When we compare the sounds of the various Austronesian languages from Taiwan to Rapa Nui, there are several distinct patterns we can draw. Usually, we would find anywhere from 15-20 consonants, and perhaps 4-6 vowels which may or may not be distinguished by length. Some languages take this to the extreme, with Polynesian languages like … Continue reading Introduction to the tonal Austronesian languages
China
The writing systems that resemble comics (Pt 2)
Previously, we have looked at the Naxi Dongba script, one of the few writing systems in the world where manuscripts sort of looked like comics. But within a similar region of China, is another writing system that resembled comics, and it managed to incorporate colour into meaning. We have briefly given this writing system a … Continue reading The writing systems that resemble comics (Pt 2)
Which language has the most tones?
This question sounds easy and simple, but the real answer has many more layers to it. Tonal languages are languages where words can differ in meaning in tone or tone changes, in addition to consonants and vowels. There are probably at least a couple thousand of tonal languages in the world, each with differing complexity, … Continue reading Which language has the most tones?
Classical (or Literary) Chinese is … weird
Even as a native Mandarin Chinese speaker, I find some aspects of Chinese literature particularly difficult to understand or interpret. And no, I do not mean the 4 Great Classical Novels or the 四大名著 which are Water Margin or 水滸傳, Romance of the Three Kingdoms or 三國演義, Journey to the West or 西游記, and Dream … Continue reading Classical (or Literary) Chinese is … weird
That time China tried to simplify characters… again
Simplified Chinese characters are probably what almost every learner of Mandarin Chinese would practice writing. Used predominantly in China, Singapore, and to a lesser extent, Malaysia, this writing system is used by more than a billion people, and does seem like a recent thing. But the history of simplified Chinese characters stretches way further than … Continue reading That time China tried to simplify characters… again
The Other Chinese Braille
Previously, we covered Mainland Chinese Braille, which works pretty similar to a syllabary, but interestingly lacked tone markers on a majority of cases. Today, we will look at another braille system used in China to read and write Mandarin Chinese. Designed and developed in the 1970s, and approved by the State Language Committee of the … Continue reading The Other Chinese Braille
Exploring ‘character amnesia’
Here in the Language Closet, we cover a lot about writing systems, and some interesting bits surrounding the way we read and write. But there is one phenomenon I was introduced to back in high school regarding the loss of ability to write because one is too used to typing on text input media like … Continue reading Exploring ‘character amnesia’
How Chinese Braille works
In a previous post, we looked at the tactile writing systems that came before braille. Many braille systems today are functioning alphabets, with one cell representing one letter. These are variations of the original French braille alphabet, largely due to the goal of braille uniformity to unify the braille alphabets of the world as much … Continue reading How Chinese Braille works
The Languages Most Isolated from an Ocean
Many of the remotest places we have heard of are islands in the middle of some large ocean, particularly the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans. So today, why not let us turn this around, and find out, where in the world is furthest away from any sea or ocean? This includes places like the Caspian … Continue reading The Languages Most Isolated from an Ocean
A Non-Anglocentric Language Tier System?
1. How many languages do you know ? Okay, lemme define this question. To “know” a language, usually means to have the knowledge to speak, read, write, understand and communicate in a language. So yeah, as of now, I do know quite a bunch of languages to varying standards, like English, Mandarin Chinese, Arabic, French, Japanese, […]
Back in Time — Old Languages
We read and speak the languages we know as they are today, but undoubtedly, some of us have wondered how the same languages were spoken in the past. No, not during our grandparents' generation, nor Shakespeare's era, but way back, at least a thousand years into the past, the time of the legendary sagas of … Continue reading Back in Time — Old Languages
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