Celtic Pathways – Country Gardens

8th December 2024 By Simon

In this episode we uncover links between words for country and land in Celtic languages, and words for garden, wood and related things in other languages.

Bodnant Garden / Gardd Bodnant

The Proto-Celtic word *mrogis means border(land), march, mark, region, country, territory or province, and comes from Proto-Indo-European *mórǵs (frontier, border) [source]

Related words in the modern Celtic languages include:

brugh = dwelling, mansion in Irish
brugh [bruh] = broch (a type of Iron Age stone tower with hollow double-layered walls – see below), fortified tower, large house, mansion, fairy mound in Scottish Gaelic
brogh = broch in Manx
bro [broː] = region, country, land, neighbourhood, border, limit, boundary in Welsh
bro = country, land in Cornish
bro [broː] = counry(-side) in Breton

For more about words for border, land, country and related things in Celtic languages, see the Celtiadur post: Region and Country

Words from the same Proto-Celtic root, via Gaulish *brogis and Latin brogi-/broges, include brolo (vegetable garden, orchard, grove) in Italian, and breuil (wood, copse, coppice) in French, bröol (a lawn or vegetable garden surrounding house) in Cimbrian, and Brühl (enclosed land, (wet/swampy) meadow) in German (found mainly in place names).

Words from the same PIE root include margin, and march (a border region; formal, rhythmic way of walking) in English, and marge (margin, markup) in French, marca (brand, make, trademark) in Italian [source], Mark (a fortified border area, marches) in German, and mark (field) in Danish, as in Denmark [source].

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Omniglot News (01/12/24)

1st December 20244th January 2025 By Simon

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Omniglot News

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

New language pages:

Yamba, a West Bamileke language spoken in southern Cameroon and eastern Nigeria.
Tugen, a Kalenjin language spoken mainly in Baringo County in western Kenya.
Rendille (Afi Renꞌdille), a Lowland East Cushitic language spoken in the north of the Eastern Province of Kenya.

New numbers pages:

Wolaytta (Wolayttatto Doonaa), a North Omotic language spoken in southern Ethiopia.
Äiwoo, an Oceanic language spoken in Temotu Province of the Solomon Islands.

New phrases page: Tugen, a Kalenjin language spoken in western Kenya.

On the Omniglot blog, there’s a new post entitled Paper Cards about the word carta which means paper in Italian and card in Spanish, and has various other meanings, another post entitled Mermaid Sirens, about differences between mermaids and sirens, 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 western Kenya.

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Shawiya (Tacawit / ⵜⴰⵛⴰⵡⵉⵜ), a Northern Berber language spoken in Algeria and Tunisia, specifically the variety of Shawiya spoken in western Tunisia.

In this week’s Adventure in Etymology, entitled Office Opus, we find connections between the word office and words like copy, manure, opera, opulence and opus. It’s also available on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok

On the Celtiadur blog there’s a new post entitled Disease about words for sickness, disease, grief and related things in Celtic languages, and I made improvements to the post about words for Death.

I also made improvements to the Wolaytta language page.

For more Omniglot News, see:
https://www.omniglot.com/news/
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.

Adventures in Etymology – Office Opus

30th November 202430th November 2024 By Simon

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In this Adventure in Etymology, we find connections between the word office and words like copy, manure, opera, opulence and opus.

My garden office / studio

An office [ˈɒfɪs/ˈɔfɪs] is:

A room, set of rooms, or building used for non-manual work.
A position of responsibility.
An official position, particularly high employment within government.
(other meanings are available)

It comes from Middle English office [ɔˈfiːs(ə)] (employment, occupation, obligation), from Old French office (office, job, service), from Latin officium (duty, service, office, obligation) from opificium (work), from opifex (someone who does [creative / constructive] work) from opus (work), from PIE *h₃ep- (to work, toil, make, ability) [source].

Words from the same roots include copy, manure, opera, operate, opulence and opus (a work of music or art) in English; usine (factory) in French; ofício (craft, trade, profession) in Portuguese; oficina (office, workshop, laboratory) in Spanish, and ufficio (office) and officina (workshop, laboratory) in Italian [source].

Hang on, manure? It comes from Middle English maynouren (to supervise, reign, exercise one’s authority), from Anglo-Norman meinourer, from Old French manouvrer (to work, make, create), from Vulgar Latin *manuoperare (to work by hand), from Latin manū (by hand) and operārī (to work). The word manoeuvre comes from the same roots [source].

You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Podchaser, Podbay or Podtail and other pod places.

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.

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 blog.

Omniglot News (24/11/24)

24th November 202421st December 2024 By Simon

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Omniglot News

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

New language pages:

Rongmei (Ruanglat / ꯔꯣꯡꯃꯩ), a Kuki-Chin-Naga language spoken in northeastern India.
Kupsabiny (Kupsapiiny), a Kalenjin language spoken in the Eastern Region of Uganda.
Lango (Laŋgo), an Eastern Nilotic language spoken in the Eastern Equatoria State of South Sudan.
Nyangatom (Inyangatom), an Eastern Nilotic language spoken along the Omo River in southwestern Ethiopia.

New numbers pages:

Yemba (Yɛmba), a West Bamileke language spoken in the Southwest and West regions of Cameroon.
Xârâcùù, a Southern New Caledonian language spoken in the North Province of New Caledonia.

On the Omniglot blog, there’s a new post entitled Paved Floors, in which we investigate the Italian word pavimento (floor) and related words in other languages, 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 Tunisia.

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Ladin, a Gallo-Romance language spoken in northern Italy. The recording is specifically in Col Ladin (Ladin da Col), a variety of Ladin spoken in Livinallongo del Col di Lana in the Province of Belluno in the region of Veneto in Italy.

In this week’s episode of the Celtic Pathways podcast, entitled Tan Oaks, we look into the possible Celtic roots of words such as tan, tannery and Tannenbaum. It’s also available on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok

On the Celtiadur blog there’s a new post entitled Original Pedigree about words for origin, basisnobility, lineage and related things in Celtic languages, and I made improvements to the post about Oak (trees).

I also made improvements to the Yemba language page.

For more Omniglot News, see:
https://www.omniglot.com/news/
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.

Celtic Pathways – Tan Oaks

23rd November 202423rd November 2024 By Simon

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In this episode we discover the possible Celtic roots of words such as tan, tannin and Tannenbaum.

The Proto-Celtic word *tannos means green oak, and comes from Proto-Indo-European *(s)dʰnwos/*(s)dʰonu (fir).

Related words in the Celtic languages include:

tinne = the letter t in the Ogham alphabet (ᚈ) in Irish
tinne [tʲenə] = the letter t (ᚈ) in Ogham; gorse, whin, furze (archaic) in Scottish Gaelic
taneru = to tan (hide) in Welsh
glastanen gelyn = holm oak in Cornish
tann = sessile oaks in Breton

For more about words for oak and related things, see the Celtiadur post: Oak (trees)

Words from the same Proto-Celtic roots, via Gaulish *tannos (oak) and Latin tannum (oak bark), include tan (pulped oak bark used in the tanning process of leather) in French, tano (stem, slip) in Galician, tanería (tannery) in Spanish, Tannenbaum (fir tree, Christmas tree) in German, θάμνος (thámnos – bush) in Greek, and tan, tannery, tannin (tannic acid) in English.

Words from the same PIE roots include thanë (cranberry bush) in Albanian, and धनु (dhanu – bow, Sagittarius) in Sanskrit. [source].

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Omniglot News (10/11/24)

10th November 202421st December 2024 By Simon

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Omniglot News

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

New writing system: Novo Tupi, an alphabet created in the early 19th century as a way to write Old Tupi, a language that was spoken by the Tupi people in Brazil until about the 19th century, and which developed into Nheengatu.

Sample text in Novo Tupi

New adapted script: Finnish Tengwar (Tengwar suomeksi), a way to write Finnish (and Estonian) with Tolkien’s Tengwar alphabet devised by Kuutti Saarivirta.

Sample text (Tehtar mode)

New language pages:

Ikoma (Eghiikoma), a Northeast Bantu language spoken in the Serengeti District of the Mata Region in northern Tanzania.
Old Tupi, a language that was spoken by the Tupi people in Brazil that developed into Nheengatu.
Kakwa (kʊ́tʊ́ nà kákwà), an Eastern Nilotic language spoken in Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and South Sudan.

New numbers page: Ki’che’ (Qatzijobʼal), a Mayan language spoken in central Guatemala.

On the Omniglot blog we find whether the word kitchen is related to the words apricot, pumpkin and melon in a post entitled Kitchen Fruit, 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 northern Bolivia.

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Caac (Caaàc), a New Caledonian language spoken on the northeast coast of Grande Terre island in the North Province of New Caledonia.

In this week’s Celtic Pathways podcast, Grinding Pebbles, we discover the possible Celtic roots of words for gravel and other things in English and other languages.

On the Celtiadur blog there’s a new post entitled Counting Numbers about words for number, to count and related things in Celtic languages.

For more Omniglot News, see:
https://www.omniglot.com/news/
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.

Celtic Pathways – Grinding Pebbles

9th November 202411th November 2024 By Simon

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In this episode of the Celtic Pathways podcast, we discover the possible Celtic roots of words for gravel in English and other languages.

Gravel [ˈɡɹævəl] is small fragments of rock, used for laying on the beds of roads and railways, and as ballast, and other things (other meanings are available).

It comes from Middle English gravel / gravail(le) (sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles), from Old French gravele (gravel), a diminutive of grave (gravel, seashore), from Medieval Latin grava, possibly from Gaulish grava, from Proto-Celtic grāwā (gravel, pebbles), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰroh₁weh₂, from *gʰreh₁w- (to grind) [source].

Words from the same Proto-Celtic roots in the modern Celtic languages include gro (gravel, shingle, gravelly shore, strand) in Welsh, grow (gravel) in Cornish, and grouan (gravel) in Breton [source].

For more details of words for gravel and related things in Celtic languages, see the Celtiadur post Gritty Gravel.

Words from the same Proto-Celtic roots in the non-Celtic languages include grava (gravel) in Catalan, grève (flat, sandy land along the sea or a large river) in French, grava (gravel) in Spanish, and grave (gravel, shore, gravelly ground) in Occitan [source].

Words from the same PIE roots in other languages include: grit, groat, grout and gruel in English, Grieß (semolina) in German, grjót (coarse stones, rubble) in Icelandic, gryt (a badger’s sett, a fox’s den) in Swedish, riutta (reef) in Finnish, and grúodas (frozen mud or earth) in Lithuanian [source].

Incidentally, one Old English word for gravel was ċeosol [ˈtʃeo.sol], which comes from Proto-West-Germanic *kesul (small stone, pebble). This became chisel and chessil (gravel or pebbles) in modern English, and is cognate with Kiesel (pebble) in German, kiezel (pebble, flint, silicon) in Dutch, and kisel (silicon) in Swedish [source].

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 (03/11/24)

3rd November 202421st December 2024 By Simon

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Omniglot News

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

New language pages:

Central ǃKung (ǃXun), a Kxʼa language spoken in northern Namibia.
Ik (Icétôd), a Kuliak language spoken in Karamoja in the Northern region of Uganda.
Markwet (Markweta), a Southern Nilotic language spoken in Elgeyo-Marakwet County in western Kenya.
Sudanese Arabic (لهجة سودانية), a variety of Arabic spoken mainly in Sudan, and also in South Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia and other countries.

New numbers pages:

Ik (Icétôd), a Kuliak language spoken in Karamoja in the Northern region of Uganda.
Dagaare (Dàgáárè), a Gur language spoken in Ghana and Burkina Faso.
Genoese (zeneise), a Gallo-Romance language spoken mainly in Genoa in Italy.

On the Omniglot blog there are new posts about the words Hire & Rent and Hat Tricks, 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 New Caledonia.

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Mayo (Yoreme Nokki), an Uto-Aztecan language spoken in northern Mexico.

In this week’s Adventure in Etymology, Weaving Text, we unweave the origins of the word text.

On the Celtiadur blog there’s a new post entitled Teary Drops about words for tear, drop and related things in Celtic languages.

New song: Terms & Conditions, a song I wrote in October 2024 about all those pesky terms & conditions that we have to agree to, but few of us ever read, and even fewer understand.

Simon Ager · Terms & Conditions

Improved page: Turkish language page.

For more Omniglot News, see:
https://www.omniglot.com/news/
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.

Omniglot News (27/10/24)

27th October 2024 By Simon

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Omniglot News

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

New language pages:

Kwasengen (Hanga Hundi), a Sepik language spoken in East Sepik Province in the northwest of Papua New Guinea.
Dirasha (D’iraassh), a Lowland East Cushitic language spoken in southwestern Ethiopia.
Saho (Saahot Af), a Lowland East Cushitic language spoken mainly in Eritrea and Ethiopia.

New constructed script: Bocsys, an alphabet I created for no particular reason that can be used to write most western European languages.

Sample text in the Bocsys alphabet in English

New numbers pages:

Kryts (Khaput dialect), a Northeast Caucasian spoken in northeastern Azerbaijan.
Sakizaya, an East Formosan language spoken mainly in Hualien County on the east coast of Taiwan.
Rukai, a Formosan language spoken in Pingtung, Kaohsiung and Taitung counties in the south of Taiwan.

On the Omniglot blog there’s a new post entitled Pans of Cream about words for cream in Italian, and related words in 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 northern Mexico.

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Tswa (xiTswa), a Southern Bantu language spoken in southern Mozambique.

In this week’s Celtic Pathways podcast, Oaken Larches, we discover the possible Celtic roots of words for larch (tree) in various non-Celtic languages.

On the Celtiadur blog there’s a new post called Sufficiently Enough about words for enough, sufficient and related things.

I also made improvements to the Oak (trees) Celtiadur post.

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.

Celtic Pathways – Oaken Larches

26th October 202426th October 2024 By Simon

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In this episode we discover the possible Celtic roots of words for larch (tree) in various non-Celtic languages.

A larch [ˈlɑːtʃ/ˈlɑɹtʃ] is a confierous tree of the genus Larix having deciduous leaves in fascicles (bundles). The most common type of larch tree in Europe is the European larch (Larix decidua), which is native to northern Italy. Other types of larch are availble.

The English word larch comes from early modern German Larche/Lärche, from Middle High German larche, from Old High German larihha, from Latin larix (larch), from Ancient Greek λάριξ (lárix – larch, Venice turpentine*), possibly from Gaulish *devro (oak?) from Proto-Celtic *daru (oak), from PIE *dóru (tree) [source].

*Venice turpentine = A thick substance made from the tree resin of the European larch (Larix decidua), formerly used as a component in the oil paintings to create glossy, translucent glazes [source].

Words in the modern Celtic languages from the same Proto-Celtic root include: dair [d̪ˠaɾʲ] (oak) in Irish, dair [darʲ] (oak) in Scottish Gaelic, darragh (oak) in Manx, dâr [ˈdaːr] (oak tree, leader, mighty lord) in Welsh, dar [daːr / dæːr] (oak) in Cornish, and dar [dɑːr] (oak) in Breton [source].

Words from the same Proto-Celtic root in other languages include: làrix in Catalan, lariks in Dutch learag in Scottish Gaelic, larch in English, Lärche in German, and lærk in Danish, all of which mean larch (tree) [source].

Incidentally, the French word mélèze (larch) has doubly Celtic roots: it comes from Franco-Provençal (Dauphinois) melèzo (larch tree), from Vulgar Latin *melice (larch), from Gaulish *mel- (larch) and Latin larix (larch). The Gaulish word *mel- comes from Proto-Celtic *meli (honey) [source].

Words from the same PIE root include δόρυ (dóry – spear) in Greek, terva (tar) in Finnish, dearbh (sure, certain) in Irish, tree, trim, and trough and true in English, and trä (wood) in Swedish [source].

See the Celtiadur post Oak (trees) for more details of words for oak and related things in Celtic languages. 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.

Radio Omniglot

Podcasts about languages and words

Tag: language

Celtic Pathways – Country Gardens

Omniglot News (01/12/24)

Adventures in Etymology – Office Opus

Omniglot News (24/11/24)

Celtic Pathways – Tan Oaks

Omniglot News (10/11/24)

Celtic Pathways – Grinding Pebbles

Omniglot News (03/11/24)

Omniglot News (27/10/24)

Celtic Pathways – Oaken Larches