Celtic Pathways – Hogging Sockets

24th June 202324th June 2023 By Simon

In this episode we find out what links the words hog and socket with words for pig, ploughshare and related things in Celtic languages.

The Proto-Celtic word sukkos means a pig (snout) or ploughshare, presumably because ploughshares looked like pig’s snouts. It comes from the Proto-Indo-European *súH-s (pig, hog, swine) [source]

Descendents in the modern Celtic languages include:

soc [sˠɔk] = sow in Irish.
soc [sɔxg] = beak, snout, socket, ploughshare, or a short, chubby person in Scottish Gaelic
sock = bow, nose, snout, ploughshare, jet or nozzle in Manx
hwch [huːχ] = sow, pig, swine, or a dirty creature in Welsh
hogh = hog, pig or swine in Cornish
houc’h = sow in Breton

Words from the same Proto-Celtic root in other languages include socket and possibly hog in English, and soc (ploughshare) in French.

The word socket comes from the Middle English soket, from the Anglo-Norman soket (spearhead), from the Old French soc (ploughshare), from the Vulgar Latin *soccus, from the Proto-Celtic *sokkos, probably via Gaulish [source].

The word hog comes from the Middle English hog(ge) (pig, swine, pig meat, hogget [young sheep]), from the Old English hogg (hog), either the Old Norse hǫggva (to hew), or from the Proto-Brythonic *hux (pig) [source].

The English word hoggan (a pork pasty), which is used mainly in Cornwall, probably comes from the Old Cornish hoggan/hogen) (pork pasty, pie), from hoch (pig), from the Proto-Brythonic *hux (pig). The word oggy/oggie (pasty), which is used in Devon and Cornwall, and also in Wales, comes from the same roots [source].

Welsh oggies are larger than Cornish pasties and contain lamb, potatoes and leeks. Here’s a recipe.

Incidentally, the Welsh words hogyn (boy) and hogen (girl), which are used mainly in North Wales, come from hòg (young/little boy, youth, lad, fellow), from the English hogg (young sheep or hogget), from the Middle English hogget (a boar/sheep of the second year), from Anglo-Norman hog(g)et (young boar) and an Anglo-Latin hogettus [source].

You can find more details of words for pig and related beasts 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.

Omniglot News (18/06/23)

18th June 2023 By Simon

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

There are new language pages about:

Fordata (vaidida), a Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian spoken in the Tanimbar archipelago in the province of Maluku in eastern Indonesia.
Lamaholot, a Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian spoken on Flores, Solor and nearby islands in the province of East Nusa Tengara in eastern Indonesia.
Alorese, a Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian spoken in the Alor Regency in East Nusa Tenggara Province in eastern Indonesia.

New constructed script: Lofrati, a script invented by Sahin Ozmen that is modelled on Arabic and Hebrew scripts, and is used to write a constructed language by the same name.

Sample text in Lofrati

New constructed script: Our Secret Garden, a script based on flowers created by Rodrigo Witzel.

Sample text in Our Secret Garden

New constructed script: Plutonian, an alternative alphabet for English devised by Aiden Neuding.

Sample text in Plutonian

New numbers page: Fordata, Lamaholot, Alorese, Bunun, Tsou and Kerinci.

There’s a new Omniglot blog post about called Roses (薔薇), about kanji (characters) that Japanese people struggle to write, and the usual Language Quiz. See if you can guess what language this is:

Here’s a clue: this language is spoken in the far north of the Russian Federation.

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Butuanon, a Southern Bisayan language spoken in Agusan del Norte and Agusan de Sul provinces in Mindanao in the Philippines.

In this week’s Adventure in Etymology we uncover the fiery origins of the word Bureau.

There are new Celtiadur posts about words for Booths and Seven and related things in Celtic languages.

I also created separate pages the Lota Ende and Incung scripts, and for the Lio and Ende languages, and improved the Kerinci 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

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.

Adventures in Etymology – Bureau

16th June 202316th June 2023 By Simon

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In this Adventure we are investigating the fiery origins of the word bureau.

A bureau [ˈbjʊɹ.əʊ/ˈbjʊɹ.oʊ] is:

An administrative unit of government
An organization or office for collecting or providing information or news.
A desk, usually with a cover and compartments (mainly UK)
A chest of drawers for clothes (mainly USA)

It comes from French bureau [by.ʁo] (desk, office, ticket office, office staff), from Old French burel (frieze [coarse woolen cloth], garment made of frieze) from Late Latin burra (a small cow with a red muzzle; a shaggy garment), from burrus (red, reddish-brown), from Ancient πυρρός [pyr̥.r̥ós] (flame-coloured, redheaded) from πῦρ [pŷːr] (fire, lighning, fever), from PIE *péh₂wr̥ (fire) [source].

How did we get from coarse fabric to a desk to an office? Well, back in the 14th century the French word bureau meant a carpet on which one did one’s accounts, probably made of coarse fabric. Later a table for doing accounts, then a place where you do your accounts, and by the 16th century it meant an establishment open to the public where a service of collective interest is undertaken [source].

The word burel (a coarse woolen cloth) also exists in English and was borrowed from Old French [source], and the old word borrel (a mean, ignorant or unlearned fellow) probably comes from the same roots [source].

The English prefix pyro- (fire, heat, fever), as in pyromancy (divination by fire), pyrometer (a thermometer designed to measure high temperatures) and pyroclast (solid matter ejected into the air by an active volcano) comes from the same PIE root [source], as do such words as fire, pyre and purge [source].

Here’s a video I made of this information:

Video made with Doodly [afflilate link].

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.

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.

Omniglot News (11/06/23)

11th June 202310th June 2023 By Simon

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

There are new language pages about:

Ngadha (Nââ kwényï), a Sumba-Flores language spoken on the island of Flores in eastern Indonesia.
Kéo (sara kita / sara ndai), a Sumba-Flores language spoken on the island of Flores in eastern Indonesia.
Palu’e (sara Lu’a), a Sumba-Flores language spoken on the island of Palu’e in eastern Indonesia.

New numbers page: Lushootseed, Klallam, Halkomelem, Comox and Okanagan, which are all Salishan languages spoken in British Colombia in Canada, and Washington State in the USA.

There’s a new Omniglot blog post about the word Tarn and related words, and the usual Language Quiz. See if you can guess what language this is:

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

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Nivaclé (Guisnai), a Matacoan language spoken in the Gran Chaco region of northwestern Paraguay and northern Argentina.

In this week’s Celtic Pathways podcast we uncover the Celtic origins of the word Truant.

There are new Celtiadur posts entitled Merciful and Parts and Pieces, and I also improved the post about words for Sorrow & sadness.

I made improvements to the Yi script page, and made a separate page for the Nuosu 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.

Celtic Pathways – Truant

10th June 202310th June 2023 By Simon

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In this episode we find out what links the word truant with words for beggar, wretch and related things in Celtic and other languages.

Truant [ˈtɹʊənt/ˈtɹuː.ənt] means:

Absent without permission, especially from school.
Wandering from business or duty; straying; loitering; idle, and shirking duty
One who is absent without permission, especially from school.

It comes from Middle English truant/truand (one who receives alms, a begger, vagabond, vagrant, scoundrel, rogue, shiftless or good-for-nothing fellow) from Old French truand (vagabond, beggar, rogue), either from Gaulish *trugan (wretch), or from Breton truant (beggar), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *terh₁- (to rub, turn, drill, pierce) [source].

Related words in the modern Celtic languages include:

trua [t̪ˠɾˠuə] = pity, sympathy, compassion, miserable person or wretch in Irish.
truaghan [truəɣan] = poor soul, poor thing or wretch in Scottish Gaelic
truanagh = miserable, mournful or sorrowful person in Manx
truan = wretch, miserable person; wretched, miserable, pathetic, poor or weak in Welsh
truan = sad, miserable, unfortunate or wretched in Cornish
truant = beggar in Breton

Other words from the same Proto-Celtic root include truand [tʁy.ɑ̃] (crook, gangster, beggar) in French [source], truhan [tɾuˈan] (scoundrel, scammer, swindler, rogue, crook, [historically] jester, buffoon) in Spanish, truão (jester) in Portuguese, and trogo (jester) in Galician [source].

Incidentally, words for truant in Celtic languages include: fánach in Irish, air falach in Scottish Gaelic, truggan in Manx, and triwant in Welsh.

What do you call the action of playing truant?

For me its skiving (off) and when you do it, you’re a skiver.

Here’s a video I made of this information:

Video made with Doodly [afflilate link].

You can find more details of these words 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.

Omniglot News (04/06/23)

4th June 202310th June 2023 By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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

There are new language pages about:

Numèè (Nââ kwényï), a New Caledonian language spoken in the South Province of New Caledonia.
Safaliba (Safale̱ba), a Northern Gur language spoken in northwestern Ghana.
Western Sisaala (Isaalo), a Southern Gur language spoken in the Upper West Region of northern Ghana.

New adapted script: N’Ko Français (ߣߴߞߏ ߝߙߊߣߛߊߌߛ), which is a way to write French with the N’Ko alphabet that was invented by Elija Vesna.

Sample text in N'Ko Français

New time page in Tamil (தமிழ்), a Dravidian language spoken in southern India, Sri Lanka and Singapore.

New numbers page: Frafra, Western Sisaala and Numèè.

New Tower of Babel text: Durustal, an alternative way to write Uyghur.

There’s a new Omniglot blog post about Semesters and related words, and the usual Language Quiz. See if you can guess what language this is:

Here’s a clue: this language is spoken in Paraguay and Argentina.

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Brahui (براوی), a Dravidian language spoken mainly in the Balochistan region of Pakistan.

In this week’s Adventure in Etymology we look into the origins of the word Friend, and find to connections to words like afraid, free and Friday.

There’s a new Celtiadur post called Hexagonal about words for six and related things in Celtic languages.

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.

Adventures in Etymology – Friend

3rd June 20233rd June 2023 By Simon

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In this Adventure we find out what links the word friend with words like afraid, free and Friday.

A friend [fɹɛnd] is:

A person, typically someone other than a family member, spouse or lover, whose company one enjoys and towards whom one feels affection.
A person with whom one is vaguely or indirectly acquainted.

It comes from Middle English fre(e)nd [freːnd] (A friend or compatriot; a close associate; A patron, philanthropist, or supporter; A family member; one of one’s kin), from Old English frēond [fre͜oːnd] (friend, lover) from Proto-West-Germanic *friund (friend), from Proto-Germanic *frijōndz (friend, loved one), from PIE *preyH- (to love, to please) [source].

English words from the same roots include afraid, free, proper and possibly Friday [source].

Friday? It comes from Old English frīġedæġ [ˈfriː.jeˌdæj] (Friday), from Proto-Western-Germanic *Frījā dag (Friday, “Frigg’s day”), a calque of the Latin diēs Veneris (Friday, “day of Venus”). Frījā/Frigg was the Norse goddess of love, and associated with the Roman goddess Venus. Her name possibly comes from Proto-Germanic *frijōną (to love, free, like), from *frijaz (free), from PIE *priHós (dear, beloved, happy, free), from *preyH- (to love, to please) [source].

So you could say that Friday is the day of freedom, or friendship or love, or all three. Whichever you prefer.

Incidentally, the second syllables of the names Geoffrey/Jeffrey, Godfrey, Siegfried and Winfred come ultimately from PIE *preyH- as well [source]. However, the name Winifred comes from Welsh Gwenfrewi, from gwen (white, fair, blessed) and ffrwd (brook, stream) [source].

Here’s a video I made of this information:

Video made with Doodly [afflilate link].

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.

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.

Omniglot News (28/05/23)

28th May 20234th June 2023 By Simon

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There are new language pages about:

ꞌAreꞌare, a Southeast Solomonic language spoken in Malaita Province in the Solomon Islands.
Bena (Kibena), a Northeast Bantu language spoken in southern Tanzania.
Kunda (Chikunda), a Bantu language spoken in mainly in Zimbabwe, and also in Zambia and Mozambique.

New adapted script: Skript Amażigħ (ⵙⴽⵉⵒⵜ ⴰⵎⴰⵥⵉⵖ), which is a way to write Maltese with the Neo-Tifinagh alphabet devised by Grunky Scripples.

Sample text in Skript Amażigħ

New phrases page in Oʼodham (O’odham Ñeoki), an Uto-Aztecan language spoken mainly in Arizona in the USA, and also northern Mexico.

New numbers page: Old Breton, Middle Breton, Bena, Kunda and Middle Irish.

There’s a new Omniglot blog post entitled Joyful Delight about the Finnish word iloinen (happy, cheerful, glad, merry) and related words in Finnish and other languages, and the usual Language Quiz. See if you can guess what language this is:

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

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Sena, a Bantu language spoken in Mozamique and Malawi.

In this week’s Celtic Pathways podcast we uncover the Celtic origins of the word Beret.

There’s a new Celtiadur post called Quintuple about words for five and related things, and one called Short Cuts about words for short, cut and related things in Celtic languages.

In other news, I had an interesting discussion this week about writing systems with Tim Brookes, the man behind the Endangered Alphabets project, who was inspired by Omniglot.

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.

Celtic Pathways – Berets

26th May 202324th November 2023 By Simon

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In this episode we’re uncovering the Celtic origins of the word beret.

A beret [ˈbɛɹ.eɪ/bəˈɹeɪ] is:

A type of round, brimless cap with a soft top and a headband to secure it to the head; usually culturally associated with France.

It comes from the French béret (beret), from the Occitan (Gascon) berret (cap), from the Medieval Latin birretum (a kind of hat), from the Late Latin birrus (a large hooded cloak, a cloak to keep off rain, made of silk or wool), from the Gaulish birrus (a coarse kind of thick woollen cloth; a woollen cap or hood worn over the shoulders or head), from the Proto-Celtic *birros (short), the origins of which are not known [source]

Descendents in the modern Celtic languages include:

bearr [bˠɑːɾˠ] = to clip, cut, trim, shave, skim (milk), crop or pare (photos) in Irish.
beàrr [baːr̪ˠ] = to shave, cut (hair), clip, shear or prune in Scottish Gaelic
baarey = to bare, clip, cut, dress, poll, prune, shave or trimmed in Manx
byr [bɨ̞r/bɪr] = short, brief or concise in Welsh
berr [bɛɹ] = short or brief in Cornish
berr = short in Breton

Other words from the Proto-Celtic root *birros, via Latin and Gaulish, include biretta (a square cap worn by some Roman Catholic priests) and berretto (beanie, cap) in Italian, barrete (biretta, cap) in Portuguese, birrete (biretta) in French, and βίρρος [ˈβir.ros] (a type of cloak or mantle) in Ancient Greek [source].

Incidentally, words from beret in Celtic languages include: bairéad (beret, biretta, cap, hat, bonnet) in Irish, beeray or bayrn Frangagh (“French cap/hat”) in Manx, bere(t)/bered in Welsh, and béret/bered/boned in Breton.

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

Here’s a video I made of this information:

Video made with Doodly [afflilate link].

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 (21/05/23)

21st May 202321st May 2023 By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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

There are new language pages about:

Caac (Caaàc), a New Caledonian language spoken on the northeast coast of Grande Terre island in the North Province of New Caledonia.
Cèmuhî, a New Caledonian language spoken in the centre of the North Province of New Caledonia.
Chuwabu (kaáfîri), a Southern Bantu language spoken in Zambezia province in Mozambique.

New constructed script: Mawar Liarguwi, which was created by Eko Wahyu Darmansyah to write his constructed language, Darman.

Sample text in the Mawar Liarguwi

New adapated script: Musraiu, a way to write Akkadian with the Coptic alphabet devised by Grunky Scripples.

Sample text in the Musraiu

New numbers page: Middle Cornish, Kabyle and Sardinian: Limba Sarda Comuna, Campidanese, Gallurese, Logudorese, Nuorese and Sassarese

New dates page in Korean

There’s a new Omniglot blog post about Desks, Discs and Discos and related words, and the usual Language Quiz. See if you can guess what language this is:

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

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Mortlockese (kapsen Mwoshulók), a Micronesian language spoken in the Mortlock Islands in Chuuk State, of the Federated States of Micronesia.

In this week’s Adventure in Etymology we unbottle the origins of the word Butler.

There are new Celtiadur posts entitled Threesome and Fourfold, which look at the numbers three and four, and related words, in Celtic languages.

I also made improvements to the phrases pages for Livvi-Karelian and Logudorese Sardinian, and there is now a separate page for Campidanese Sardinian phrases.

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.

Radio Omniglot

Podcasts about languages and words

Author: Simon

Celtic Pathways – Hogging Sockets

Omniglot News (18/06/23)

Adventures in Etymology – Bureau

Omniglot News (11/06/23)

Celtic Pathways – Truant

Omniglot News (04/06/23)

Adventures in Etymology – Friend

Omniglot News (28/05/23)

Celtic Pathways – Berets

Omniglot News (21/05/23)