A while ago, we covered one variety of Low German spoken in East Friesland in northwestern Germany, that is, Oostfreesk Platt, or East Frisian Low German. Amongst the resources dedicated to learn this variety of the language, we briefly mentioned the application called PlattinO. Developed by Timm Sodtalbers, and artwork done by Nicolaus Hippen, PlattinO … Continue reading Learning East Frisian Low German with PlattinO
language learning
Why don’t we pronounce the ‘k’ in ‘knight’ anymore?
The English language is notorious for its spelling, where there are a bunch of silent letters in many of its words, and how there is a many-to-many correspondence between many of its letters and sounds. From the 'w' in place names like Greenwich but not Sandwich to the inconsistencies in the pronunciation of the '-ough' … Continue reading Why don’t we pronounce the ‘k’ in ‘knight’ anymore?
When ‘th’ becomes a ‘t’
Previously, we have touched on the phenomenon of th-fronting, where the 'th' in words like 'three' and 'thing' are pronounced like an 'f'. This makes words like 'three' and 'free' sound almost identical. Today, I want to talk about one of the other options mentioned in the poll done in that essay, one where the … Continue reading When ‘th’ becomes a ‘t’
Moin — Low German (Plattdeutsch, Niederdeutsch, Plattdütsch)
In the German-speaking countries, there are several greetings one would tend to encounter depending on where one is. Sure there is the ubiquitous Hallo, but there are also regional ones from Grüezi in Switzerland and Servus in Bavaria and Austria, to Moin the further up north you go in Germany. One of the languages in … Continue reading Moin — Low German (Plattdeutsch, Niederdeutsch, Plattdütsch)
That time when a new English alphabet was taught
Little boy blue nursery rhyme printed in ITA (The Guardian, 2025) English is by no means an easy language to spell in, especially for people who are picking the language up in early education. After all, with memes going about saying mastering it is possible through thorough thought though, it is pretty evident that with … Continue reading That time when a new English alphabet was taught
The Language Closet turns 9 today!
It's crazy to think my website has turned 9 years old, isn't it? Looking back, it is pretty humbling to see how The Language Closet has grown. From being reached out to do reviews for language learning methods and materials, to crossing readership milestones, we have a lot of reasons to celebrate. We talked about … Continue reading The Language Closet turns 9 today!
A book that lets you learn… 4 languages at once?
Learning a language is by no means an easy thing to do. Quite often, you will experience words, sounds, grammars, and nuances that are different from what you are normally used to in your native languages. And so, there is a split opinion on whether or not it is advisable to learn multiple languages at … Continue reading A book that lets you learn… 4 languages at once?
Introduction to formal & informal speech in some Austronesian languages
When learning some of the Austronesian languages, I cannot help but to notice the different patterns of speech that are used when talking to friends and family compared to the speech that is used when talking to people of greater seniority or higher social hierarchy. My observation first started with Bahasa Melayu, taking notice to … Continue reading Introduction to formal & informal speech in some Austronesian languages
What on Earth is the “Austronesian alignment”?
If you are learning languages like Tagalog, you might have encountered this very term at some point, especially when we talk about how Tagalog sentences are constructed. This term can also go by several names, namely, the Austronesian alignment, the symmetrical voice, the Philippine-style voice system, and the Austronesian focus system. As the name might … Continue reading What on Earth is the “Austronesian alignment”?
Nominative-accusative? Ergative-absolutive? What do these mean?
In language introduction essays done on this website, you might see these kinds of terminology thrown about without further elaboration given to them. For example, in some languages of Australia, you might have seen ergativity being used, as with the essay on Naukan Yupik and Chukchi. But what are these systems, and what kinds of … Continue reading Nominative-accusative? Ergative-absolutive? What do these mean?
Southeast Asia’s only surviving Portuguese-based creole
In 1511, the Portuguese Empire invaded and seized control of the city of Malacca, an important trading hub in the region. The colonisers intermarried with the indigenous women, and their languages intertwined, birthing a creole in the process. But Portuguese control of Malacca did not last. The Dutch took over Malacca in 1642, and later, … Continue reading Southeast Asia’s only surviving Portuguese-based creole
Why are there so many German names for this?
Let's start with a little question. What do you call this? If you are an English speaker, you might call this a jelly-filled donut or a jam doughnut. After all, these are doughnuts with a sweet filling, usually strawberry jam. Some Portuguese speakers might call this a malassada (a portmanteau of mal assada "badly baked"). … Continue reading Why are there so many German names for this?
I tried Lingopie, and this is how it went
The idea of consuming various kinds of media to learn languages is not new. After all, classroom lessons are generally insufficient in teaching us about how a language is used in the real world, particularly in more colloquial speech. While they do provide a physical platform to practice, and understand grammatical patterns and usage, in … Continue reading I tried Lingopie, and this is how it went
The Language Closet turns 8!
I am not going to lie, 2016 does not feel like 8 years ago, although realistically, it is. Reflecting back on the past year, we have touched on many different topics, ranging from writing systems, to more investigative pieces focusing on certain aspects of language or linguistics. These topics have been driven by an unstoppable … Continue reading The Language Closet turns 8!
Making sense of Irish orthography (Pt Finale)
Just as when I thought that learning the various sounds the consonants make, broad and slender, and the various sounds the vowels make, stressed, unstressed, long, short, and as vowel sequences, I found myself having problems especially when pronouncing words that have vowels flanking both sides, or just one side, of consonant digraphs like 'mh' … Continue reading Making sense of Irish orthography (Pt Finale)
Trying to make sense of Irish vowels (Pt 2)
Previously, I shared the various difficulties I faced when learning the orthography of Irish consonants, and how they are pronounced. But this time, I am faced with a bigger challenge -- figuring out how the vowels are pronounced. After all, the Irish language is no stranger to vowel sequences like "aoi" and "uai", building up … Continue reading Trying to make sense of Irish vowels (Pt 2)
Trying to make sense of Irish orthography, again (Pt 1)
Recently, I have taken an interest in learning the Irish language or Gaeilge again, after taking a somewhat extended break from it to learn languages like Maori. But immediately, I found myself in quite a bit of a pickle when it comes to learning how Irish sounds are written, and how written Irish is read. … Continue reading Trying to make sense of Irish orthography, again (Pt 1)
Trying to understand Māori months
Recently, I have found myself back in the mood of learning te reo Māori more seriously, as I take larger strides in learning and familiarising myself with the words of the language. While some words sound like loanwords that have entered Māori, some others remind me of languages like Malay or Indonesian. But there is … Continue reading Trying to understand Māori months
When ‘th’ becomes an ‘f’
Let's start off today's essay with a little poll. How do you pronounce the word "three"? Is it closer to a "free", or is it closer to a "tree", or perhaps just a plain old "three"? As we covered really long ago, the 'th' sound is actually a pretty rare sound across the world, but … Continue reading When ‘th’ becomes an ‘f’
A look at Countdown Conundrum
Lately, I have been fascinated with the British game show Countdown, which features word-forming and arithmetic rounds between two contestants. Presented by Colin Murray, and co-presented by Rachel Riley and Susie Dent (in the Dictionary Corner) today, Countdown is one of the longest-running British game shows, and the British version of the French original Des … Continue reading A look at Countdown Conundrum
A platform to learn the indigenous languages of Alaska
Picture a typical language learning application. Things like Duolingo, Babbel, and Memrise would come to mind. These would prominently feature the languages with the most number of learners, major languages like English, Spanish, German, and French. But dig below the surface, and you would find some indigenous languages covered in there as well. On Duolingo … Continue reading A platform to learn the indigenous languages of Alaska
Simplifying some linguistics terminology
Whenever I am not practising the languages that I am currently learning, I would usually read up on the inner workings of various languages, or how certain writing systems work. In doing so, particularly the former, I would encounter certain linguistics jargon that might just confuse the average reader. I must admit that when I … Continue reading Simplifying some linguistics terminology
The handwriting that schools banned
While trawling the Internet for interesting phenomena in any topics in language and writing, I came across this post that was spread around various pages. This one talked about the time when a certain handwriting was banned in schools across Japan. The reason for the banning was it being "too illegible". In fact, some sites … Continue reading The handwriting that schools banned
Talking about four-character idioms
Today, I want to talk about a certain type of idiomatic expression so ubiquitous in both vernacular Chinese speech and writing, yet, only using a limited number of characters to do so. Almost all of them use just 4 characters, leading to one term called four-character idioms. The Chinese term is called 成語 or chengyu, … Continue reading Talking about four-character idioms
A new Duolingo review
Previously, I have asked you readers if it is time for an updated Duolingo review, and you have responded resoundingly in favour of one. So, after some months of getting back on the Duolingo grind, I am back here, in 2024, to do an updated review of this language learning application giant. Firstly, I want … Continue reading A new Duolingo review
Exploring Haitian Creole (Kreyòl)
On Duolingo's language menu, there is an interesting language added rather recently. It is perhaps the only creole to have ever been added to the platform, and with a background in French, I decided to explore this creole further, out of pure curiosity. This creole is known as Haitian Creole, or Kreyòl, spoken by at … Continue reading Exploring Haitian Creole (Kreyòl)
‘Nuclear’, but why do some say ‘Nucular’?
Let us start this week's exploration with a little question. How do you pronounce the word 'nuclear', as in, a 'nuclear reactor' or 'nuclear fission'? As I become more interested in languages, I have become more attentive to the patterns people pronounce certain words. There are two distinct patterns people tend to say the word … Continue reading ‘Nuclear’, but why do some say ‘Nucular’?
It’s time for a new review (Clozemaster)
It is 2024, and some of you might still have "learning a new language" as a resolution for this year. You might have poured through the conventional mobile applications dedicated to serve this purpose. Duolingo, Memrise, perhaps you might have taken up Babbel through some of their sponsored marketing through some YouTube channels. Today, I … Continue reading It’s time for a new review (Clozemaster)
A weird way to write Taiwanese Hokkien
Hokkien is perhaps one of the most recognisable languages spoken in Taiwan, Fujian, and Southeast Asia. With more than 13 million native speakers, the Taiwanese variety of Hokkien is spoken by a majority of the Taiwanese population. Tracing its roots to the Hoklo immigration from southern Fujian to Taiwan, this language finds itself mutually intelligible … Continue reading A weird way to write Taiwanese Hokkien
The rise and fall of the Tōyō kanji
To say that Japanese has a convoluted writing system is a rather huge understatement. More accurately described as three writing systems in an orthographical trenchcoat, filtering out which kanji to use, teach, and write in Japanese has posed as a persistent challenge since its first mention in the Meiji period. Previously, we have seen the … Continue reading The rise and fall of the Tōyō kanji
Learning Taiwanese Hokkien
Today, I want to share some bits and bobs about my experiences learning something that I have been wanting to do for a long time. I have been to Taiwan twice in my life, and had great memories from that country. With great food, interesting architecture, and an interesting spread of linguistic diversity, Taiwan is … Continue reading Learning Taiwanese Hokkien
The curious rise of the Antarctic accent
English is a weird language. It is globally known, and to various extents, are spoken to varying proficiencies. With it, also comes its mingling with other languages, and more interestingly, geographical isolation. English has become an ubiquitous language -- spoken almost everywhere on Earth, probably except the uninhabited islands that dot the Earth's crust. The … Continue reading The curious rise of the Antarctic accent
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
A brief look into Bernese German (Bärndütsch)
Today, let us look into the book in the middle, the Bernese German translation of The Little Prince. Previously, we have looked at a variety of Swiss German called Züritüütsch, or Zurich German. Among my souvenirs from Switzerland, I did mention that I have a copy of The Little Prince in another Swiss German variety. … Continue reading A brief look into Bernese German (Bärndütsch)
A deeper dive into Swiss German
The Little Prince in Standard High German (left), Bernese German (center), and Zurich German (right) Recently, I went on a trip to Zurich for a convention, and decided to stay a day longer to explore as much of the Altstadt and the Limmat as I could. Naturally, I explored the local bookstores in search of … Continue reading A deeper dive into Swiss German
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 largest syllabary to exist today
When we compare the number of characters in writing systems, we can see a rather distinct pattern. Alphabets and abjads generally have similar sizes, often numbering in the 20 to 30-odd letters. Coming in bigger than these are the syllabaries, which generally have anywhere from around 50 to 90 characters. And among the largest of … Continue reading The largest syllabary to exist today
The Language Closet turns 7 today. It is time to start something new.
So today, we celebrate the 7th birthday of The Language Closet, with something new! You may have noticed that for some posts where I introduced a writing system, the featured imaged would be a handwritten header in my own handwriting, or at least the best I could get on a computer mouse, since I do … Continue reading The Language Closet turns 7 today. It is time to start something new.
Which language has the most grammatical cases?
"It's Hungarian." It is probably the one answer you would come across the most, online and in person. After all, being part of the Uralic languages, members of this family are generally known for their extensive grammatical case system. Estonian has 14 or 15, Finnish has 15, and Hungarian has 18 of these. But there … Continue reading Which language has the most grammatical cases?
That time when a language was constructed based on music
Music is an interesting language. With various notation systems, and with or without vocal input, music has evolved to serve as a mode of expression. It has been used to construct settings, convey moods, and set an atmosphere for whichever scene the composer and musicians desire to create. The typical octave has a total of … Continue reading That time when a language was constructed based on music
Diaresis, tréma, Umlaut. Which is it?
Sometimes you would see two dots above some vowels, like Joyeux Noël (French for Merry Christmas), or naïve in, curiously, English. This diacritic can be found in alphabets from Albanian to Swedish. Normally represented by two dots above the letter where the sound is modified, or some other things, we also find a similar-looking sort … Continue reading Diaresis, tréma, Umlaut. Which is it?
Is it time for a fresh new Duolingo review?
Back in 2020, I posted a review of what is probably the most well-known language learning applications, that of Duolingo. While I mentioned some advantages of Duolingo to grasp the fundamentals of a learner's target language, I did criticise it for its potentially weaker efficacy in the higher levels of a given target language. Well, … Continue reading Is it time for a fresh new Duolingo review?
The language in the United States’ northernmost city
Alaska, the last frontier. It is the largest state in the United States by land area, yet has among the smallest population sizes, and is the most sparsely populated state. Being the northernmost state, Alaska is, without a doubt, home to the northernmost city in the United States. This city is rather isolated -- there … Continue reading The language in the United States’ northernmost city
How did we get the word and place name Slough?
Slough. It is probably one of the words that somehow invoke negative connotations, even without actually being to that place itself. Located 32km west of Central London (defined as Charing Cross), this town in Berkshire has a population of more than 160 000, and is actually home to a lot of headquarters (or UK HQs, … Continue reading How did we get the word and place name Slough?
The rise of Rōmaji in post-war Japan
Correlating what is spoken with what is written -- that is the long-standing challenge faced by many writing systems across the world. Some use the alphabet, and using certain letter combinations to represent more sounds, while others use logographic or ideographic writing systems to express more along the lines of ideas and things rather than … Continue reading The rise of Rōmaji in post-war Japan
The words we say but do not actually need — Tautology
We do say a bunch of unnecessary stuff in our everyday conversations and monologues. You know, the machine in ATM machine, the comics in DC comics (yes, DC technically stands for Detective Comics), and the display in LCD display. Many of these words are already incorporated in the abbreviations that contain them. Furthermore, when we … Continue reading The words we say but do not actually need — Tautology
How do I even pronounce the Swedish “sj-“?
If you are learning the variants of Swedish in the northern parts of Sweden, or that spoken in Finland, then one sentence should be sufficient to explain it. It is best approximated as a "sh-" sound. But if you are learning Swedish as it is spoken in places like Stockholm or Malmö, strap in, because … Continue reading How do I even pronounce the Swedish “sj-“?
Why did we learn cursive?
If you grew up in the 20th century, or heck, even into the early 2000s, and you are a speaker of English, you might have gone through the ordeal of learning penmanship, and most particularly, the cursive script, at some point in either preschool, primary school, or elementary school depending on your education system. For … Continue reading Why did we learn cursive?
Writing in Africa — The Somalian Alphabets (Pt 1)
In the Horn of Africa, several languages are widely spoken. From Amharic and Tigrinya in Ethiopia to Afar in Djibouti, many languages of the Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family are spoken here. In Somalia, Somaliland and Djibouti, Somali has official language status in the former two, and national language status in the latter. … Continue reading Writing in Africa — The Somalian Alphabets (Pt 1)
Where did “pineapple” come from?
Ananas. That is the name of the fruit that contains bromelain, an enzyme that breaks down proteins. Known for its tropical and exotic feel, this fruit has also found itself deep in controversy over its status as a pizza topping, dividing gastronomic communities all over. Yet, there is also another thing this fruit has stirred, … Continue reading Where did “pineapple” come from?
A look at Australia’s unusual language — Kala Lagaw Ya
The Torres Strait Islands are a group of more than 270 islands straddling the Torres Strait, which separates Australia from the island of New Guinea. On them, live about 4 500 inhabitants, according to a 2016 census. Some of them speak a language indigenous to the central and western Torres Strait Islands, although it is … Continue reading A look at Australia’s unusual language — Kala Lagaw Ya
Why does “ph” make an “f” sound?
Phone. Phase. Phoenix. These words start with a "ph", yet this digraph is pronounced with an "f". In some other languages, we see such a pattern as well. Take French, for example. The word for "the seal", le phoque, also has its "ph" pronounced as an "f". We also see such a pattern in Vietnamese, … Continue reading Why does “ph” make an “f” sound?
The languages where you greet like pirates?
Greetings. Probably the second thing you learn in a new languages just after the swear words and profanities. Across Europe, you would hear something along the lines of "hello", "hi", "good day", and the like. But there is this area in Europe that has a more, well, maritime-sounding greeting. Meet the languages of Czech, Slovak, … Continue reading The languages where you greet like pirates?
The language where the pronouns have tenses — Wolof
We have different ways of expressing the idea of something happening now, something happening in the past, and something that is going to happen at some point in the future. For languages like Mandarin Chinese, there are no conjugations -- as the way Mandarin Chinese works does not support conjugations for the most part. There … Continue reading The language where the pronouns have tenses — Wolof
A sixth anniversary post
The sheikh's sixth sheep's sick. That is probably the most difficult tongue twister in English, owing to the tricky consonants and phonemes put together. But do you know which other sixth is happening? That's right, The Language Closet is celebrating their sixth anniversary today! We have been operating on a weekly post basis for the … Continue reading A sixth anniversary post
A look into the Dzongkha language
Mountainous. Isolated. Intriguing. This country is so isolated, it only allows visa-free access to citizens of Bangladesh and the Maldives, and freedom of movement with India. Straddling the Himalayas, its elevation can range from just under 200m to over 7000m, with climates ranging from sub-tropical, to alpine or even polar. Known as the Land of … Continue reading A look into the Dzongkha language
The differences between “genau”, “eben”, and “gerade”
In colloquial German, and perhaps online discourse, you would see one of these words used in conversations. Just like other expressions like the infamous bitte, these words have different meanings, and are used in slightly different contexts. Here, we will be looking at the differences between the words genau, eben, and gerade. Genau In German … Continue reading The differences between “genau”, “eben”, and “gerade”
A look back at Wordle
In January 2022, a game took the Internet by storm. In a burst of popularity, millions have taken to solve daily challenges, with a simple objective -- to guess the five letter word of the day within six guesses. Although originally released in English, this game has since been released in other languages, but ultimately … Continue reading A look back at Wordle
How did this word mean three different pronouns?
When learning languages, one can never escape from having to learn about pronouns. For some, it is quite "straightforward", while for others, not so much. As such, I was not surprised to see some of my classmates in German class trying to understand which pronoun this one word meant in certain contexts, written or spoken. … Continue reading How did this word mean three different pronouns?
The story of the cedilla
This diacritic we will cover today will bother a lot of font developers who want to make a sans-serif font, basically a typeface that lacks any sort of protruding bits at the end of a stroke. These projecting features are called "serifs", and here, the one bothersome bit is called the cedilla, a diacritic mark … Continue reading The story of the cedilla
Why does French have circumflex letters?
French is probably one of the more well-known languages with diacritics, although it does not get as elaborate as languages like Vietnamese today. This language has five different types of diacritics, also known as accents -- the accent aigu (é), accent grave (Eg. è), accent circonflexe (Eg. û), accent tréma (Eg. ë), and cédille (ç). … Continue reading Why does French have circumflex letters?
The silent “w” in some British place names
In the past couple of Word Bites posts, we have gone over some of the most difficult (more rather, misleading) British place names to pronounce, and how those names originated, and some ideas why the pronunciation changed to strongly deviate from what is written. But today, let's explore some of the typical patterns in some … Continue reading The silent “w” in some British place names
Little did we know about this grammatical rule
In grammar, there are generally a number of typical patterns languages use to express the relationship between the subject, the object, and the action (or verb). This includes the nominative-accusative group, and the absolutive-ergative group. Within these groups, these elements can follow certain word orders with varying degrees of flexibility. The word order we are … Continue reading Little did we know about this grammatical rule
Word Bites — Why does the word “irregardless” exist?
It sounds ungrammatical, yet seemingly so intuitive to say. Even so, this word has attracted much controversy about its use in the twentieth century, in definition, usage, and the like. While it has been recognised as a dictionary entry decades ago, it still shows up as a spelling error in some text editors, including the … Continue reading Word Bites — Why does the word “irregardless” exist?
Why do Italian speakers have these hand gestures?
Looking back at 2021, some events have certainly thrust some parts about language into the spotlight. Perhaps the most prominent one was the Euro 2020 cup, especially in the Italian team: Perhaps one of the most significant memes of the Euro cup this year This is not one isolated incident; on Twitter, there are clips … Continue reading Why do Italian speakers have these hand gestures?
The writing system that resembles Arabic, but is not
The Arabic abjad has its influences throughout many parts of the world. From the Urdu script for, well, Urdu, and Persian script for Farsi, to the Jawi script for Bahasa Melayu, there are many letters added to the 28 original letters of Arabic from these respective languages. However, these scripts will not be the focus … Continue reading The writing system that resembles Arabic, but is not
Word Bites — From servitude to greeting, the story of “Servus”
When starting off in learning languages, learners would tend to take two different starter paths -- learning the greetings, and learning the profanities. Today we are talking about the former, one which has a rather interesting history. While I have dabbled here and there in German before coming to Germany to study, I realised down … Continue reading Word Bites — From servitude to greeting, the story of “Servus”
Learning Mandarin Chinese characters… with more Mandarin Chinese characters
For a long time now, I have been wondering, how did people back then learn Mandarin Chinese characters? Today, we have the convenience of learning new characters by just looking at the hànyǔ pīnyīn, which is the official romanisation system for Standard Mandarin Chinese in mainland China, and is also used in teaching Mandarin Chinese … Continue reading Learning Mandarin Chinese characters… with more Mandarin Chinese characters
The language in Bavaria you may not be aware of — Bavarian (Bairisch)
So I have been living in Germany for several months at this point, particularly in the state of Bavaria, learning German along with some of its Southern variants. But, I have encountered something which did not quite sound like German, nor any of its variants I know about. Upon doing some bits of reading up, … Continue reading The language in Bavaria you may not be aware of — Bavarian (Bairisch)
👏🏻 Method 👏🏻 Review — Drops
Some months ago, I tried my hand at learning the Maori language, made more accessible through the release of learning applications developed in New Zealand, as well as the addition of Maori to several language learning applications we discussed, particularly Memrise. However, other than Memrise, there is another application which I am rather fond of, … Continue reading 👏🏻 Method 👏🏻 Review — Drops
Languages of Taiwan — Sakizaya (Sakiray), Truku, and a conclusion
By the time this post is published, it would have been about 16 months since our very first post on the indigenous languages of Taiwan. Today, we will cover the final two Formosan languages still spoken in Taiwan, before wrapping the series up (for now, at least). Sakizaya In Hualien County, there is a people … Continue reading Languages of Taiwan — Sakizaya (Sakiray), Truku, and a conclusion
Word Bites — Beaulieu, Woolfardisworthy, and other wacky British place names
Some British places are famous for their significance, like say, Brighton, or Manchester, or Greenwich. Other British places, however, are a bit more notorious for their wacky pronunciations, as with what is often regarded as the most difficult to pronounce British place name, Frome in Somerset, England. Among its ranks come Woolfardisworthy in Devon, and … Continue reading Word Bites — Beaulieu, Woolfardisworthy, and other wacky British place names
The biggest mistake I make when learning languages
When thinking about languages to learn, I often ponder about what I wanted to achieve from the journey, and what I wanted to use the language for. Languages are designed to communicate -- verbally or in print and writing, relying on the utterances or graphemes transmitted by the sender or speaker, to be decoded by … Continue reading The biggest mistake I make when learning languages
Languages of Taiwan — Saaroa (Lha’alua)
This continuation of the Languages of Taiwan series introduces yet another critically endangered language, one at a rather precarious position. Traditionally considered as a subgroup of the Tsou people, the Lha'alua or Saaroa people received official recognition from the government of Taiwan, becoming the 15th recognised indigenous people in Taiwan. Numbering around 400 today, the … Continue reading Languages of Taiwan — Saaroa (Lha’alua)
I did a speedrun on Duolingo. Here’s what I learnt
There probably is a saying that goes, for every game that exists, there is a speedrunning community for it. Apparently, this extends to some language learning methods as well, particularly those which provide a gamified experience to users. With its own category on Twitch, I knew what I had to do on there for once … Continue reading I did a speedrun on Duolingo. Here’s what I learnt
Languages of Taiwan — Thao (Thau a lalawa, Sao)
The next language we are going to cover is a critically endangered one, one with less than 200 speakers, among a people group numbering less than 1000 individuals. Not to be confused with the Tao, the Thao, also known as Sao or Ngan, is an indigenous ethnic group inhabiting the Sun Moon Lake region in … Continue reading Languages of Taiwan — Thao (Thau a lalawa, Sao)
Languages of Taiwan — Saisiyat (Saisiat)
Making up around 1-2% of Taiwan's indigenous population, the Saisiyat people numbered 6743 in 2020. Among them, around 2000 were native speakers of the Saisiyat language, according to the Council of Indigenous Peoples Taiwan in 2015. The UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger has classified this language as "severely endangered", with many of … Continue reading Languages of Taiwan — Saisiyat (Saisiat)
Word Bites — Similar words, different origins
Sometimes, people suggest that languages are related just because of a small number of lexical similarities between them. However, it could be extremely likely that these words appear similar by sheer coincidence. Perhaps, one of the most well-known examples quoted is the rather striking similarity between English and Mbabaram, for the word "dog". However, English … Continue reading Word Bites — Similar words, different origins
A Life Update
I do not really do this often, but this event I am preparing for is strongly relevant to the content I write here. This would be the start of a new chapter in life for me, and I sure am looking forward to what is in store. I am moving to Germany for my post-graduate … Continue reading A Life Update
Languages of Taiwan — Bunun
In the previous posts in this series, we have covered some of the indigenous languages spoken across various regions in Taiwan, from the most commonly spoken, to the most endangered or moribund. Here, we shall introduce you to a language spoken by the fourth largest indigenous people group in Taiwan, primarily in the island's central … Continue reading Languages of Taiwan — Bunun
Speaking Japanese — The Interchangeability of /s/ and /h/
It is said that, before the Second World War, there were curious differences in the writings on signboards of pawnshops, which seemed to differ based on the prefecture one was in. If you were in Tokyo, you might see 「しちや」 (shichiya). But if you were in the Kansai region, particularly Osaka, you might see 「ひちや」 … Continue reading Speaking Japanese — The Interchangeability of /s/ and /h/
Trying to understand a Mongolian phonology rule
When I first set out to learn Mongolian, I expected the sound system and alphabets to be more straightforward than some other languages like say, Tibetan. With this, came this expectation of sort of a one-to-one relationship between letter and sound. However, in reality, I realised some letters were not quite pronounced the way I … Continue reading Trying to understand a Mongolian phonology rule
Trying to understand the “fleeting-n” in Mongolian
For the past couple of months, I had been exploring the Mongolian language, learning about the rather interesting phonology system, the vowel harmony it sort of shares in common with some of the Turkic languages, and perhaps a bit of the writing system, Mongol bichig, which is probably one of the few writing systems today … Continue reading Trying to understand the “fleeting-n” in Mongolian
Word Bites — From Ross to Pferd
There are odd etymologies in various languages, and here, I want to present one of them. One that is rather commonly used, identified, and known by all. That is the word "horse". Understandably, given that English is a Germanic language, we would expect to see a rather similar sounding translation for this word. Right? Well, … Continue reading Word Bites — From Ross to Pferd
Word Bites — “Yard Sard” or “Yale Sale”
You may have encountered this meme, as vintage as it may be, now lurking in the depths of internet history and being dug up from time to time. A simple misspelt sign appearing in 2008, this has come to spread far and wide. But this is not a one-off event. Signs reading "Yard sard" or … Continue reading Word Bites — “Yard Sard” or “Yale Sale”
Reviving a “lost” Viking language — The Nynorn Project
Way back in the 9th century, the Norse people settled the islands of Shetland and Orkney. With this, they brought along a dialect of Old Norse spoken in the Viking times. These Norse people also likely migrated to Iceland and the Faroe Islands thereafter, spreading the old North Germanic language around. Over time, the language … Continue reading Reviving a “lost” Viking language — The Nynorn Project
The Language Closet — 5 Years On
On this day, five years ago, I started this site to compile some of my most memorable things I encountered in my language learning journeys, reflections, and some of the most interesting things about languages around the world. I have seen how my writing style changed, hopefully giving a more reflective take on some posts, … Continue reading The Language Closet — 5 Years On
Writing Japanese — H-hentaigana?
Ok. No, it is not what you are probably thinking. Hentaigana has nothing to do with perverted stuff so stereotypical in popular culture. This hentai we are talking about here pertains to this thing called 変体, or variant forms, and that hentaigana, or 変体仮名, basically means the historical variants of the currently used hiragana script. … Continue reading Writing Japanese — H-hentaigana?
3 languages that I’ve wanted to learn
Sometimes, I would ask myself this question -- given the time, resources and opportunity, which languages would I have got to learning? Recent events have provided opportunities to get started on some of these languages, but for the most part, I felt that I had accumulated quite a bit of backlog on language learning. Here, … Continue reading 3 languages that I’ve wanted to learn
The gaps in our languages
Fingerspitzengefühl. Hygge. Ubi sunt. What do these words have in common? While these words come from German, Danish, and Latin respectively, they all share a common feature -- that they do not really have any kind of direct English translation. Very often, translators may encounter obstacles and challenges in finding equivalents of certain words or … Continue reading The gaps in our languages
Speaking Japanese — The Four Kana (Yotsugana)
If you have learnt Japanese, you most likely have been introduced to how it is spoken in Tokyo, or to a lesser extent, Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto, or any Kansai variant. However, there are some kana sounds that may or may not sound different based on the prefecture you are in. These four, づ, ず, じ, … Continue reading Speaking Japanese — The Four Kana (Yotsugana)
Speaking Japanese — Understanding Aidzuchi
Verbal communication brings out a lot of colour in a language, way beyond the confines of the materials upon which the language is recorded in. Everyday expressions, slang terms, and other kinds of word variants can be picked up through speaking and listening in a conversational context. Very often, when listening to Japanese conversations, or … Continue reading Speaking Japanese — Understanding Aidzuchi
Speaking Japanese — What Exactly is Rendaku?
When learning Japanese, you would have encountered several patterns in speech. For example, while a person in Japanese is 人 (ひと, hito), the plural may be 人々 (ひとびと, hitobito). In a rather similar fashion, time is 時 (とき, toki), while sometimes is 時々 (ときどき, tokidoki). You may be asking, what is the pattern here? Notice … Continue reading Speaking Japanese — What Exactly is Rendaku?
Messing around to learn about Zipf’s Law
In quantitative linguistics, you may have encountered word frequency tables, listing out how abundant one word is relative to another, and the sort. Scrolling through these lists, there seems to be a trend. In English, the most commonly used words include "the", "of", and "and", while in Spanish, they are "de", "la", and "que". These … Continue reading Messing around to learn about Zipf’s Law
Japanese Speech Contest 2020/21 (日本語スピーチコンテスト 2020/21) — The translation
As scheduled, here is my translation of what I wrote, under the guidance of my Japanese language tutor, for the script used in the Japanese Speech Contest submission entry! I included the original Japanese text at the top, followed by the English translation, to make referrals to the original script a bit easier. シンガポールの消滅危機言語の復興ークリスタン語 Language … Continue reading Japanese Speech Contest 2020/21 (日本語スピーチコンテスト 2020/21) — The translation
Japanese Speech Contest 2020/21 (日本語スピーチコンテスト 2020/21) — The script
今週の投稿は少し異なる。去年の12月に英国日本語教育学会の日本語スピーチコンテストに参加することに決めた。決勝大会に選考されなかったが、この経験で書き方や話し方など色々なを身につけたと思う。それでは、書いた台本をこのサイトでシェアしたい。自己紹介や形式的な表現などの切ったところがあるが、内容としてたいてい保たれる。英語の翻訳は水曜日に出せる。 This week's post will be a little different. Last December, I decided to take part in the Japanese Speech Contest held by the British Association for Teaching Japanese. While I was not shortlisted for the finals day, I think that through this experience, I learnt a lot of stuff, from writing to speaking and … Continue reading Japanese Speech Contest 2020/21 (日本語スピーチコンテスト 2020/21) — The script
Icelandic is not as difficult as you think. Here’s why
Icelandic has often been touted as one of the most difficult languages, if not, the most difficult language to pick up. Some believe that it is impossible to learn Icelandic, and that being fluent in that language is a rather formidable achievement. Its early divergence from the other languages of Scandinavia, coupled with its preference … Continue reading Icelandic is not as difficult as you think. Here’s why
Languages of Taiwan — Tsou
This next language of Taiwan is of rather unknown status. With 2 100 native speakers estimated in 2002, and 4 100 speakers in 2015, Taiwanese linguists think this language is endangered or threatened. Located in the west-central mountains, in the southeast of Chiayi or Alishan area in Taiwan, the Tsou language, another member of the … Continue reading Languages of Taiwan — Tsou
Black History Month — Gullah Loanwords, and Conclusion
We have seen the various influences of West African languages, and varieties of English, on the development of Gullah spoken in the Sea Islands of the United States. Here, to conclude the post series on Black History Month 2021, we will explore the influences on Gullah by loanwords introduced from West African languages. As we … Continue reading Black History Month — Gullah Loanwords, and Conclusion
The Language Closet 