯅᯖᯄ᯦᯲ ᯀᯰᯄ᯦ᯬᯞ), a Southern Batak language spoken in North Sumatra in Indonesia.

New phrases page: Hmar (Hmar Țawng), a Northern Mizo language spoken mainly in Assam, Meghalaya and Mizoram in northeast India.

On the Omniglot blog this week there’s a new post entitled Omphaloskepsis about words for navel gazing in various languages, 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 Australia.

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Ndali (Chindali), a Bantu language spoken in Tanzania and Malawi.

In this week’s Adventure in Etymology, entitled Channelling Reeds, we find out if the words channel, canal and cane connected.

It’s also available on Instagram and TikTok.

There’s also a new post on the Celtiadur blog this week entitled Central Navels about words for navel, centre, core and related things in Celtic languages.

Improved pages: Sukhothai script and Tibetan phrases

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.




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Adventures in Etymology – Channelling Reeds

Are the words channel, canal and cane connected? Let find out in this Adventure in Etymology.

Caledonian Canal / Canàl Cailleanach

Meanings of channel [ˈtʃænəl] as a noun include:

  • The hollow bed of running waters.
  • The navigable part of a river.
  • A narrow body of water between two land masses.
  • A specific radio frequency or band of frequencies used for transmitting radio or television.

As a verb, to channel can mean:

  • To make or cut a channel or groove in.
  • To direct or guide along a desired course.
  • To serve as a medium for.

It comes from Middle English chanel (a river or sea bed, a navigable channel in a river, a gutter, drain or ditch), from Old French chenel (channel [of water]), from Latin canālis (pipe, spout, channel, gutter, groove), from canna (reed, cane), from Ancient Greek κάννα (kánna – reed, reed mat), from Akkadian 𒂵𒉡𒌑𒌝 (qanûm – reed) [source].

Alternatively, the Ancient Greek word κάννα (kánna – reed, reed mat) comes from Akkadian 𒄀 (qanû – reed), Sumerian 𒄀𒈾 (gi.na – reed), from 𒄀 (gi – reed, measuring reed, unit of length equal to 6 cubits) [source].

Words from the same roots include canal, cannula and cane in English, قَنَاة (qanāh – channel, canal, spear) in Arabic, canna (cane, barrel, rod, tube) in Italian, caneta (pen) in Portuguese, and canol (centre, middle) in Welsh [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 (08/02/26)

Omniglot News

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

New alphabet; Vellara alphabet, an alternative alphabet for Albanian created during the 19th century.

Article 1 of the UDHR in Albanian written in the Vellara alphabet

New alphabet: Veso Bey alphabet, an alphabet that was used to write Albanian in southern Albania in the 19th century.

Sample text in the Veso Bey alphabet

New language pages:

  • Bekwarra (Ebekwara), a Bendi language spoken in Cross River State in southeastern Nigeria.
  • Kalamang, a Trans-New Guinea language spoken on Karas Island in West Papua in Indonesia.
  • Woisika (Kamang), a West Bomberai language spoken on Alor Island in East Nusa Tenggara Province in southern Indonesia.
  • Klon, a West Bomberai language spoken on Alor Island in East Nusa Tenggara Province in southern Indonesia.

New numbers pages:

  • Bekwarra (Ebekwara), a Bendi language spoken in Cross River State in southeastern Nigeria.
  • Kalamang, a Trans-New Guinea language spoken on Karas Island in West Papua in Indonesia.
  • Klon, a West Bomberai language spoken on Alor Island in East Nusa Tenggara Province in southern Indonesia.

New Tower of Babel translation: Bekwarra (Ebekwara), a Bendi language spoken in Cross River State in southeastern Nigeria.

On the Omniglot blog this week there’s a new post entitled Little Friends about mistranslation and words for child in Chinese and French, and there’s the usual language quiz.

See if you guess what language this is:

Here’s a clue: this language is spoken in Tanzania and Malawi.

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Negidal (Неғида хэсэнин), a Northern Tungusic language spoken in Khabarovskij Kraj in the Russian Far East.

In this week’s Adventure in Etymology, entitled Doomed Pride, we find out what links the word doom with words for judgement, courts and pride.

It’s also available on Instagram and TikTok.

There’s also a new post on the Celtiadur blog this week entitled Thousands about words for thousand, mile and related things in Celtic languages.

Improved page: Todhri alphabet

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 – Doomed Pride

In this Adventure in Etymology we find out what links the word doom with words for judgement, courts and pride.

Maribo - Domhus (courthouse, 1920)

As a noun, doom [duːm] can mean:

  • Destiny, especially terrible
  • An undesirable fate
  • Dread; a feeling of danger

As a verb, to doom can mean:

  • To pronounce judgment or sentence on sb
  • To condem
  • To fix irrevocably the ill fate of sb

It comes from Middle English doom [doːm] (a judgement, [legal] decision, justice, authority), from Proto-West Germanic *dōm (judgement), from Proto-Germanic *dōmaz (judgement, fame, repute), from PIE *dʰóh₁mos (that which is put), from *dʰeh₁- (to do, put, place) [source].

English words from the same roots include deed, deem, defect and wisdom and other words ending in -dom [source].

Words in other languages from the same roots include doem (doom, condemnation, verdict, judgement) in Dutch, domare (judge, referee, umpire) in Swedish, domhus (courthouse) in Danish, дума (thought, meditation, duma [Russian legislature]) in Russian, duma (pride) in Polish, and dáil (tryst, betrothal, legislature) in Irish [source].

Incidentally, one word for court in Old English was dōmhūs (“judgement house”). It’s cognate with Danish domhus, and became dome-howse (a judgement hall) in Middle 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.




Omniglot News (01/02/26)

Omniglot News

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

New language pages:

  • Wooi, an Eastern Malayo-Polynesian language spoken on Yapen Island in Papua Province in eastern Indonesia.
  • Adi, an Eastern Tani language spoken in Arunachal Pradesh in northeastern India.
  • Bebe (Naami), an Eastern Beboid language spoken in the North West Region of Cameroon.
  • Louisiana Creole (kouri-vini), a French-basd creole language spoken mainly in southern Louisiana in the USA.

New numbers pages:

  • Nlakaʼpamux (Thompson), an Interior Salishan language spoken in Canada and in the USA.
  • Louisiana Creole (kouri-vini), a French-basd creole language spoken mainly in southern Louisiana in the USA.
  • Baure, a Southern Arawakan language spoken in northeastern Bolivia.
  • Saraiki (سرائيكى), a Lahnda language spoken in Pakistan and northern India.

New phrases pages:

  • Nlakaʼpamux, an Interior Salishan language spoken in Canada and in the USA.
  • Bonggi, a North Bornean language spoken mainly on Banggi Island in Sabah in East Malaysia.

New family words page: Bonggi.

On the Omniglot blog this week there’s a new post entitled Ideophones about ideophonic words in Bebe (Naami), Japanese, Korea, Tamil and Zulu, and there’s a new language quiz. Can you guess what language this is?

Here’s a clue: this language is spoken in the Russian Far East region.

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Ajië (Waawilûû), a New Caledonian language spoken on the east coast of New Caledonia.

In this week’s Adventure in Etymology, Strong Comfort, we get comfortable and investigate the word comfort and related things.

It’s also available on Instagram and TikTok.

There’s also a new post on the Celtiadur blog this week entitled Separation about words for to separate, to split 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/Omniglot-100430558332117

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 – Strong Comfort

In this Adventure in Etymology we get comfortable and investigate the word comfort.

Comfortable Cat

As a noun, comfort [ˈkʌm.fət / ˈkʌm.fɚt] can mean:

  • Contentment, ease
  • Something that offers comfort
  • Something relieving suffering or worry
  • A cause of relief or satisfaction

As a verb, to comfort can mean:

  • To relieve the distress or suffering of
  • To provide comfort to
  • (obsolete) To make strong, to invigorate; to assist, help or aid

Comfort is also a surname and a female given name, and the name of places in Minnesota, North Carolina, Texas, West Virginia and Wisconsin in the USA [source].

It comes from Middle English comforten [kumˈfɔrtən] (to comfort), from Old French conforter (to reassure, comfort), from Latin cōnfortō (to make stronger, strengthen, give courage), from con- (with) and fortis (strong, powerful, resolute, brave) [source].

Words from the same roots include confortare (to comfort, console) in Italian, confortar (to comfort) in Portuguese, confort (comfort) and conforter (to strengthen, reinforce, confirm) in French, konfor (comfort) in Turkish (borrowed from French), and confort (cosiness) in Romanian (borrowed from French) [source].

The Spanish word confort also comes from the same roots. It means comfort or ease, and in the colloquial Spanish of Chile, it can refer to toilet paper – the name comes from a brand of toilet paper [source].

In Old English, one word for comfort or consolation was frōfor [ˈfroː.for], which became frovre / frother in Middle English, and survives in some English dialects as frover / frother (to comfort, solace) [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 (25/01/26)

Omniglot News

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

New language pages:

  • Pamona, a Celebic language spoken in Sulawesi in Indonesia.
  • Bawean (bhâsa Phêbiyên), a Madurese language spoken on Bawean Island in the Gresik Regency in East Java Province in southern Indonesia.
  • Wakasihu (Sou Rikedu), a Central Maluku language spoken on Ambon Island in Maluku Province in eastern Indonesia.
  • Maybrat, a language isolate spoken in Southwest Papua Province in eastern Indonesia.

New numbers pages:

  • Maybrat, a language isolate spoken in Southwest Papua Province in eastern Indonesia..
  • Ahanta (Ayɩnda), a Kwa language spoken in the Western Region of Ghana.
  • Ajië (Waawilûû), a New Caledonian language spoken on the east coast of New Caledonia.

On the Omniglot blog this week there’s a new post entitled Immersion about my adventures in China and my thoughts on language immersion, and there’s a new language quiz. Can you guess what language this is?

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

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Gumuz (ŋgiša baha), a Nilo-Saharan language spoken in the northwest of Ethiopia andthe southeast of Sudan.

This week’s Adventure in Etymology, Wholesome Health, examines the origins of the word health and related things.

It’s also available on Instagram and TikTok.

There’s also a new post on the Celtiadur blog this week entitled Change about words for change 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/Omniglot-100430558332117

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 – Wholesome Health

In this Adventure in Etymology we examine the origins of the word health and related things.

Healthy no QR

Meanings of health [hɛlθ] include:

  • The state of being free from physical or psychological disease, illness, or malfunction.
  • A state of well-being or balance, often physical but sometimes also mental and social.

It comes from Middle English helthe [ˈhɛlθ(ə)] (soundness, health, recovery, remedy), from Old English hǣlþ [xæːlθ] (health, healing, cure), from Proto-Germanic *hailiþō [ˈxɑi̯.li.θɔː] (wholeness, health), from *hailaz [ˈxɑi̯.lɑz] (whole, intact, entire, healthy), from PIE *kéh₂ilos (healthy, whole) [source].

Words from the same roots include heal, whole, wholesome, holy and hale in English, heel [ɦeːl] (complete, full, whole, very) in Dutch, hele (to heal) in Danish, целя [tsɛˈlʲa̟] (to heal, cure) in Bulgarian, cały [ˈtsa.wɘ] (whole, complete, entire) in Polish [source].

Health should not be confused with health, an obsolete English word meaning a warrior, hero or man, which comes from Proto-Germanic *haliþaz [ˈxɑ.li.θɑz] (hero), and is related to words such as Held [hɛlt] (hero, protagonist) in German, held [ɦɛlt] (hero) in Dutch, and hjälte [ˈjɛlˌtɛ] (hero, main male protagonist in a work of fiction) in Swedish [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 (18/01/26)

Omniglot News

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

New language pages:

  • Ambele, a Grassfields language spoken in the North West Region of Cameroon.
  • Babanki (Kə̀jóm), a Grassfields language spoken in Mezam Department in the North West Region of Cameroon.
  • Sarangani, a Southern Manobo language spoken in the Davao Region in Mindanao in the Philippines.

New numbers pages:

  • Chamacoco (Ɨshɨr), a Zamucoan language spoken in the Alto Paraguay department in northern Paraguay.
  • Western Fijian (Nadrogaa), an Oceanic language spoken in western Fiji.
  • South Slavey (Dene Zhatıé / ᑌᓀ ᒐ), a Northern Athabaskan language spoken in northern Canadai.

New adapted script: Slovarabik (سلوڤارابيك), a way to write Slovak with the Arabic script devised by Martin Varga.

ڤشېتڅیٛ ڵیٛدیٛا سا رۆدیٛا سلۆبۆدنئ ا رۆڤنئ ڤۆ دۋستۋىنۋستیٛ ا پرآڤاخ. سۊ ۆبدارېنئ رۆزۏمۆم ا سڤېدۆمئم ا مالیٛ بي سا سپرآڤات ناڦزآىۆم ڤ دۏخۏ برإتستڤا.

On the Omniglot blog this week there’s a new post entitled Outside Aliens about word for foreigner / outsider in Chinese and Japanese. There is also a new language quiz. Can you guess what language this is?

Here’s a clue: this language is spoken in Ethiopia and Sudan.

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Yaqui (Yoem Noki), an Uto-Aztecan language spoken in Sonora and Sinaloa in Mexico & in Arizona in the USA.

Slippery

There’s also a new post Celtiadur post this week entitled Smoothly Slippery about words for smooth, slippery and related things in Celtic languages.

Victoria Harbour at night / 維多利亞港嘅夜景

In other news, this week I’ve mainly been in Hong Kong. It’s changed a lot since I was last here 1990s, and I’ve visited some familar places and some new ones. There seems to be a lot more of everythings here – people, buildings, traffic etc, and it’s quite a constrast to Zhaoqing, which seemed quieter and more relaxed in comparison.

You can see some photos on Flickr.

Language skills in just 10 minutes a day with Ling

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

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 (11/01/26)

Omniglot News

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

New language pages:

  • Aghem (Aghɨ̀m), a Grassfields language spoken in the North West Region of Cameroon.
  • Kogi (Kággaba), a Chibchan language spoken in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains in northern Colombia..
  • Daai, a Southern Kuki-Chin-Naga language spoken in Chin State in western Myanmar.

New numbers pages:

  • Zigula (Chizigua), a Bantu language spoken mainly in Tanzania, and also Somalia.
  • Zenaga (Tuẓẓungiyya), a Berber language spoken Mauritania and Senegal.
  • Zaiwa (Zaiwa mying), a Northern Burmish language spoken in southwestern China and northeastern Myanmar.

New constructed script: Velikirillitsa (Великириллица), an alternative way to write English, Russian and Hungarian created by Murray Callahan,

Sample text in Velikirillitsa

Illustration of the Chinese and Japanese word 彼此

On the Omniglot blog this week there’s a new post entitled One Another about the Chinese word 彼此 (bǐcǐ) and related words in Japanese, and there’s a new language quiz. See if you guess what language this is:

Here’s a clue: this language is spoken in Mexico and the USA.

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Mnong (Bu Nong / ឞូន៝ង), a Southern Bahnaric language spoken in Vietnam & Cambodia.

Perilous Experiences

There’s a new Adventure in Etymology entitled Perilous Experiences, in which we find out what the word experience has to do with fear, peril and pirates.

Glowing Stars

There’s a new post on the Celtiadur blog this week entitled Glowing Stars about words for star, coal and other glowing things in Celtic languages.

In other news, I’ll be leaving Zhaoqing tomorrow (12th Janaury) and headed to Hong Kong. I’ll spend a week there, then fly back to UK. It’s been nearly 30 years since I was last in Hong Kong, and I’m looking forward to seeing it again.

Here are a few more photos of Zhaoqing showing parts of the city tourists might not necessarily visit.

Bamboo delivery in Zhaoqing
Bamboo is widely used as scaffolding, and this is one of the guys who delivers it on his high-tech cart

Garden on a building site in Zhaoqing
A building site next to the housing complex where I’m staying. Someone has made part of it into a little garden to grow vegetables – there’s no point in letting a bit of land sit idle after all.

Backstreet in Zhaoqing
A fairly typical backstreet in Zhaoqing.

A backstreet, still under construction, like many places here
A backstreet, still under construction, like many places here

Zhaoqing city wall / 肇庆古城墙
Zhaoqing city wall (肇庆古城墙), which was constructed in 1053 AD/CE during the Northern Song Dynasty. It was originally built of rammed earth, and looks like it’s changed a bit since then.

Me in front of Zhaoqing city wall
Me in front of Zhaoqing city wall

Piyun Tower on Zhaoqing city wall / 披云楼肇庆古城墙
Piyun Tower on Zhaoqing city wall / 披云楼肇庆古城墙

A view from the city wall
A view from the city wall

By the way, this happens to be the 5,000th post I’ve published on my blogs, and the 223rd episode of the Omniglot News. The majority of posts (3,942) are on the Omniglot blog (started in March 2006), and there are 546 on this blog (started in June 2018), and another 512 on the Celtiadur blog (started in September 2018). I think I’m starting to get the hang of this blogging lark.

Language skills in just 10 minutes a day with Ling

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

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.

Language skills in just 10 minutes a day with Ling