Category: Language

Omniglot News (29/09/24)

By Simon

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Omniglot News

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

New language pages:

  • Anuak (Dha-Anywaa), a Western Nilotic language spoken in western Ethiopia and eastern South Sudan.
  • Belanda Bor (di Bor), a Western Nilotic language spoken in South Sudan.
  • Bawm, a Kuki-Chin-Naga language spoken mainly in Bangladesh, and also in India and Myanmar.
  • Keiyo, a Southern Nilotic language spoken in western Kenya.
  • Southern Oromo (Borana), a Lowland East Cushitic language spoken in Ethiopia and Kenya.

New numbers pages:

  • Anuak (Dha-Anywaa), a Western Nilotic language spoken in Ethiopia and South Sudan.
  • Bawm, a Kuki-Chin-Naga language spoken mainly in Bangladesh, India and Myanmar.
  • Southern Oromo (Borana), a Lowland East Cushitic language spoken in Ethiopia and Kenya.

On the Omniglot blog there’s a new post about words for Mushroom in Spanish, French and English, and a post called Snub Nosed Simians, about the Italian word scimmia (monkey, ape), and words for monkey in other languages. There’s also the usual Language Quiz. See if you can guess what language this is:

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

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Deg Xinag (Degexit’ank), a Northern Athabaskan language spoken in Alsaka in the USA.

In this week’s Celtic Pathways podcast, we investigate the possible Celtic roots of the word Jeans, and also the place names Genoa and Geneva, and find out how they’re connected to words for knee

On the Celtiadur blog there’s a new post entitled Voices about words for voice, word, sound and related things in Celtic languages, and I made improvements to the Heads & Brains, Hearing, fame & renown and Ears posts.

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

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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 – Jeans

By Simon

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In this episode we discover the possible Celtic roots of the word jeans, and also the place names Genoa and Geneva.

Boots and Jeans

Jeans are trousers made from denim cotton, traditionally dyed dark blue, and also known as blue jeans. The word jeans is an abbreviation of jean fustian, from Middle English Gene (Genoa, Genovese) and fustian (a strong cotton fabric) [source].

Gene comes from Latin Genua (Genoa), which like Geneva, possibly comes from the Proto-Celtic *genwā ([river] bend) from PIE *ǵénw-eh₂, from *ǵónu (knee), which is also the root of the Proto-Celtic word *glūnos (knee) [source].

Related words in the modern Celtic languages include:

  • glúin [ɡl̪ˠuːnʲ] = knee, generation, step, node in Irish
  • glùin [ɡl̪ˠuːn̪ʲ] = knee, generation, lap in Scottish Gaelic
  • glioon [ɡlʲuːnʲ] = joint, knee in Manx
  • glin [ɡliːn] = knee in Welsh
  • glin [ɡliːn] = knee in Cornish
  • glin [ɡlĩːn] = knee in Breton

Other words from the same PIE roots include genuflect (to bend the knee, grovel) and knee in English; genou (knee) in French; knie (knee) in Dutch and Afrikaans; gju [ɟu/ɡjũː] (knee) in Albanian, and γόνατο [ˈɣɔnatɔ] (knee) in Greek [source].

Incidentally, the k in knee was pronounced in Middle Engish kne [kneː] and Old English cnēow [kne͜oːw] [source], and also in Early Modern English until about the 16th or 17th century, when it quietly disappeared in speech [source].

See the Celtiadur post Knees for more details of words for knee and related things in Celtic languages. 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 (22/09/24)

By Simon

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Omniglot News

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

New language pages:

  • Adhola (DhoPadhola), a Western Nilotic language spoken in the Eastern Region of Uganda.
  • Ntcham (ncam), a Northern Gur language spoken in Togo and Ghana.
  • Akha (A˯ka˯daw˯), a Southern Loloish language spoken in China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam.

New constructed script and language: Yufrabiz, which was created by Max Greiner.

Sample text in Yufrabiz

New constructed script: Western Script, which was invented by Julius Alfred Cordova as an alternative way to write English and Spanish.

Sample text in Western Script

New numbers pages:

  • Adhola (DhoPadhola), a Western Nilotic language spoken in the Eastern Region of Uganda.
  • Akha (A˯ka˯daw˯), a Southern Loloish language spoken in China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam.
  • Achang (Ngachang), a Tibeto-Burman language spoken in Yunnan province in southern China.

On the Omniglot blog we find out whether the French word heurter (door knocker) is related to the English word hurt in a post entitled Battering Down the Door. There’s also the usual Language Quiz. See if you can guess what language this is:

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

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Maung (Mawng Ngaralk), an Iwaidjan language spoken on Goulburn Island in Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Austalia.

In this week’s Adventure in Etymology, we find out what the word Swan has to do with sonnets, sonatas and bells.

On the Celtiadur blog there’s a new post entitled Leader in Chief about words for leader, chief, president and so on in Celtic languages.

Improved page: New Akha con-script page.

I forgot to mention on the recording, but here’s a new song I wrote recently called Cats & Dogs:

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

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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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Adventures in Etymology – Swan

By Simon

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In this Adventure in Etymology we’re looking into the origins of the word swan.

Swan

A swan [swɒn/swɑn] is:

  • Any of various species of large, long-necked waterfowl, of genus Cygnus (bird family: Anatidae), most of which have white plumage.
  • One whose grace etc. suggests a swan.

It comes from Middle English swan [swan] (swan, swan meat), from Old English swan [swɑn] (swan), from Proto-West-Germanic *swan (swan) from Proto-Germanic *swanaz [ˈswɑ.nɑz] (swan, literally “the singing bird”), probably Proto-Indo-European *swenh₂- (to sound) [source].

Words from the same roots include sound, sonnet and sonata in English, zwaan [zʋaːn] (swan) in Dutch, Schwan [ʃvaːn] (swan, the constellation Cygnus) in German, sonar [soˈnaɾ] (to sound, ring) in Spanish, suonàre [swoˈna.re] (to play [an instrument], to sound, to ring) in Italian, and possibly dzwon [dzvɔn] (bell) in Polish [source].

Incidentally, the English word sonar, as in a device that uses hydrophones to locate objects underwater, is an acronym of Sound Navigation and Ranging, and was coined by Frederick Vinton Hunt, an American inventor, scientist and professor of acoustic engineering at Havard University in 1942.

Initially, the name ‘bearing and deviation indicator’ (BDI) was used for the system developed by Hunt and his team at the Harvard Underwater Sound Laboratory in 1941. The Navy Bureau of Ships asked him to come up with a more interesting name to make the job of an acoustic ranging technician sound more glamorous. He suggested SONAR, and said that it stood for Sound Navigation and Ranging – so it is in fact a backronym (an acronym based on an existing word) [source].

By the way, an adult male swan is a cob, which comes from Middle English cobbe (male swan, gang leader, bully) [source]. An adult female swan is a pen, the origins of which are uncertain [source], and a baby swan is a cygnet, which comes from Middle English signet (a young swan), from Anglo-Norman cignet, a diminutive of Old French cigne (swan), from Latin cycnus [ky.knus] (swan, [singing] poet), from Ancient Greek κύκνος (kúknos – swan, a type of ship) [source]. Baby swans are also known as swanlings [source].

You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Podchaser, Podbay or Podtail and other pod places.

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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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.

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Omniglot News (15/09/24)

By Simon

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Omniglot News

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

New language pages:

  • Moma (Mobaha), a Celebic language spoken in Central Sulawesi Province in northern Indonesia.
  • Burum (Mindik), a Western Huon language spoken on the Huon Peninsula in Morobe Province of Papua New Guinea.
  • Ternate (bhsua ternente), a West Papuan language spoken mainly on Ternate island in North Maluku Province of Indonesia.
  • Tidore, a West Papuan language spoken mainly on the island of Tidore in North Maluku Province of Indonesia.
  • Thadou (Thadou pao), a Kuki-Chin-Naga language spoken in Manipur and Assam in the northeast of India.

New numbers pages: in Ternate (bhsua ternente), a West Papuan language spoken mainly on Ternate island in North Maluku Province of Indonesia.

New Numbers and Phrases pages in Mirandese (mirandés), a Western Ibero-Romance language spoken mainly in northern Portugal.

On the Omniglot blog this we investigate the Italian word rumore in a post entitled What’s that noise?. There’s also the usual Language Quiz. See if you can guess what language this is:

Here’s a clue: this is an Australian aboriginal language.

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Mangareva (Te Reo Magareva), a Polynesian language spoken on the islands of Gambier and Mangareva in French Polynesia.

In this week’s Celtic Pathways podcast, we discover the possible Celtic roots of words for Leather in English and other Germanic languages.

On the Celtiadur blog there’s a new post entitled Leathery Hide about words for leather, hide and related things, and I made improvements to the Surfaces and Calling Words posts.

Improved page: Mirandese language page.

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

JapanesePod101.com

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 – Leather

By Simon

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Close-up of a leather sole on a shoe form

The Irish word leathar and the Welsh word lledr both mean leather, and various other things. You might think that they were borrowed from English, but in fact the English word leather might ultimately come from a Proto-Celtic word, via Middle and Old English and Proto-Germanic [source].

The Proto-Celtic word for leather or hide was *(ɸ)letros, which comes from Proto-Indo-European *péltrom, from *pel- (to cover, to wrap, skin, hide, cloth) [source].

Related words in the modern Celtic languages include:

  • leathar [ˈl̠ʲahəɾˠ] = skin, hide, leather in Irish
  • leathar [l̪ʲɛhər] = leather, leathery in Scottish Gaelic
  • l(h)iare = leather in Manx
  • lledr [ɬɛdr/ˈɬeːdɛr] = leather, parchment, vellum, skin, hide in Welsh
  • ledher = leather in Cornish
  • lêr [lɛːr] = leather in Breton

The Proto-Germanic word *leþrą [ˈle.θrɑ̃] (leather), which was possibly was borrowed from Proto-Celtic, and from these roots we get words such as leather in English, leer (leather) in Dutch, Leder (leather, suede, hide) in German, læder (leather) in Danish, and läder (leather, suede) in Swedish [source].

Words from the same PIE root include pall, pelt, camouflage and film in English; plena (membrane) in Czech; piel (skin, fur) in Spanish, plah (to cover, veil) in Albanian, and pall (cloak, curtain, covering, tent) in Welsh [source].

See the Celtiadur post Leathery Hide for more details of words for leather and related things in Celtic languages.

You can find more connections between Celtic languages 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 (08/09/24)

By Simon

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Omniglot News

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

New language pages:

  • Ngangam (miganganm), a Northern Gur language spoken in northeastern Togo and northwestern Benin.
  • Mbukushu (thiMbukushu), a Bantu language spoken in Namibia, Angola, Botswana and Zambia.
  • Belanda Viri, a Ubangian language spoken in the west and south of South Sudan.
  • Glosa, an International Auxiliary Language based on Interglossa.

New numbers pages:

  • Glosa, an International Auxiliary Language based on Interglossa.
  • Interglossa, an International Auxiliary Language devised by Lancelot Hogben.
  • Uropi, an International Auxiliary Language based on common Indo-European roots.
  • Betawi (basè Betawi), a Malay-based creole spoken mainly in the Jakarta region of Indonesia.

On the Omniglot blog there’s a new post entitled Doorgetting about the doorway effect (forgetting why you entered a room as you walk through the door), and related things. There’s also the usual Language Quiz. See if you can guess what language this is:

Here’s a clue: this is a Polynesian language.

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Bhili (भीली / ભીલી), a Western Indo-Aryan language spoken in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh in central India.

In this week’s Adventure in Etymology, Sadly Satisfied, we find out whether the words sad and satisfied are related.

On the Celtiadur blog there’s a new post entitled Tented Pavilions about words for tents, pavilions and related things in Celtic languages

Improved page: Interglossa language page

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

JapanesePod101.com

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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Adventures in Etymology – Sadly Satisfied

By Simon

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In this Adventure in Etymology we find out whether the words sad and satisfied are connected.

sad

Sad [sæd] means various things, including:

  • Feeling sorrow; sorrowful, mournful.
  • Appearing sorrowful.
  • Causing sorrow; lamentable.
  • Poor in quality, bad; shameful, deplorable, regrettable, poor.

It can mean unfashionable, socially inadequate or undesirable (in slang), and in the past it meant:

  • Sated, having had one’s fill; satisfied, weary.
  • Steadfast, valiant.
  • Dignified, serious, grave.
  • Heavy; weighty; ponderous; close; hard.

It comes from Middle English sad [sa(ː)d] (sated, weary; firm, solid, hard, thoughtful, serious, sad (sorrowful), authentic, true, genuine; dark, deep [colours]), from Old English sǣd [sæːd] (full, sated, weary), from Proto-West-Germanic *sad (sated, full) from Proto-Germanic *sadaz [ˈsɑ.ðɑz] (sated, full), Proto-Indo-European *seh₂- (to satiate, satisfy) [source].

Words from the same roots include satt [zat] (not hungry, satiated, full, fed up) in German, sāts (moderation, satiation, fill) in Latvian, sáith [sˠaːç] (sufficiency, enough, fill) in Irish, and satiate, satisfied and insatiate in English [source].

The Welsh word sad was borrowed from Middle English, and means firm, stable, steady, solid, certain, sure, wise, discreet, sober, grave, melancholy, and various other things. Related words include sadiwr (stabilizer) and sadeiddio (to make or become firm or stable) [source].

You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Podchaser, Podbay or Podtail and other pod places.

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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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.

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Omniglot News (01/09/24)

By Simon

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Omniglot News

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

New writing system: Nag Chiki, which was created by Dinesh Mudi from West Bengal in India to write Koda, a North Munda language spoken in India and Bangladesh.

Sample text in Koda in the Nag Chiki alphabet

New language pages:

  • Koda (কোড়া), a North Munda language spoken mainly in West Bengal in northwestern India
  • Nateni (Naàteǹni), a Northern Gur language spoken in the Atakora Department in the northwest of Benin.
  • Mbelime bɛ̄dímɛ), a Northern Gur language spoken in the Atakora Department in the northwest of Benin.
  • Hanga (Haŋa), a Northern Gur language spoken in the Savannah Region in northern Ghana.

New numbers pages:

  • Hanga (Haŋa), a Northern Gur language spoken in the Savannah Region in northern Ghana.
  • Sipakapense (Ri Qyolb’al), a Mayan language spoken in the San Marcos Department in western Guatemala.
  • Bajaw, a Sama-Bajaw language spoken in Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines.

New article: Multiple Ways to Say “To Visit” in French

On the Omniglot blog there’s a new post entitled Stanzas, Cameras and Salons about the Italian word stanza (room), and related words in other languages. There’s also the usual Language Quiz. See if you can guess what language this is:

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

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Maay Maay (Af-Mai-Mai), a Lowland East Cushitic language spoken in southern Somlia.

In this week’s Celtic Pathways podcast, Groovy Furrows, we’re looking at Celtic words for furrow, trench, ditch and related things, and words in other languages that come from the same roots.

On the Celtiadur blog there are new posts entitled Yoked Bonds and Furrowed Trenches, and improved the post about Ditches and Trenches.

Improved page: Nüshu script page

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

JapanesePod101.com

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.

Unlimited Web Hosting - Kualo

Celtic Pathways – Groovy Furrows

By Simon

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In this episode we’re looking at Celtic words for furrow, trench, ditch and related things, and words in other languages that come from the same roots.

Furrowed

The Proto-Celtic word *ɸrikā means furrow and comes from Proto-Indo-European *pr̥keh₂ (furrow), from *perḱ- (to open, rip up, dig) [source].

Related words in the modern Celtic languages include:

  • eitre [ˈɛtʲəɾʲə] = furrow, groove, ridge in Irish
  • eitre = trench, furrow in Scottish Gaelic
  • eerey = furrow length, plough length in Manx
  • rhych [r̥ɨːχ/r̥iːχ] = trench, ditch, furrow, groove, wrinkle, cleft, cleavage in Welsh
  • reg = line, furrow in Breton

Words from the same Proto-Celtic roots, via Gaulish *rikā (furrow) and Latin riga (line, stripe), include raie (stripe, parting, line) in French, porca (ridge between furrows) in Italian, alporquia (layering) in Portuguese, porcoi (haystack, heap, pile, bunch) in Romanian, and erreka (river, stream, ravine) in Basque [source].

Words from the same PIE roots include furrow, farrow and pig in English, Furche (furrow) in German, fåra (furrow, groove) in Swedish, porsas (piglet, pork) in Finnish, and arc [aɾˠk] (piglet) in Irish [source].

Orkney Islands

Incidentally, the Orkney Islands get their name from Old Norse Orkneyjar (“seal islands”), from Old Norse ørkn (seal) and ey (island). The ørkn part is thought to be a misinterpretation of the Pictish name orc (piglet), which ultimately comes from the PIE root *perḱ- (to dig, etc) [source].

More about words for Furrowed Trenches and related tools in Celtic languages.

You can find more connections between Celtic languages 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.

The Fastest Way to Learn Japanese Guaranteed with JapanesePod101.com