When we compare the vowels used amongst the world's languages, we often come across an interesting pattern. There is almost always some distinction by vowel height, that is, the extent to which the tongue is raised or lowered when articulating a particular vowel. For example, /i/ and /u/ are referred to as "high" vowels, while … Continue reading Languages without open / low vowels? (Arapaho, Hinónoʼeitíít)
Algonquian
The Basque-based pidgins
Over the years of learning languages, and scrolling past language meme pages, I have come across certain posts regarding what sounded like ridiculous pidgins like Basque-Icelandic pidgin. There are perhaps at least a couple reasons behind this, like how Basque is a language isolate, and how it interacts with languages almost nobody thinks of right … Continue reading The Basque-based pidgins
Writing in North America — Great Lakes Algonquian Syllabics (GLAS)
In the 1880s, syllabic blocks of text recorded the languages of Ho-Chunk, Fox and several more languages. Derived from the Latin alphabet, this writing system strongly resembled Latin texts. But yet, no digitisation of this writing system was ever made, and what is revealed online is only an approximation, usually using a cursive Latin script. … Continue reading Writing in North America — Great Lakes Algonquian Syllabics (GLAS)
The Language Closet 