Category: Podcast

Omniglot News (24/04/22)

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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

This week there are new language pages about:

  • Haya (OluHaya), a Bantu language spoken in the Kagera region of northern Tanzania.
  • Ili Turki (İlı turkeşi), a Turkic language spoken in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in the northwest of China.
  • Nyukyusa (Kɨnyakyʉsa), a Bantu language spoken around the northern end of Lake Malawi in northern Malawi and southern Tanzania.

There are a new numbers pages in:

  • Salar (Salarcha), an Oghuz Turkic language spoken mainly in northwestern China.
  • Urum (Урум), a Kypchak Turkic language spoken in southeastern Ukraine and central Georgia.
  • Kumyk (Къумукъ тил), a Turkic language spoken mainly in the Dagestan Republic of Russian Federation.
  • Old Turkic, a Siberian Turkic language that was spoken in parts of East and Central Asia and Eastern Europe between the 7th and 13th centuries AD.

The new Omniglot blog post this week is called Good Pickaxes, about the French word pioche (pickaxe, chance, luck), and there’s the usual Language Quiz – see if you can guess what language this is.

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Siona (Gantëya coca), a Western Tucanoan language spoken in parts of Colombia and Ecuador.

There are new Celtiadur posts are about words for brothers, sisters and related people in Celtic languages.

In the Adventure in Etymology this week we look into the origins of the word technology.

I also made improvements to the Arvanitic 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.

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Adventures in Etymology – Technology

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Today we’re exploring the origins of the word technology.

Technology

Technology [tɛkˈnɒlədʒi / tɛkˈnɑlədʒi] is:

  • The organization of knowledge for practical purposes.
  • All the different and usable technologies developed by a culture or people.
  • Any useful skill or mechanism that was developed or invented.

It comes from the Ancient Greek τεχνολογία [te.xno.loˈɣi.a] (systematic treatment of grammar), from τέχνη [té.kʰnɛː] (craft, skill, trade, art) and -λογία [lo.ɡí.aː] (study) [source].

τέχνη comes from the PIE *tetḱ- (to create, produce), which is the root of English words like text, textile, context, subtle and architect. [source].

-λογία comes from λόγος [ló.ɡos] (word, sentence, speech), from λέγω [lé.ɡɔː] (I say, speak, arrange, gather), from the PIE *leǵ- (to gather, collect), which is the root of such English words as collect, dialect, elect, intellect, legion and legend [source].

The Latin word legō [ˈle.ɡo] (I choose, select, collect, gather, read), also comes from the same PIE root, and from it we get words like leggere [ˈlɛd.d͡ʒe.re] (to read) in Italian, lire [liʁ] (to read) in French, and lesen [ˈleːzn̩] (to read, select, gather) in German [source].

Incidentally, the name Lego, as in the little plastic bricks, comes from a differnt source: the Danish phrase leg godt (“play well”) – the leg comes from the Old Norse leikr (game, sport, contest), from the Proto-Germanic *laikaz (dance, game, sport) which is possibly the root of the English word lark (romp, frolic, prank) [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.

The Fastest Way to Learn Korean with KoreanClass101

Omniglot News (17/04/22)

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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

This week there are new language pages about:

  • Belhare (आठपहरिया / aṭhpariya), a Kiranti language spoken in Province No. 1 in eastern Nepal.
  • Bantayanon, a Central Bisayan language spoken mainly on Bantayan Island in Cebu Province the Philippines.
  • Pumi (prēn mì), a Qiangic language spoken in Sichuan and Yunnan provinces in southwestern China.

Sample text in Kakemoji

There’s a new constructed script called Kakemoji, an alternative way to write Japanese invented by Heesu Kim and based on the Manchu alphabet.

There are a new numbers pages in:

  • Brahui (براوی), a Dravidian language spoken mainly in the Balochistan region of Pakistan.
  • Susu (Sosoxui), a Mande language spoken in Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Senegal and Sierra Leone.
  • Kirundi (Ikirundi), a Bantu language spoken mainly in Burundi.

The new Omniglot blog post this week is called Together Living, about words for community and society in Dutch and English, and there’s the usual Language Quiz – see if you can guess what language this is.

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Pumi (prēn mì), a Qiangic language spoken in Yunnan and Sichuan Provinces in southwestern China.

The new Celtiadur posts this week are about words for fathers, mothers and related people in Celtic languages.

In the Adventure in Etymology this week we look into the origins of the word pique.

I also made improvements to the following pages: Võro numbers, Susu language, Tower of Babel in Võro, Mandarin Chinese and Classical Chinese, and I have recordings of Võro phrases which I’ll be adding when I have a spare moment or two.

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.

The Fastest Way to Learn Japanese Guaranteed with JapanesePod101.com

Adventures of Etymology – Pique

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Today we’re exploring the origins of the word pique.

aiiiiiiiiie ça-pique

Pique [piːk / pik] means:

  • to affect with sharp irritation and resentment, especially by some wound to pride
  • to wound (the pride, vanity, etc.)
  • to excite (interest, curiosity, etc.)
  • a feeling of irritation or resentment

It comes from the French piquer (to prick, sting, annoy, get angry, provoke), from the Old French piquer (to pierce with the tip of a sword), from the Vulgar Latin *pīccāre (to sting, strike, puncture), which is either onomatopoeic, or from the Frankish *pikkōn (to peck, strike), from the Proto-Germanic *pikkōną (to knock, peck, pick, prick) [source].

English words from the same Proto-Germanic root include pick and pitch. The pie in magpie possibly comes from the same root, via the Old French pie (magpie), and the Latin pīca (magpie) [source].

The Latin word pīca is the root of such words as the Spanish pica (pike, lance, pick, spade ♠), and picar (to itch, sting, chop, bite), and the Italian pica (magpie) [source].

Incidentally, the name of the Pokemon character Pikachu has nothing to do with stings or magpies. Instead it comes from the Japanese onomatopoeic word ピカピカ (pikapika – glittery, sparkly), and チューチュー (chūchū – squeak, cheep, peep, slurp, mouse) [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.

The Fastest Way to Learn Japanese Guaranteed with JapanesePod101.com

Omniglot News (10/04/22)

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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.

The Fastest Way to Learn Japanese Guaranteed with JapanesePod101.com

Adventures in Etymology – Anniversary

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.

Thames Festival fireworks

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.

The Fastest Way to Learn Japanese Guaranteed with JapanesePod101.com

Omniglot News (03/04/22)

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.

The Fastest Way to Learn Japanese Guaranteed with JapanesePod101.com

Adventures in Etymology – Fool

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.

walking 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.

The Fastest Way to Learn Japanese Guaranteed with JapanesePod101.com

Omniglot News (27/03/22)

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.

The Fastest Way to Learn Japanese Guaranteed with JapanesePod101.com

Adventures in Etymology – Salt

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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

Sea 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.

The Fastest Way to Learn Japanese Guaranteed with JapanesePod101.com