Category: Podcast

Celtic Pathways – Truant

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.

Begging

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.

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Omniglot News (04/06/23)

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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

There are new language pages about:

  • 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.

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Adventures in Etymology – Friend

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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

The winning quiz team

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.

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Omniglot News (28/05/23)

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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.

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Celtic Pathways – Berets

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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

Fête du Boeuf Gras à Bazas

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].

Biretta

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.

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Omniglot News (21/05/23)

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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

There are new language pages about:

  • 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.

The Fastest Way to Learn Korean with KoreanClass101

Adventures in Etymology – Butler

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

In this Adventure we’re unbottling the origins of the word butler.

Butler on recent Production

A butler [ˈbʌt.lə(ɹ)/ˈbʌt.lɚ] is:

  • A manservant having charge of wines and liquors.
  • The chief male servant of a household who has charge of other employees, receives guests, directs the serving of meals, and performs various personal services.

It comes from Middle English boteler (the chief servant in charge of wine or other drink, the cupbearer of a king or nobleman), from Old French boteiller (one who takes care of the bottles), from boteille (bottle), possibly from Vulgar Latin *buticla (bottle), from Late Latin butticula (bottle), from buttis (cask, barrel) [source].

Words from the same roots include bottle, butt (large cask), and possibly boot in English, and bouteille (bottle, cylinder) and maybe botte (boot, bundle, bunch) in French.

Incidentally, another person involved with bottles and wine is a sommelier (a wine steward, waiter or server). It comes from French sommelier (originally, a person in charge of the beasts of burden carrying wine), from somme (pack), from Latin sagma (packsaddle) [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.

The Fastest Way to Learn Japanese Guaranteed with JapanesePod101.com

Omniglot News (14/05/23)

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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

There are new language pages about:

  • Balantak (wurung Balantak), a Celebic language spoken in central Malekula Island in Vanuatu.
  • Tuamotuan (Reʻo Paʻumotu), a Polynesian language spoken in the Tuamotu archipelago in French Polynesia.
  • Lenakel (Netvaar), a Southern Oceanic language spoken mainly on Tanna Island in Tafea Province in southern Vanuatu.

There’s a new numbers pages in: Balantak, Tuamotuan, Warlpiri and Zaza(ki).

There’s a new Omniglot blog post about the French word Chez, as in chez moi and chez nous, and one about the phrase Teaching School, which sounds a bit strange to me, but apparently it’s normal in American English, and the usual Language Quiz. See if you can guess what language this is:

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

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was: Shawnee (Sawanwa), a Central Algonquian language spoken in Oklahoma in the USA.

There’s a new Celtic Pathways podcast called Top Tips which looks into words for top, tip and related things in Celtic and other languages.

On the Celtiadur blog there’s a new post entitled A Pair of Twos about words for two 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.

The Fastest Way to Learn Korean with KoreanClass101

Celtic Pathways – Top Tips

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

In this episode we’re looking into words for top, tip and related things in Celtic languages.

Snowdon / Yr Wyddfa

The Proto-Celtic word *barros means top, point or peak. Descendents in the modern Celtic languages include:

  • barr [bˠɑːɾˠ] = tip, point, top, summit, upper part, surface, etc in Irish.
  • bàrr [baːr̪ˠ] = apex, crest, crown, summit, tip, top, zenith, surface, etc in Scottish Gaelic
  • baare = apex, cap, climax, end, point, summit, tip, top, crest (of a wave), etc n in Manx
  • bar [bar] = head, top, summit, crest, bush, tuft or branch in Welsh
  • barr = summit in Cornish
  • barr = summit, surface, access or paroxysm in Breton [source]

Words from the same Proto-Celtic roots, via Gaulish and Latin, include baràz (bramble) in Romansh, and barra (garret, loft, upper platform) in Galician [source].

Words from the same PIE roots include barley in English, farine (flour) in French, bara (bread) in Welsh, Cornish and Breton, bairín (loaf) in Irish, and related words in Celtic languages [source].

Incidentally, the unrelated Galician word barra (sandbank, bar, rod) possibly comes from a Gaulish word, via the Vulgar Latin barra [source].

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 (07/05/2023)

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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

There are new language pages about:

  • Avava, a Southern Oceanic language spoken in central Malekula Island in Vanuatu.
  • Tokunoshima (シマユミィタ), an Amami-Okinawan language spoken on Tokunoshima in the Amami Islands in Kagoshima Prefecture of Japan

There’s a new adapated script: Alphabetum Gothorum, a way to write Latin with the Gothic alphabet devised by Xavier Merica.

Sample text in the Alphabetum Gothorum alphabet

There’s a new numbers pages in: Avava.

There’s a new phrases page in: Romanian Tatar (Tatarșa), a Kipchak Turkic language spoken in Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey, and some new phrases in Shawnee (Sawanwa), an Algonquian language spoken in Oklahoma in the USA.

There are new dates pages in: Scottish Gaelic, Welsh and Irish.

There’s a new Omniglot blog post entitled Beautifully Red, in which we find out what links the Finnish word kaunis (beautiful) with words like sheen in English and schoon (clean) in Dutch, and the usual Language Quiz. See if you can guess what language this is:

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

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Achomi (اچُمی), a Southwestern Iranian language spoken mainly in southwestern Iran, and also in Kuwait, Bahrain, Iraq, Qatar and the UAE.

In this week’s Adventures in Etymology we’re telling tales about the origins of the word story.

On the Celtiadur blog there’s a new post about words for One Alone 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.

The Fastest Way to Learn Korean with KoreanClass101