Omniglot News (10/04/22)

10th April 202210th April 2022 By Simon

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

This week there are new pages about:

Gogo (Cigogo), a Bantu language spoken mainly in the Dodoma Region in central Tanzania.
Kuria (Igikuria), a Bantu language spoken in Tanzania and Kenya.
Gusii (EkeGusii), a Bantu language spoken mainly in Kenya and also in Tanzania.

There are two new scripts for Karbi, a Sino-Tibetan language spoken in northern India. These are: Arleng / Karbi alphabet, which was created by Sarthe Teron Milik

Sample text in the Arleng / Karbi alphabet

and Karbi Mek’lek, which was invented by Ripu Rahang:

Sample text in Karbi Mek'lek (horizontal)

There’s a new constructed script for Malay called Humaira, which was invented by Abdul Latif Hamidin and is based on the Jawi (Arabic) script for Malay.

Sample text in Humaira

There are a new numbers pages in:

Lakota (Lakȟótiyapi) and Dakota (Dakhótiyapi), Siouan languages spoken in parts of the USA and Canada.
Gusii (EkeGusii), a Bantu language spoken in Kenya and Tanzania.

The new Omniglot blog post this week is called Dawning, and there’s the usual Language Quiz as well – see if you can guess what language this is.

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Kosraean (Kosrae), a Micronesian language spoken in Kosrae State in the Federated States of Micronesia.

The Celtiadur post this week is about words for dough and related things in Celtic languages.

In the Adventure in Etymology this week we look into the origins of the word anniversary, as yesterday was my birthday, or the anniversary of my birth, and anniversary is etymologically more interesting than birthday.

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.

Adventures in Etymology – Anniversary

9th April 20229th April 2022 By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Today we’re looking into the origins of the word anniversary, as it happens to be my birthday, or the anniversary of my birth, and anniversary is etymologically more interesting than birthday.

An anniversary [ˌænɪˈvɜːs(ə)ɹi / ˌænəˈvɝs(ə)ɹi] is:

the yearly recurrence of the date of a past event.
the celebration or commemoration of such a date.
returning or recurring each year; annual.

It comes from the Medieval Latin anniversāria (diēs) / anniversārium, from the Latin anniversārius (annual, yearly), from annus (year, time, season), and vertere (to turn), so an anniversary marks the turning of the year or more poetically, a trip round the sun [source].

The origins of the word annus are uncertain, but we know that vertere comes from vertō (I turn, revolve), from the Proto-Italic *wertō (turn), from the PIE *wértti (to be turning around), from *wert- (to turn, rotate). [source].

Words from the same root include worth, versus, vertigo and vortex in English, worden [ˈʋɔrdə(n)] (to become, get, grow, turn) in Dutch, werden [ˈveːrdən] (will, to be going) in German and verter [beɾˈteɾ] (to pour, spill, shed) in Spanish [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.

Omniglot News (03/04/22)

3rd April 20223rd April 2022 By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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

The new language pages this week are:

Tonga (Chitonga / iciTonga), a Bantu language spoken mainly in Zambia, and also in Zimbabwe.
Nande (Kinande), a Bantu language spoken in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Mogholi (مُغُلی), a Mongolic language spoken the Herat region of Afghanistan.

There as new constructed script – Evhmelish / Abechedário Ejméliko, which is an alternative way to write Spanish invented Arturo Jiménez Zavala and based on the Mongolian Folded Script (Evhmel Bichig).

Sample text in Evhmelish

There a new adapated script – Cyrillic for Brazilian Portuguese, which was devised by Guilherme E. S.

There are a new numbers pages in: Northern Sotho (Sesotho sa Leboa), Southern Sotho (seSotho) and Swati (siSwati), which are all Bantu languages.

The new Omniglot blog posts this week are Rush Reeds and Unapologetic Accents, and the usual Language Quiz – see if you can guess what language this is.

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Turoyo (Sūrayṯ / ܛܘܪܝܐ), a Neo-Aramaic language spoken in southeastern Turkey and northern Syria.

The Celtiadur post this week is about words for knots, bulges and related things in Celtic languages.

In the Adventure in Etymology this week we look into the origins of the word fool,

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.

Adventures in Etymology – Fool

2nd April 20222nd April 2022 By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

As yesterday was April Fools’ Day, today we’re looking into the origins of the word fool.

A fool [fuːl] is:

a person with poor judgment or little intelligence.
a professional jester, formerly kept by a person of royal or noble rank for amusement.
a person who has been tricked or deceived into appearing or acting silly or stupid.
a type of dessert made of puréed fruit and custard or cream.

It comes from the Middle English fole [foːl] (fool, idiot, moron), from the Old French fol [ˈfɔl] (mad, insane, foolish, silly), from the Latin follis [ˈfol.lis] (bellows, purse, sack, belly), from the PIE *bʰelǵʰ- (bag, pillow, paunch), from *bʰel- (to swell, blow, inflate, burst) [source].

Some words in Celtic languages comes from the same PIE root, via the Proto-Celtic *bolgos (sack, bag, stomach). These include bol [bɔl] (stomach) in Welsh, bolg [ˈbˠɔlˠəɡ] (belly, stomach, bulge, bag) in Irish, and bolgan [bɔl̪ˠɔgan] (light bulb, (plant) bulb) in Scottish Gaelic [source]. More details of these words is available on my Celtiadur blog.

English words from the same PIE root include bellows, belly, and bolster, via Old English and Proto-Germanic, billow via Old Norse and Proto-Germanic, foolish and folly via Old French and Latin [source], and bulge, budge and budget via Old French, Latin and Gaulish [source].

The first part of the word foolhardy (recklessly or thoughtlessly bold; foolishly rash or venturesome) comes from the same root as fool, while hardy comes from the Old French hardi (durable, hardy, tough), from the Frankish *hartjan, from the Proto-Germanic *harduz [ˈxɑr.ðuz] (hard, brave), from the PIE *kert-/*kret- (strong, powerful), from which part of the word democratic originates [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.

Omniglot News (27/03/22)

27th March 202227th March 2022 By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Here is the latest news from Omniglot.

The new language pages this week are:

Galo (`Galoo), a Tani language spoken in the states of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam in the northeast of India.
Songe (Kisonge), a Bantu language spoken in the south of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Goral (Górolski), a group of West Slavic dialects spoken in the Goral Lands in southern Poland, northern Slovakia and northeastern Czechia.

There are a new numbers pages in: Southern Ndebele (isiNdebele), Luganda (Oluganda), Comorian (shiKomori) and Tsonga (Xitsonga), which are all Bantu languages.

New page about telling the time and other time-related expressions in: Basque (euskera).

There are new constructed scripts: Siekoo and Quadoo, which are tactile alphabets developed by Alexander Fakoó.

Siekoo
Sample text in the Siekoo alphabet

Quadoo
Sample text in the Quadoo alphabet

There’s new Omniglot blog post entitled Sleeve Monkeys, which is about Dutch and English idioms related to monkeys, sleeves, cats and bags, and the usual Language Quiz – see if you can guess what language this is.

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Gciriku (Rumanyo), a Bantu language spoken in Namibia, Bostwana and Angola.

The new Celtiadur posts this week are entitled Festive Feasts and Salt, and are about words for festivals, feasts, banquets, salt and related things in Celtic languages.

In the Adventure in Etymology this week we explore the origins of the English word salt, and discover that words such as salad, salami, salsa, sauce and sausage come from the same root.

I made improvements to the Greek, Basque and Vai language pages, and made a separate page about the Vai syllabary.

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.

Adventures in Etymology – Salt

26th March 202226th March 2022 By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Today we’re looking into the origins of the word salt.

Salt [sɒlt / sɔlt / sɑlt] is:

a white powder or colourless crystalline solid, consisting mainly of sodium chloride and used for seasoning and preserving food

It comes from the Middle English salt(e) / se(a)lt [salt/sɛlt] (salt), from the Old English sealta [sæ͜ɑɫt] (salt, salty, salted), from the Proto-West-Germaic *salt (salty), from the Proto-Germanic *saltaz [ˈsɑl.tɑz] (salty), from *saltaną [ˈsɑl.tɑ.nɑ̃] (to salt, pickle) from the PIE *seh₂l- (salt) [source].

In most modern Indo-European languages, words for salt begin with an s and contain an l, including sel in French, sal in Catalan, Spanish, Galician, Portuguese and Spanish, sollan in Manx, and sól [sul] in Polish. [source].

Exceptions include sare [ˈsa.re] in Romanian, zout [zɑu̯t] in Dutch, αλάτι [aˈlati] in Greek, աղ [ɑʁ] in Armenian, halen in Welsh, and holen in Cornish and Breton [source].

The word salary, comes from the same PIE root, via Middle English salarie, Old French salaire and the Latin salārium (salary), from salārius (related to salt), from sal (salt). It is thought that salārium was an abbreviation of salārium argentum (salt money), as Roman soldiers were sometimes paid in salt. However, there is no evidence for this [source].

Other English words from the same PIE root include salad, salami, saline, salsa, sauce, sausage, silt and halogen [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.

Omniglot News (20/03/22)

20th March 202220th March 2022 By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Here are details of the latest developments on Omniglot websites and blogs.

The new language pages this week are:

Punu (Yipunu), a Bantu language spoken mainly in southern Gabon, and also in south of the Republic of Congo.
Nyungwe (Cinyungwe), a Bantu language spoken in northern and central Mozambique.
Masaaba (Lumasaaba), a Bantu language spoken in the Eastern Region of Uganda.

There are a new numbers pages in: Punu, Makhuwa and
Nyungwe, which are all Bantu languages.

There a new constructed script: Fakoo, a tactile alphabet developed by Alexander Fakoó which can be read by blind and sighted people.

Sample text in the Fakoo alphabet

There’s a new adapated script: Cyringit (Сірінгіт), a way to write Tlingit with the Cyrillic alphabet devised by Marc Harder.

Чьъ йеь гогэьнкь ъьвэь ъ каӿ шокълисьоьӿ һа тлъгу ԟваьнӿьи адэь с ԟонугу йэь. Һа лілквь һъьс адэь йеь с йинейи йеь ъьвэь, дэ аь ъвтолхажи ъьт ъьвэь, аь һа ваԟкійъԟа. Ъьч ъьвэь къкъвтовъкэьль.

There are new Omniglot blog post titled Enlisted Fathers about the origins of the name Patrick, and the usual Language Quiz – see if you can guess what language this is.

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Kaska (Dene Zágéʼ), a Northern Athabaskan language spoken in the Kaska Dena region, which is part of the Canadian provinces of British Columbia, Yukon, and Northwest Territories.

There’s a Celtiadur post about words for Yearning, longing and related things in Celtic languages.

In the Adventure in Etymology this week we explore the origins of the word sloom, which is found in English dialects, as well as Scots, and is related to the word slumber.

I also made improvements to the Makhuwa language page, and to the Toki Pona 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.

Adventures in Etymology – Sloom

19th March 202219th March 2022 By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Today we’re looking into the origins of the word sloom.

In some dialects of English spoken in England sloom [sluːm] means:

A gentle sleep; slumber.
to doze, slumber
to become weak and flaccid (of plants)
to move or wander slowly or silently

In Scots sloom is:

A dreamy or sleepy state, a reverie, day-dream, a light sleep, slumber, an unsettled sleep
to sleep lightly, doze, slumber fitfully
to slip along easily and quietly, to glide smoothly
to make or become soft and flaccid as a result of frost, damp, etc

It comes from the Middle English sloum(b)e / slume, from the Old English slūma (sleep, slumber), from the Proto-Germaic *slūm- (slack, loose, limp, flabby), from the PIE *(s)lew- (slack, loose, limp, flabby) [source].

The English word slumber comes from the same Proto-Germanic root, as does the Dutch sluimeren (to slumber) and sloom (sluggish, lifeless), the German Schlummer (slumber) and schlummern (to doze, slumber), and the Danish slumre (to drowse) [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.

Omniglot News (13/03/22)

13th March 202213th March 2022 By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Here are details of the latest developments on Omniglot websites and blogs.

This week we have new languages pages in Bantu and Bantoid languages, which are:

Tiv (dzwa Tiv), a Southern Bantoid language spoken mainly in Benue State in the southeast of Nigeria.
Nyamwezi (Kinyamwezi), a Bantu language spoken in western Tanzania
Luvale (Chiluvale), a Bantu language spoken in southern Angola and northern Zambia
Mbunda (Chimbúùnda), a Bantu language spoken in south west Angola and north west Zambia

There are a new phrases in Chokwe, a Bantu language spoken in Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia, and Tiv.

There are a new numbers pages in: Chokwe, Tiv, Luvale, Mbunda, and Shona, a Bantu language spoken mainly in Zimbabwe.

There are new Omniglot blog posts about Charlatan Snake Oil, and the Japanese word Perapera, and the usual Language Quiz – see if you can guess what language this is:

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Arrente (Arrernte angkentye), a Pama-Nyungan language spoken in and around Alice Springs in the Northern Territory of Australia.

There’s a Celtiadur post about words for roofs and related things in Celtic languages, in which we discover that English words such as protect, stegosaurus, thatch, tile and toga come from the same root as Welsh words for roof and house, among other things.

In the Adventure in Etymology this week we untangle the origins of the word knot, and find connections to such words as knit, node, nodule and noose, and the name Canute.

I also made improvements to the Greenlandic and Shona 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.

Adventures in Etymology – Knot

13th March 202213th March 2022 By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Today we’re untangling the origins of the word knot 🪢.

A knot [nɒt/nɑt] is:

any of various fastenings formed by looping and tying a piece of rope, cord, etc, in upon itself, to another piece of rope, or to another object
a tangle
a small cluster or huddled group, e.g. ‘a knot of people’

It comes from the Middle English knotte [ˈknɔt(ə)] (knot, tie, binding), from the Old English cnotta [ˈknot.tɑ] (knot), from the Proto-Germaic *knuttô [ˈknut.tɔːː] (knot), from the PIE *gnod- (to bind) [source].

The Latin word nōdus (knot, knob, bond) comes from the same PIE root, and is the root of the English words such as noose, node and nodule [source].

The English word knit comes from the same PIE root, via Old English and Proto-Germanic, as does the name Canute, via the Old Norse Knútr, probably from the Old Norse word knútr (knot) [source].

A knot is also a unit of speed used by ships and aircraft that equal one nautical mile (1.85 km) per hour. This usage comes from a method of calculating the speed of a ship in use since at least the 16th century with a long rope with knots are regular intervals [More details].

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 about languages and words

Author: Simon

Omniglot News (10/04/22)

Adventures in Etymology – Anniversary

Omniglot News (03/04/22)

Adventures in Etymology – Fool

Omniglot News (27/03/22)

Adventures in Etymology – Salt

Omniglot News (20/03/22)

Adventures in Etymology – Sloom

Omniglot News (13/03/22)

Adventures in Etymology – Knot