Omniglot News (30/06/24)

Omniglot News

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

New language pages:

  • Jju, an Atlantic Congo language spoken in Kaduna State in central Nigeria.
  • Abua, a Central Delta language spoken in Rivers State in southern Nigeria.
  • Banggai, a Celebic language spoken in Central Sulawesi Province in Indonesia.
  • Beami, a Trans-New Guinea language spoken in the Western Province of Papua New Guina.

New numbers page: Beami.

On the Omniglot blog there’s a new post entitled New Old Words about my trip to Ireland and some of the things I learnt there, and there’s also the usual Language Quiz. See if you can guess what language this is:

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

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Tetum (Lia-Tetun), a Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian language spoken in East Timor (Timor-Leste), and in the West Timor (Timor Barat) in Indonesia.

In this week’s Adventure in Etymology, we find out what links the word journey with words for day, heaven and god, and also giraffe.

On the Celtiadur blog there are new posts entitled A Shovelful of Spades and Light Lungs.

I also made improvements to the Breton language page, and found a good site for learning Breton (through French): https://desketa.bzh

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

JapanesePod101.com

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.

Unlimited Web Hosting - Kualo

Omniglot News (09/06/24)

Omniglot News

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

New language pages:

  • Zeme, a Kuki-Chin-Naga language spoken in Assam, Manipur and Nagaland in the northeast of India.
  • Borong, a Western Huon language spoken in Morobe Province of Papua New Guinea.
  • Boko, an Eastern Mande language spoken in northern Benin and northern and western Nigeria.
  • Vatlongos, a Southern Oceanic language spoken mainly on Ambrym Island in Malampa Province in northern Vanuatu.

New numbers pages:

  • Zeme, a Kuki-Chin-Naga language spoken in Assam, Manipur and Nagaland in northeastern India.
  • Northern Pomo, an extinct Pomoan language that was spoken in Lake County in California in the USA, and which is being revived.
  • Lebanese Arabic, a variety of Levantine Arabic spoken mainly in Lebannon.

New Tower of Babel translations: Alur, Akha, Adhola, Dangme, Achi and Abua.

On the Omniglot blog there’s a new post entitled Speading Sweetness about how words for honey, mead and related things possibly spread throughout Europe and as far as China and Japan. There’s also the usual Language Quiz. See if you can guess what language this is:

Here’s a clue: this language is spoken mainly in northern India, and also in eastern Nepal.

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Forest Enets (Баи), a dialect of Enets (Онэй база), a Samoyedic language spoken in Krasnoyarsk Krai in Siberia in the Russian Federation.

In this week’s Celtic Pathways podcast, Charming Witches, we look into the possible Celtic roots of words for witch in some Romance languages, such as bruja in Spanish.

On the Celtiadur blog there are a new posts about words for Mixed & Confused and Honey Wine and I improved the post about Magic and Spells.

I also improved the Maltese 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

JapanesePod101.com

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.

Unlimited Web Hosting - Kualo

Celtic Pathways – Charming Witches

In this episode we look into the possble Celtic roots of words for witch in some Romance languages.

Witch

The Proto-Celtic word *brixtā means spell, magical formula or incantation. It possibly comes from PIE *bʰerHǵ- (enlighten) [source].

Related words in the modern Celtic languages include:

  • briocht = charm, spell, amulet in Irish
  • lled(f)rith = magic, spell, charm, enchantment, apparition, spectre, phantom, illusion, delusion, fantasy, imagination in Welsh
  • bre = incantation magic in Breton

Words that probably come from the same Proto-Celtic root, via the Celtiberian *bruxtia, include bruja (witch, crone, hag, owl) in Spanish, bruxa (witch, hex) in Galician, bruxa (witch) in Portuguese, and bruixa (witch) in Catalan [source].

Alternatively, bruja and similar words, might might be related to the Old Irish name Brigit [ˈbʲrʲiɣʲidʲ] (patron goddess of Druids), which comes from Proto-Celtic *Brigantī (high, elevated, an exalted person) [source].

Bragança - frozen in time│congelada en el tiempo

The city of Bragança (Braganza) in northern Portugal gets its name from the same Celtic roots, as do the Welsh words brenin (king, monarch, sovereign) and braint (privilege) [source].

More about words for Magic and Spells and related things in Celtic languages.

You can find more connections between Celtic languages 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 (02/06/24)

Omniglot News

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

New language pages:

  • Lakon, a Southern Oceanic language spoken on Gaua Island in Torba Province of Vanuatu.
  • Maléku (malécu jaíca) – a Chibchan language spoken in northern Costa Rica.
  • Kadiwéu (Ejiwajigi) – a Guaicuruan language spoken in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul in southern Brazil
  • Mocoví (moqoit) – a Southern Guaicuruan language spoken in Chaco, Santa Fe and Formosa provinces in the northeast of Argentina.

New numbers pages:

  • Bosnian (bosanski), a South Slavic language spoken mainly in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
  • Celtiberian – an extinct Celtic language that was spoken in the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula until about the 1st century AD.

On the Omniglot blog there’s a new post entitled Super Brows about the word supercilious and other (eye)brow-related expressions in English and other languages. There’s also the usual Language Quiz. See if you can guess what language this is:

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

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Blin (ብሊና), a Central Cushitic language spoken in and around the city of Keren in central Eritrea.

In this week’s Adventure in Etymology, we free ourselves by looking into the word Escape and related words.

On the Celtiadur blog there’s a new post about words for Eyebrows and related things.

Finally, here’s my latest song, which I finished writing and recording this week. It’s in the style of a sea shanty called Off To Sea

You can hear more songs and tunes I’ve written on SoundCloud.

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

JapanesePod101.com

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.

Unlimited Web Hosting - Kualo

Omniglot News (26/05/24)

Omniglot News

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

New writing system: Sheek Bakrii Saphaloo Script, which was created in 1956 by Sheikh Bakri Sapalo from Ethiopia, and is used to write Oromo, a Cushitic language spoken in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Egypt.

Sample text in the Sheek Bakrii Saphaloo script

New fictional script: Exception, which appears in the Netflix anime series “Exception”.

Sample text in Exception

New constructed script: Formetta, an alternative way to write English invented by TCSenpai, and designed to be clear, simple, and easy to learn and reproduce.

Sample text in Formetta

There are new language pages about:

  • Maká (mac’a) – a Matacoan language spoken in the Chaco region of Paraguay and Argentina.
  • Wichí Lhamtés Nocten (‘weenhayek) – a Matacoan language spoken mainly in southeastern Boliva, and also in northwestern Argentina.
  • Wichí Lhamtés Güisnay (Wiznay) – a Matacoan language spoken in Salta Province in northern Argentina
  • Wichí Lhamtés Vejoz – a Matacoan language spoken mainly in northern Argentina and also in southern Bolivia.

New phrase pages in Taíno-Quisqueyanaíqui, a reconstructed language based on the Taíno that was spoken in the Dominican Republic created by Desmond Johnson Montes De Oca.

On the Omniglot blog there’s a new post entitled A Little Alliteration about alliteration and other kinds of rhymes, and how they can be difficult to translate into other languages. There’s also the usual Language Quiz. See if you can guess what language this is:

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

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Mocoví, a Southern Guaicuruan language spoken mainly in Santa Fe, Chaco, and Formosa provinces in Argentina.

In this week’s Celtic Pathways podcast, Bills and Gouges, we find connections between Celtic beaks and bills, and chisels and gouges in other languages.

On the Celtiadur blog there’s a new post entitled The End about words for end, final, after and related things in Celtic languages.

2,500 days of Duolingo

I also made improvements to the Taíno language page.

In other news, I reached 2,500 days in my current streak on Duolingo this week. I’m still concentrating on Irish, Scottish Gaelic, Spanish and Japanese, and occasionally doing a bit of Dutch or Swedish.

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

JapanesePod101.com

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.

Unlimited Web Hosting - Kualo

Celtic Pathways – Bills and Gouges

In this episode we find connections between Celtic bills and beaks, and chisels and gouges in other languages.

Chisels

A gouge [ɡaʊdʒ] is a chisel with a curved blade for cutting or scooping channels, grooves, or holes in wood, stone, etc.

The word comes from Middle English gouge (gouge), from Old French gouge (gouge), from Late Latin goia / gu(l)bia (chisel, piercer), from Gaulish *gulbiā (beak, bill), from Proto-Celtic *gulbā / *gulbīnos (beak, bill) [source].

Related words in the modern Celtic languages include:

  • gulba = beak, bill, tip, point, projection in Irish
  • gulb [gul̪ˠub] = beak, nose in Scottish Gaelic
  • gylf = sharp point, knife, bird’s beak or snout in Welsh
  • gelvin = beak, bill in Cornish
  • gwlib = curlew, whimbrel (?) in Breton

Other words from the same Proto-Celtic roots, via Gaulish and Latin, include gulbia (gouge) in Galician, gubia (gouge) in Spanish, gorbia (ferrule*) in Italian [source].

*A ferrule is band or cap (usually metal) placed around a shaft to reinforce it or to prevent splitting [source].

Field Notes Woodgrain Pencil 6-Pack

Incidentally, the word chisel comes from Old Northern French c(h)isel (cutting tool, chisel), from cisoir (cutting tool), from Late Latin cīsōrium (cutting instrument), from Latin caedō (to cut, hew, fell), from Proto-Italic *kaidō, from PIE *kh₂eyd- (to cut, hew) [source].

Words from the same roots include cement, concise, decide, excise, hit, incision, precise and scissors in English; and hitta (to find, locate) in Swedish [source].

More about words for Beaks and Snouts and related things in Celtic languages.

You can find more connections between Celtic languages 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 (19/05/24)

Omniglot News

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

There are new language pages about:

  • Bhaca (isiBhaca) – a Southern Bantu language spoken in Eastern Cape Province in South Africa.
  • Ulumandaʼ – a South Sulawesi language spoken in West Sulawesi Province in Indonesia.
  • Bambam– a South Sulawesi language spoken in West Sulawesi Province in Indonesia.

New numbers pages in Ulumandaʼ and Bambam.

On the Omniglot blog there’s a new post called Buckling Swashes in which we learn about swashbucklers, and also pirates, privateers, buccaneers, freebooters and corsairs. There’s also the usual Language Quiz. See if you can guess what language this is:

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

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Kagoshima dialect (鹿児島弁), a variety of Japanese spoken in Kagoshima Prefecture in southern Japan. It is also known as Satsugū dialect (薩隅方言).

The recording comes from YouTube:

In this week’s Adventure in Etymology, we look into the word Landlubber, and related words in English and other languages.

New Celtic Cognates page: Names – a collection of Celtic personal names from Celtic and non-Celtic roots.

On the Celtiadur blog there’s a new post about words for Glens and Valleys and I made improvements to the post about words for Full and related things.

In other news, the Polyglot Gathering is currently taking place in Prague in the Czech Republic. I decided not to go this year for various reasons, but if any of you were there, I hope you had a good time. I may go to the Polyglot Conference in Valletta in Malta in November.

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

JapanesePod101.com

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.

Unlimited Web Hosting - Kualo

Omniglot News (12/05/24)

Omniglot News

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

There are new language pages about:

  • Teanu – an Oceanic language spoken on Vanikoro Island in Temotu Province in the east of the Solomon Islands.
  • Nanggu (Engdewu) – an Oceanic language spoken on the island of Nendö in Temotu province in the east of the Solomon Islands.
  • Uneapa (Uniapa) – an Oceanic language spoken on Unea Island in West New Britain Province of Papua New Guinea.

Uneapa happens to be the 2,000th language on Omniglot, by the way.

There’s a new adapted script, Turkorece (툴코레제), a way to write Turkish with the Korean Hangeul script created by Wojciech Grala.

Turkorece (툴코레제)

New numbers pages:

  • Nawat (Nāwat), an Uto-Aztecan language spoken mainly in western El Salvador.
  • Classical Nahuatl (Nāhuatlahtōlli), an Uto-Aztecan language that was spoken in the Valley of Mexico and central Mexico until about the 17th century.
  • Chakma (𑄌𑄋𑄴𑄟𑄳𑄦 𑄞𑄌𑄴 / চাাংমা ভাচ), an Eastern Indo-Aryan language spoken in parts of Bangladesh and India.

On the Omniglot blog there’s a new post entitled 2,000 Languages!, in which I talk about some significant Omniglot-related moments from the past 26 years, including adding the 2,000th language to the site this week. There’s also the usual Language Quiz. See if you can guess what language this is:

Here’s a clue: this language is spoken in Japan, but isn’t (standard) Japanese.

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Nambya, a Bantu language spoken in northwestern Zimbabwe and northeastern Botswana.

In this week’s Celtic Pathways podcast, we find some Celtic Brio behind some vigorous Romance and English words.

On the Celtiadur blog there are new posts entitled Bodies and Meaty Flesh, and I made improvements to the post about words for Horses and Strength.

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

JapanesePod101.com

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.

Unlimited Web Hosting - Kualo

Celtic Pathways – Brio

In this episode we discover the Celtic power behind some vigorous Romance and English words.

Brio

The English word brio [ˈbɹiːoʊ] means vigour or vivacity. When used in musical directions, as con brio, it means with spirit, with vigour, vivciously [source].

It comes from Italian brio (vivacity, liveliness), from Spanish brío (vigour, mettle, zest, zeal), from Old Occitan briu (wild), from Gaulish *brīgos (strength), from Proto-Celtic *brīgos (power, worth), possibly from PIE *bʰerǵʰ- (to rise; high) [source].

Related words in the modern Celtic languages include:

  • brí [brʲiː] = strength, vigour; force, significance, influence or merit in Irish
  • brìgh [brʲiː] = essence, gist, matter, pith, purport or substance in Scottish Gaelic
  • bree = power, energy, stamina or vigour in Manx
  • bri [briː] = honour, dignity, reputation, fame or prestige in Welsh
  • bri = distinction, importance, relevance or reputation in Cornish
  • bri [briː] = dignity or honour in Breton

Other words from the same Proto-Celtic roots include briu (energy, push, courage) in Catalan, brio (brilliance, panache) in French, and brio in Italian, brío in Spanish (as mentioned above).

Words from the same PIE roots possibly include barrow, burrow, bury, effort, force and fort in English, and brenin (king), bwrw (to hit, strike, cast) in Welsh [Source].

Incidentally, the musical direction forte (f), which indicates that a passage in music is to be played loudly or strongly, also comes from the same PIE roots, via Italian and Latin, as does the English word forte (strength, talent), though via Middle French [Source].

More about words for Strength and related things in Celtic languages.

You can find more connections between Celtic languages 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 (05/05/24)

Omniglot News

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

There are new language pages about:

  • Sa’a (Tɛgɛ) – a Southeast Solomonic language spoken on South Malaita and Ulawa islands in Makira Ulawa Province of the Solomon Islands.
  • Talise (ẽberã) – a Southeast Solomonic language spoken in the south of Guadalcanal Island in Guadalcanal Province of the Solomon Islands.
  • Santa Cruz (Natqgu) – a Southeast Solomonic language spoken on the island of Nendö, one of the Santa Cruz Islands in Temotu province in the east of the Solomon Islands.

New numbers pages:

  • Santa Cruz (Natqgu) – a Southeast Solomonic language spoken on the island of Nendö, one of the Santa Cruz Islands in Temotu province in the east of the Solomon Islands.
  • Lepcha (ᰛᰩᰵᰛᰧᰵᰶ), a Tibeto-Burman language spoken in India, Nepal and Bhutan.
  • Limbu (ᤕᤠᤰᤌᤢᤱ ᤐᤠᤴ), a Kiranti language spoken in mainly in Nepal, and also in northern India.

New phrases page: Dogri (डोगरी), a Western Pahari language spoken in northern India.

On the Omniglot blog there’s a new post entitled Chocolate Peanuts in which we find out what links words for chocolate and peanuts in French, and the usual Language Quiz. See if you can guess what language this is:

Here’s a clue: this language is spoken in Zimbabwe and Botswana.

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Wymysorys (Wymysiöeryś), a West Germanic language spoken in Wilamowice (Wymysoü), a small town in southern Poland.

In this week’s Adventure in Etymology, we find out what the dickens a dinkus (***) is, and what to do with an asterism (⁂). Asterisks (*) and Asterix are also involved.

On the Celtiadur blog there’s a new post entitled Meaty Flesh about words for meat, flesh and related things, and I made improvements to the post about words for Brown & Dun.

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

JapanesePod101.com

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.

Unlimited Web Hosting - Kualo