Category: English

Omniglot News (16/04/2023)

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Here’s the latest news from the world of Omniglot (for the past 3 weeks).

New writing system: Elymaic, a version of the Aramaic script that was used in Elymais, a state that existed in what is now southwestern Iran.

A sample text in the Elymaic script

New writing system: Palmyrene, a version of the Aramaic script that was used in Palmyra and other parts of Syria.

A sample text in the Palmyrene script

New constructed script: Astanari, an alternative way to write Australian English created by Josh Holliday.

Sample text in Astanari

New constructed script: Inhglærantow, a different way to write British English invented by Robbie J N.

Sample text in Inhglærantow

New constructed script: Arkaedian, an alternative way to write English invented by Mark Lyman.

Sample text in Arkaedian

There are new language pages about:

    Ahamb (naujin sdrato), a Southern Oceanic language spoken on Akhamb and Malekula islands in Vanuatu.

  • Neve‘ei (Nabusian teget) a Southern Oceanic language spoken mainly on the west coast of Malekula Island in Vanuatu.
  • Batuley (Gwatle lir), an Aru language spoken in the Aru Islands in Indonesia.
  • Bunak (Bunaq), a West Bomerai language spoken in East Timor and Indonesia.
  • Ambai, a Malayo-Polynesian language spoken in Papua Province of Indonesia.

There are new numbers pages in: Ahamb, Neve‘ei, Daakaka, Batuley, Fiji Hindi and Bunak

On the Omniglot blog there’s a new post about my trip to the Isle of Skye and my Holidays, and the usual Language Quiz. See if you can guess what language this is:

Here’s a clue: this language is spoken in northern France, but isn’t French.

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Carijona (Tsahá), a Cariban language spoken in southeastern Colombia.

There’s a new Adventure in Etymology about the word Ship, and related things.

On the Celtiadur blog we have new posts about Fatty Lard, Leaves, Roots and related things in Celtic languages.

There are no new Celtic Pathways podcasts – I didn’t have time to make them while I was away, and have decided to make one every other week. So this week we have a new Adventure in Etymology, and next week I’ll make a Celtic Pathways podcast, and videos to go with it.

In other news, I wrote a new song in Scottish Gaelic this week inspired by my Scottish Gaelic lessons on Duolingo, and my trip to Scotland, during which I learnt lots of Scottish Gaelic songs, and had a wonderful time. It goes something like this:

Here are the words and a translation:

Thoir An Aire (Watch Out)
Seist (Chorus)
Thoir an aire, thoir an aire (Watch out, watch out)
Thoir an aire, tha Iain a’ tighinn (Watch out, Iain is coming)
Thoir an aire, thoir an aire (Watch out, watch out)
Tha Iain rùisgte is tha e a’ tighinn (Iain is naked and he’s coming)

Ghoid Màiri a drathais (Mairi stole his underpants)
Ghoid Màiri a briogais (Mairi stole his trousers)
Ghoid Màiri a geansaidh gorm is geal (Mairi stole his blue and white jersey)
Ghoid Màiri a lèine (Mairi stole his shirt)
Ghoid Màiri a brògan (Mairi stole his shoes)
Ghoid Màiri aodach Iain gu lèir (Mairi stole all his clothes)

Ruith air falbh, ruith air falbh (Run away, run away)
Ruith air falbh tha Iain a’ tighinn (Run away, Iain is coming)
Ruith air falbh, ruith air falbh (Run away, run away)
Tha guga aige is tha e a’ tighinn (He has salted gannet and he’s coming)

Càit bheil Calum? (Where is Calum?)
Càit a bheil Coinneach? (Where is Kenneth?)
Càit a bheil Ceiteag? (Where is Katie?)
Am faca tu iad? (Have you seen them?)
Càit a bheil Mairead? (Where is Margaret?)
Càit a bheil Mòrag? (Where is Morag?)
Ruith iad air falbh (They ran away)
oir tha Iain a’ tighinn (because Iain is coming)

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 – Ship

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

In this Adventure we’re uncovering the origins of the word ship.

Tall ship in Copenhagen harbour

A ship [ʃɪp] is:

  • A water-borne vessel generally larger than a boat.
  • A vessel which travels through any medium other than across land, such as an airship or spaceship.
  • A sailing vessel with three or more square-rigged masts. (archaic, nautical, formal)

It comes from Middle English s(c)hip [ʃip] (ship, boat), from Old English scip [ʃip] (ship), from Proto-West-Germanic *skip (ship), from Proto-Germanic *skipą (ship), possibly from PIE *skey- (to split, dissect) which originally meant a hollowed tree [source].

Words from the same roots include skipper in English, Schipp (ship) and Schiff (ship, nave, vessel, boiler) in German, schip (ship, nave) in Dutch, skepp (ship, nave) in Swedish, and sgioba (crew, team) in Scottish Gaelic [source].

The English word skiff (a small flat-bottomed open boat) also comes from the same roots, via Middle French esquif (skiff), Old Italian schifo (small boat, dingy), and Lombardic skif (ship, boat) [source].

Incidentally, the Scots word skiff (a light, fleeting shower of rain or snow; a gust of wind; to move in a light airy manner, barely touching the ground) does not come from the same roots. Instead, it probably has onomatopoeic origins. The English word skiffle (a type of folk music made using homemade or improvised instruments) was possibly borrowed from this Scots word [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.

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Omniglot News (26/03/23)

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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

New writing system: Koch Script, which was developed by Day Chand Rangag in 2021 as a way to write Koch, a Sal language spoken in mainly northeastern India, and also in Bangladesh.

Sample text in the Koch script

New constructed script: Qutdoiya Amexf Hazara, which was created by Emhahayef to write Maxyef Pas, a conlang he is also developing.

Sample text in the Qutdoiya Amexf Hazara

New English spelling system: SoundSpel, which was devised and advocated particularly by Edward “Ed” Rondthaler in the 1980s.

There are new language pages about:

  • North Efate, a Southern Oceanic language spoken in the north of Efate island in central Vanuatu.
  • Nafsan, a Southern Oceanic language spoken in the south of Efate island in central Vanuatu.
  • Koch, a Sal language spoken mainly in northeastern India, and also in Bangladesh.

New phraes page in Mini: The Minimal Language, an attempt to create the simplest naturalistic language for human communication conceived by S.C. Gruget in 2020.

There are new numbers pages in:

  • Jakaltek (Jab’xub’al / Popti’), a Mayan language spoken in western Guatemala and southern Mexico.
  • North Efate, a Southern Oceanic language spoken in the north of Efate island in central Vanuatu.
  • Nafsan, a Southern Oceanic language spoken in the south of Efate island in central Vanuatu.
  • Carrier / Dakelh (Dakeł / ᑕᗸᒡ), an Athabascan language spoken in central British Columbia in Canada.

On the Omniglot blog there’s a post called Rumbling Carts about some interesting Japanese and Chinese characters, and the usual Language Quiz. See if you can guess what language this is:

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

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Meänkieli, a Finnic language spoken along the valley of the Torne River in northern Sweden, and also in neighbouring parts of Finland.

In this week’s Adventure in Etymology we’re unrolling the origins of the word wheel, and finding out how its linked to such words as pole, telephone, cult, collar and cycle.

On the Celtiadur blog we find out how words for Sweet and Gentle and related things in Celtic languages are linked to the name Kevin.

On the Celtic Pathways podcast we discover links between words for Surface and Skin and related things in Celtic languages and words like tonne/ton (weight) and tun (a kind of cask) in English, and words for tonne, barrel and cask in Catalan, Galician, French, Spanish and other languages.

Incidentally, I also created new logos for the different series on Radio Omniglot: Adventures in Etymology, Celtic Pathways and Omniglot News (click on these links to see larger versions of these logos):

Radio Omniglot logos

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 Korean with KoreanClass101

Adventures in Etymology – Wheel

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

In this Adventure in Etymology we’re unrolling the origins of the word wheel, and finding out how its linked to such words as pole, telephone, cult, collar and cycle.

Snaefell Wheel (Lady Evelyn)

A wheel [wiːl/ʍiːl/wil] is:

  • A circular device capable of rotating on its axis, facilitating movement or transportation or performing labour in machines.

It comes from Middle English whele [ʍeːl] (wheel), from Old English hwēol [xwe͜oːl] (wheel), from Proto-Germanic *hwehwlą [ˈxʷe.xʷlɑ̃] (wheel), from PIE *kʷékʷlom (wheel) from *kʷel- (to turn) [source].

Words from the same roots include pole, telephone, chakra, cult, collar and cycle in English, kolo (bicycle, wheel) in Czech, kakls (neck, throat) in Latvian, and चाक (cāk – wheel) and चक्र (cakra – circle, ring, wheel, cycle) in Hindi [source].

Incidentally, words for chariot or wheel in Sumerian (𒄑𒇀), Aramaic and Hebrew (גַּלְגַּל‎) and Chinese (軲轆) possibly come from the same PIE roots [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.

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Celtic Pathways – Surface and Skin

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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

Hippo very close

The Proto-Celtic *tondā means surface or skin and comes from the Proto-Indo-European *tend- (to cut off) [source].

Descendents in the modern Celtic language include:

  • tonn [t̪ˠɑun̪ˠ] = surface or skin in Irish.
  • tonn [tɔun̪ˠ] = skin or hide in Scottish Gaelic
  • ton [tɔn] = rind, crust, peel, turf, unploughed land or lawn in Welsh
  • ton = grass in Cornish
  • ton [tɔn] = rind or surface in Breton

There doesn’t appear to be a cognate in Manx.

The English word tonne/ton comes from the same Proto-Celtic root, via French, Latin and Gaulish [source]. Other words from the same Proto-Celtic root include tonne (tonne/ton) in French, tona (tun – a type of cask, ton/tonne) and tonya (a type of sweet bun) in Catalan, tona (surface, skin, bark) and tonel (barrel, tun) in Galician, and tonel (barrel) in Spanish [source].

Incidentally, the English word tun (a large cask, fermenting vat) probably comes from the same roots, via Middle English, Old English, Proto-Germanic, Latin and Gaulish, as does the German word Tonne (barrel, vat, tun, drum), the Dutch word ton (barrel, ton, large amount), and the Irish word tunna (cask), which was borrowed from Latin [source].
(A bit of bonus content that’s not included in the recording.)

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.

Omniglot News (19/03/2023)

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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

New writing system: Marchen, an abudiga that developed from the Tibetan script in about the 7th century AD and was used until the 10th century to write Zhang-Zhung, an extinct Sino-Tibetan language that was spoken mainly in western Tibet.

Sample text in the Marchen script

New writing system: Hatran, an abudiga that was used in what is now northern Iraq to write Hatran Aramaic, a Middle Aramaic dialect that was spoken in northeastern Mesopotamia from about the 3rd Century BC to the 3rd Century AD.

A sample text in the Hatran script

New constructed script: Badlit Anituun, was created by Ace Paloma as an alternative way to write Filipino.

Sample text in Badlit Anituun

There are new language pages about:

  • Tajio, a Celebic language spoken in Central Sulawesi Province in Indonesia.
  • Jemez (Cáuijògà), a Tanoan language spoken in Jemez Pueblo in Sandoval County in the north of New Mexico in the south of the USA.

There are new numbers pages in:

  • Tajio, a Celebic language spoken in Central Sulawesi Province in Indonesia.
  • Nagaibak, a variety of Tatar spoken in the Chelyabinsk Oblast in the southwest of the Russian Federation.

On the Omniglot blog there’s a post about Script Families, about how writing systems can be grouped into families, and the usual Language Quiz. See if you can guess what language this is:

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

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was
Futunan (Fakafutuna), a Polynesian language spoken on the islands of Funtuna and Alofi in the French territory of Wallis and Futuna in the South-West Pacific Ocean.

In this week’s Adventure in Etymology we find out what links the words Kith and Kin with words like cunning, uncouth, gnome, gentle, genius and engine.

On the Celtiadur blog there’s a new post about words for Bright Lights and related things in Celtic languages.

There’s a new Celtic Pathways podcast about words for Shamrock and Clover and related things in Celtic languages.

I also made improvements to the The Bardic Alphabet (Coelbren y Beirdd) page.

I wrote a new song this week called Upside Down which goes something like this:

What do you do when the world’s all askew
and everything’s out of its place?
Nothing is right and try as you might
You just can’t stand the pace.

Chorus
Upside-down and downside up
Back to front and front to back
Inside out and outside in
It puts you in a spin.

What do you do when your life’s in a stew
and nothing is going your way?
It’s all too much to handle or touch
And you don’t know what to say.

What do you do when you’re feeling blue
and nothing makes any sense?
Maybe a song or a smile will help
to make you feel less tense.

I’ve written a chorus in Welsh as well, but haven’t recorded it yet:

Dibyn-dobyn, dobyn dibyn
ochr chwith ac ochr faes
miga-moga, igam-ogam
Mae popeth o ei le

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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Celtic Pathways – Shamrocks and Clover

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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

Shamrocks

A shamrock is the trefoil leaf of any small clover, especially Trifolium repens, commonly used as a symbol of Ireland. The word comes from the Irish seamróg (shamrock), from the Old Irish semróc, a diminutive of semar (clover, shamrock), from Proto-Celtic *semarā, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *semh₁r-/*smeh₁r- [source].

Related words in the modern Celtic language include:

  • seamróg [ˈʃamˠɾˠoːɡ] = shamrok and semair = clover in Irish.
  • siumrag [ʃumərag] = clover, shamrock, wood sorel, and semair [ʃɛmɪrʲ] = shamrock, clover in Scottish Gaelic
  • shamrag = clover, shamrock, wood sorel in Manx
  • siamroc/samrog = shamrock in Welsh (borrowed from English)

Shamrock in Cornish teyrdelen (“three leaves”). In Breton it’s trefle, which was borrowed from the French trèfle (clover, shamrock); or melchonenn, which is cognate with the Cornish mellyon (clover), and the Welsh meillion (clover, trefoil, clubs (a suit in cards)). The origin of these words is not known.

You can be find more information about connections between Celtic languages on the Celtiadur blog. I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog.

Adventures in Etymology – Kith and Kin

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

In this Adventure we’re looking into the words kith and kin.

We had all the kinfolk over fer Thanksgivins.

Kith [kɪθ] means:

  • Friends and acquaintances (archaic/obsolete)

It appears in the expression kith and kin (both friends and family) and comes from the Middle English kith (kinsmen, relations), from Old English cȳþþu [ˈkyːθ.θu] (knoweldge, native land, home) from Proto-Germanic *kunþiþō (knowledge, acquaintance), from PIE *ǵneh₃- (to know) [source].

Engish words from the same roots include can, cunning, gnome, know, noble, quaint and uncouth [source].

Kin [kɪn] means:

  • Race, family, breed, kind
  • Persons of the same race or family, kindred
  • One or more relatives

It comes from Middle English kyn (family, native, tribe, clan), from Old English cynn (kind, tribe, race, species, family), from Proto-West-Germanic *kuni (family, kin), from Proto-Germanic *kunją (kin, family, clan) from PIE *ǵenh₁- (to beget, give birth) [source]

Engish words from the same roots include cognate, engine, gene, genius, gentle, kind and nature [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.

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Omniglot News (12/03/23)

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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

There are new language pages about:

  • Picuris, a Tanoan language spoken in Picuris Pueblo in northern New Mexico in the USA.
  • Kiowa (Cáuijògà), a Tanoan language spoken in the southwest of Oklahoma in the USA.
  • Turka (cuuramã), a Southern Gur language spoken in the Cascades Region in the southwest of Burkina Faso.

There are new numbers pages in:

  • Llanito, a mixed language spoken in Gibraltar made up mainly of Andalusian Spanish and British English.
  • Ch’ol, (Lakty’añ), a Cholan Mayan language spoken in Chiapas in southern Mexico.
  • Karata, (кӏкӏирлӏи), an Avar-Andic language spoken in southern Dagestan in the Russian Federation.
  • Kaitag, (хайдакьан кув), a Northeast Caucasian language spoken in Dagestan in the Russian Federation.

On the Omniglot blog there’s a post about the word kiki and other popular slang words in the USA, and the usual Language Quiz. See if you can guess what language this is:

Here’s a clue: this language is spoken on a couple of islands in the southern Pacific.

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was
Yao (chiYao), a Bantu language spoken in Malawi, Tanzania, Mozambique and Zambia.

In this week’s Adventure in Etymology we find out what links the word Caboodle with words like booth, bothy and bosky.

On the Celtiadur blog there’s a new post about words for Mighty Abilities and related things in Celtic languages.

There’s a new Celtic Pathways podcast about words for Towns and Beehives and related things in Celtic languages.

I also made improvements to the Caucasian Albanian, Toto and Avoiuli script pages, and to the Towns and Tribes, Houses, Towns & Villages and Houses and Dwellings Celtiadur posts.

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 Korean with KoreanClass101

Adventures in Etymology – Caboodle

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

In this Adventure we’re looking into the word caboodle.

Kits and Kaboodle-001

A caboodle (also written kaboodle) is:

  • Any large collection of things or people.

It appears in the US slang expressions the (whole) kit and caboodle and the whole caboodle and means “everything entirely; the whole lot; all together; as one” It first appeared in writing in the 1830s as the whole boodle, and as the whole caboodle in 1848 [source].

Caboodle/kaboodle comes from boodle,which originally meant a crowd, and later phony money or swag, from Dutch boedel [ˈbu.dəl] (property, riches), from Proto-West-Germanic bōþl (house, dwelling, property), from Proto-Germanic *bōþlą [ˈbɔːθ.lɑ̃] (house, dwelling), possibly from PIE *bʰuH- (to become, appear, grow) [source]

Words from the same roots include baile (home, place, town, city) in Irish and Scottish Gaelic, balley (town, village, farm) in Manx, ból (dwelling, abode, home, lair, bed) in Icelandic, and bosky (bushy, bristling) in English [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