Author: Simon

I am a linguist, web developer and musician. I live in Bangor in Wales and run Omniglot - the online encyclopedia of writing systems and languages, as well as making the Radio Omniglot Podcast.

Celtic Pathways – Holding On

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

In this episode we’re getting to grips with words for holding and and related things.

Paimpol - Breton Dance Display

A Proto-Celtic word for to grab, seize, take or hold is *gabyeti, which comes from the Proto-Indo-European *gʰeh₁bʰ- (to grab, take) [source].

Descendents in the modern Celtic languages include:

  • gabh [ɡavʲ/ɡo(ː)] = to take, arrest, go, come in Irish
  • gabh [gav] = take, go, recite, break (in) in Scottish Gaelic
  • gow = to take in Manx
  • gafael [ˈɡavaɨ̯l/ˈɡaːvai̯l] = to hold, grasp, grip in Welsh
  • gavel = capacity, grasp in Cornish

There doesn’t appear to be a related word in Breton.

The Spanish word gavilla (sheaf, gang, band) comes from the same Proto-Celtic root, via the Late Latin gabella and the Gaulish *gabali (taking, seizure) [source].

The word gwall (large amount), and which is apparently used in the English of Cork in Ireland comes from same Celtic roots via the Irish word gabháil (catch, seizure, assumption) [source].

Words from the same PIE roots include able, debt, debit, doubt and habit in English, avere (to have) in Italian, avoir (to have) in French, and haber (to hold, possess) in Spanish [source].

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

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

The Fastest Way to Learn Japanese Guaranteed with JapanesePod101.com

Omniglot News (05/11/23)

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Omniglot News

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

There are new language pages about:

  • Sawila (Manata), an East Alor language spoken in the Alor Regency in East Nusa Tenggara Province in southern Indonesia.
  • Karai-karai (bo Karaikarai), a West Chadic language spoken mainly in Yobe State in the northeast of Nigeria.
  • Bole (bṑ pìkkà), a West Chadic language spoken mainly in Yobe and Gombe states in the northeast of Nigeria.
  • Zaiwa (Zaiwa mying), a Burmish language spoken in southwestern China and northeastern Myanmar.

New numbers pages:

  • Bole (bṑ pìkkà), a West Chadic language spoken mainly in Yobe and Gombe states in the northeast of Nigeria.
  • Badaga (படகா / ಬಡಗ), a southern Dravidian language spoken in Tamil Nadu and Kerala in southern India.
  • Tokodede, a Malayo-Polynesian language spoken in East Timor.

There’s a new idiom page with versions of the saying As Snug as a Bug in a Rug in various languages.

On the Omniglot blog there’s a new post about Snudging & Snuggling and related words, and there’s the usual Language Quiz. See if you can guess what language this is:

Here’s a clue: this language is spoken in Himachal Pradesh in northern India.

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Guambiano (Nam Trik), a Barbacoan language spoken in southwestern Colombia.

In this week’s Adventure in Etymology podcast, we uncover the origins of the word Ghost 👻, and find out where that ghostly h comes from.

On the Celtiadur blog there’s a new post about words for Order and related things, and I made improvements to the posts entitled Bad, Frosty Ice and Quick, Fast & Lively.

I also made separate pages for the Lisu language and the Fraser alphabet.

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

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

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

The Fastest Way to Learn Korean with KoreanClass101

Adventures in Etymology – Ghost

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

In this adventure we’re uncovering the origins of the word ghost.

Ghosts

A ghost is:

  • The disembodied soul; the soul or spirit of a deceased person; a spirit appearing after death
  • Any faint shadowy semblance; an unsubstantial image.

It comes from Middle English gost (angel, devil, spirit, the Holy Ghost), from Old English gāst [ɡɑːst] (spirit, ghost, breath, demon), from Proto-West-Germanic *gaist (ghost, spirit), from Proto-Germanic *gaistaz (terror, fear, spirit, ghost, mind), from PIE *ǵʰéysd-os, from *ǵʰeysd- (anger, agitation) [source].

Words from the same roots include geisa (to rage, storm) in Icelandic, gast (ghost) in Swedish, geest (ghost spirit, mind) in Dutch and ghastly and poltergeist in English, [source].

Incidentally, the h in ghost mysteriously materialised, a bit like a ghost, in the Prologue to William Caxton’s Royal Book, printed in 1484, in a reference to the ‘Holy Ghoost’. It was probably his assistant, Wynkyn de Worde, who was responsible, and who was influenced by Flemish word gheest (ghost) [source].

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

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

The Fastest Way to Learn 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.

Omniglot News (29/10/23)

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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

There are new language pages about:

  • Arhuaco (Ikʉ), a Chibchan language spoken in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta region in northern Colombia.
  • Mussau-Emira, an Oceanic language spoken on the islands of Mussau and Emira in New Ireland Province of Papua New Guinea.
  • Gumuz (ŋgiša baha), a Nilo-Saharan language spoken in northwestern Ethiopia and southeastern Sudan.
  • Avatime (Sị̀yàsɛ̄̀), a Kwa language spoken in eastern Ghana.

New adapted script: Suomalais-Ugrilainen Arabialainen Kirjaimisto (سوُوَمالایس-ئوُگریلاینەن ئارابیئالاینەن کیریامیستوَ ) / Finno-Ugric Arabic Alphabet, an adaptation of the Arabic script to write Finnish, Estonian and Hungarian devised by A. Elbrens.

Article 1 of the UDHR in Suomalais-Ugrilainen Arabialainen Kirjaimisto (Finno-Ugric Arabic Alphabet)

New numbers pages:

  • Arhuaco (Ikʉ), a Chibchan language spoken in northern Colombia.
  • Mussau-Emira, an Oceanic language spoken in New Ireland Province in Papua New Guinea
  • Kumak, a Northern New Caledonian language spoken in the North Province of New Caledonia

New idiom page: The Grass is Always Greener (on the other side of the fence) containing equivalents of this saying in various languages.

I also wrote a new song based on this idiom called The Side Other. It goes something like this:

On the Omniglot blog there’s a new post called Losing the North, which is about various ways to say that you’re lost, dazed or confused in French, and there’s the usual Language Quiz. See if you can guess what language this is:

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

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Zaiwa (Tsaiwa), a Burmish language spoken in southwestern China and eastern Myanmar.

There are new Celtiadur posts about words for Sure, Certainly and Hiding & Concealment, and I made improvements to the post about words for Hills.

In this week’s Celtic Pathways podcast, entitled Protruberences, we look into words for hill, breast and related things in Celtic languages, and find related words in other 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.

The Fastest Way to Learn Korean with KoreanClass101

Celtic Pathways – Protruberances

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

In this episode we’re looking at Celtic words for hill and breast and related things.

Snowdonia in the sun

A Proto-Celtic word for hill is *brusnyos, which comes from Proto-Celtic *brusū (belly, abdomen, breast), possibly from the Proto-Indo-European *bʰrews- (belly, to swell) [source].

Descendents in the modern Celtic languages include:

  • broinne = breast, bosom, brink, verge in Irish.
  • broinne [brɤin̪ʲ] = belly, stomach, womb, bulge in Scottish Gaelic
  • brein = big, great, grand, heavy, tall in Manx
  • bron [brɔn] = breast, bosom, thorax, hill-side, slope in Welsh
  • bronn [brɔn] = breast, hill in Cornish
  • bronn [brɔ̃n] = breast in Breton

Words from the same Proto-Celtic root, via the Proto-West-Germanic *brunnjā (chainmail shirt), include: brynja (coat of mail) in Icelandic, Swedish and Faroese, brynje (mail, armour) in Danish, brynje (coat of armour, protective clothing for motorcyclists) in Norwegian, and броня [brɔˈnʲa] (armour, armoured vehicle, shell) in Ukrainian [source].

The English words breast, brisket and bruise come from the same PIE root, as do borst (chest, thorax, breast) in Dutch, and bröst (breast, chest, thorax) in Swedish [source].

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

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

The Fastest Way to Learn Japanese Guaranteed with JapanesePod101.com

Omniglot News (22/10/23)

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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

There are new language pages about:

  • Lavukaleve, a Central Solomons language spoken in the Russell Islands in the Central Province of the Solomon Islands.
  • Cocama (Kokáma), a Tupi-Guarani language spoken mainly in northwestern Peru, and also in Brazil and Colombia.
  • Nùng, an Central Tai language spoken mainly in northeastern Vietnam, and also in southern China.
  • Cua – an East Bahnaric language spoken in the South Central Coast region of Vietnam.
  • Ta’Oi (ຕາໂອ້ຍອ໌‎) – a Katuic language spoken in southern Laos and central Vietnam.

Also this week, the number of language profiles on Omniglot reached 1,900! Which seems like a bit of an achievement. It’s now at 1,903.

New numbers pages:

  • Cocama (Kokáma), a Tupi-Guarani language spoken mainly in northwestern Peru, and also in Brazil and Colombia.
  • Paicî, a New Caledonian language spoken on the east coast of New Caledonia.
  • Cèmuhî, a Northern New Caledonian language spoken in the North Province of New Caledonia.

Meanwhile on the Omniglot blog we ask ‘How much is a smidgen? How about a tad, dash, drop or pinch?’ in a post entitled Just a Smidgen, and there’s the usual Language Quiz. See if you can guess what language this is:

Here’s a clue: this language is spoken in southwestern China and eastern Myanmar (Burma).

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Lule Sámi (julevsámegiella), a Western Sámi language spoken in Norway and Sweden .

There’s a new Celtiadur post about words for Size & Quantity and related things, and I improved the post about words for Good, Left & North

In this week’s Adventure in Etymology, we untangle the ruddy roots of the word Robust.

I also made improvements to the Georgian numbers 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.

The Fastest Way to Learn Korean with KoreanClass101

Adventures in Etymology – Robust

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

In this adventure we’re untangling the ruddy roots of the word robust.

Here be trees!

Robust means:

  • Strong and healthy (of people or animals)
  • Strong and unlikely to break or fail (of objects or systems)

It comes from Latin rōbustus (oak, oaken, hard, firm, solid), from rōbur (an oak tree, hardness, strength, stronghold), from rōbus (red [esp. oxen]), from Proto-Italic *rouβos (red, ruddy, redheaded), from PIE *h₁rewdʰ- (red) [source].

Words from the same roots include red, rowan, ruby, ruddy and rust in English, rouge (red) in French, and rubor (blusing, blush, embarrassment, shame) and roble (oak, strong object/person, strength) in Spanish [source].

IMG_9879 Rufous Owl (Ninox rufa)
Rufous Owl (Ninox rufa)

The name Rufus also comes from the same roots, as does the English word rufous, which refers to a reddish brown colour, like rust. It’s mainly found in the name of birds, such as the rufous owl (Ninox rufa, a.k.a. rufous boobook), and the rufous-capped antshrike (Thamnophilus ruficapillus) [source].

Rufous-capped Antshrike - Salta - Argentina_CD5A5846
Rufous-capped antshrike (Thamnophilus ruficapillus)

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

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

The Fastest Way to Learn 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.

Omniglot News (15/10/23)

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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

New constructed script: Soneka, which was devised by Paul Mbongo as an alternative way to write Lingala.

Sample text in the Soneka alphabet in Lingala

New constructed script: Oktyr, which was created by Gruzijslav Zistoksovshvili (გრუზისლავი ზისტოქსოვშვილი) to write a constructed language by the same name.

Sample text in the Oktyr alphabet

New adapated script: Tengwar for Greek, a way to write Greek with Tolkien’s Tengwar script created by Stavros and Nikos Neofotistos.

Sample text Tengwar for Greek

There are new language pages about:

  • Urak Lawoi’ (อูรักลาโวยจ), a Malayic language spoken in Phuket, Krabi and Satun provinces in southern Thailand.
  • Bengkulu (Baso Bengkulu), a Malayic language spoken in the southwest of Sumatra in Indonesia.
  • Tobelo, an West Papuan language spoken in North Maluku Province in eastern Indonesia.
  • Galela (Hadiyyisa) – a West Papuan language spoken in North Maluku Province of Indonesia.

New numbers pages:

  • Urak Lawoi’ (อูรักลาโวยจ), a Malayic language spoken in Phuket, Krabi and Satun provinces in southern Thailand.
  • Heiltsuk (Haiɫzaqvla), a northern Wakashan language spoken in British Colimbia in Canada.
  • Haisla (X̄a’’islak̓ala), a northern Wakashan language spoken in British Colimbia in Canada.

There’s a new Omniglot blog post about the expression Jot & Tittle, which refers to the the smallest details, and there’s the usual Language Quiz. See if you can guess what language this is:

Here’s a clue: this language is spoken in Norway and Sweden.

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Carolinian (Refalúwasch), a Micronesian language spoken in the Northern Mariana Islands.

There’s a new Celtiadur post entitled Haughty Pride and I improved the post about words for Right & South.

In this week’s Celtic Pathways podcast, we find connections between words for Big in Celtic languages and words related to chestnuts in other 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.

The Fastest Way to Learn Korean with KoreanClass101

Celtic Pathways – Great Big

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

In this episode we’re looking at Celtic words for great and big and related things.

Wood of Chestnut trees

A Proto-Celtic word for big and great is *māros, which comes from Proto-Indo-European *moh₁ros (great), or mērós (great, considerable, sizeable, impressive), both of which come from *meh₁- (to measure) [source].

Descendents in the modern Celtic languages include:

  • mór [mˠoːɾˠ] = big, great, large in Irish.
  • mòr [moːr] = big, great, large, grand in Scottish Gaelic
  • mooar [muːr] = big, great, grand, heavy, tall in Manx
  • mawr [mau̯r] = large, big; fully grown in Welsh
  • meur [mø:r] = great, grand, large, substantial in Cornish
  • meur [møʁ] = big, many in Breton

Words from the same Proto-Celtic root, via Byzantine Greek μάραον (máraon – sweet chestnut), possibly include marrone (brown, chestnut) in Italian, marron (chestnut, brown) in French, and Morone (sweet chestnut) in German [source].

How did a word meaning big in Proto-Celtic come to refer to chestnuts in other languages? Possibly because the edible seeds (chestnuts) of the sweet chestnut tree (Castanea sativa) are relatively large.

Words from the same PIE roots include immense, meal, measure, meter / metre, metronome and probably moon and month in English, vermaren (to make famous) and maal (meal, time, turn) in Dutch, and mærð (flattery, praise) in Icelandic [source].

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

By the way, you can find a longer version of the new theme tune, Dancing on Custard, on: SoundCloud.

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

Omniglot News (08/10/23)

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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

There are new language pages about:

  • Igala (Ígáláà), a Northern Vanuatu language spoken in Gaua, one of the Banks Islands in Torba Province in the north of Vanuatu.
  • Daasanach (Af Daasanach), a Lowland East Cushitic language spoken in the Meka area in the southeast of Cameroon.
  • Waata (Waatah), an East Cushitic language spoken in Ethiopia, Kenya and South Sudan.
  • Hadiyya (Hadiyyisa) – a Highland East Cushitic language spoken in southwestern Ethiopia.

New numbers pages:

  • Igala (Ígáláà), a Northern Vanuatu language spoken in Gaua, one of the Banks Islands in Torba Province in the north of Vanuatu.
  • Iraqw (Kángw Iraqw), a Cushitic language spoken in northern Tanzania
  • Hän (Häł gołan), a Northern Athabaskan language spoken in Alaska in the USA, and the Yukon Territory in Canada.

There’s a new Omniglot blog post called Gaga, about the dialect of Saint-Étienne in the southeast of France, and there’s the usual Language Quiz. See if you can guess what language this is:

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

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Katcha, a variety of Kadugli (a Central Kadu language) spoken in southern Sudan.

There’s a new Celtiadur post entitled Rewarding Gifts and I improved the posts about words for Speckled and Spotted and Heavy.

In this week’s Adventure in Etymology podcast, we’re wondering about the wandering origins of the word Extravagant.

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

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

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

The Fastest Way to Learn Korean with KoreanClass101