We have been quite unsuccessful in uncovering languages in Australia and Vanuatu that use a true system of case prefixes, with all of them using a mix of suffixes, particles, markers, and prefixes to mark a certain word for its case. In fact, one of the only languages near that region that has a system … Continue reading Languages with case prefixes? (Canada)
linguistics
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)
The French of the Cajuns
When we talk about the use of the French language in the Americas, we often think about Quebec in Canada, St. Pierre and Miquelon, Haiti (though it also has a French-based creole), and that bit in the Guyana Shield which is part of overseas France, French Guiana. However, the French language also has considerable use … Continue reading The French of the Cajuns
Why we don’t play “toe-tac-tic” — Ablaut Reduplications
The English language is filled with many subtle rules many of us do not tend to pay attention to. From frozen binomials and the order of adjectives, these grammatical rules are often long fixed in the noggins of English speakers, often realised by surprise, revelation or curiosity. Previously, we have covered why "bread and butter" … Continue reading Why we don’t play “toe-tac-tic” — Ablaut Reduplications
The languages that mark case using tone
When we want to express how a certain noun or noun phrase is related to another noun or noun phrase in a sentence, perhaps even with the involvement of an action, we use different methods to express such a relationship in our languages. Some languages do not modify the arguments, instead using a more rigid … Continue reading The languages that mark case using tone
Finding my way in the Austronesian languages
The Austronesian peoples are traditionally known for their seafaring cultures and practices, and their expansion into the islands of the vast Pacific. With ocean currents, winds, ship building, and their knowledge of navigating using the stars, these practices particularly well documented amongst the Polynesian cultures have helped them make contact with almost every island in … Continue reading Finding my way in the Austronesian languages
Talking about the split-intransitivity alignment
Previously, we have taken a look at the systems of morphosyntactic alignment that are commonly seen in the world's languages, as well as some of their rarer counterparts. From alignments like nominative-accusative and ergative-absolutive to rarer ones like symmetrical voice, we have seen how different languages have taken different approaches to express the relationship between … Continue reading Talking about the split-intransitivity alignment
The East African Click Languages (Hadza, Hazane)
The click consonants are perhaps some of the rarest or most unusual type of sounds used in the world's languages, with this type of sounds being closely associated with the 'Khoisan' languages of southern Africa. Beyond this group of languages, however, there are only three languages spoken in eastern Africa that use click consonants, and … Continue reading The East African Click Languages (Hadza, Hazane)
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
A look into Indonesia’s unusual Austronesian language
Pulau Enggano is a small outlying island just off the southwestern coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. Around 110 km just off the southwestern coasts of the island of Sumatra, lies an outlying island called Pulau Enggano. Home to around 4000 to 5000 people, around under a half of the island's residents belong to the Enggano or … Continue reading A look into Indonesia’s unusual Austronesian language
Languages with case prefixes? (Vanuatu Pt 2)
Moving further into Vanuatu for the search of languages with case prefixes, we find ourselves on the island of Efate in the Shefa Province of Vanuatu. It is the island where the capital and largest city, Port Vila, is located, and it is the southern villages of the island like Erakor and Eton where we … Continue reading Languages with case prefixes? (Vanuatu Pt 2)
Introduction to the tonal Austronesian languages
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
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”?
How do we talk? — Articulation
In the last part in the series about the physiological part of speech production, we now have the process that involves the speech organs in the mouth, such as the hard palate, tongue, and lips. This is where one would encounter terms such as "labial", "velar", and "coronal". This process of speech production seems to … Continue reading How do we talk? — Articulation
Why “Span and Spick” Sounds Wrong — Frozen Binomials
In our everyday conversations we tend to speak, hear, read, and write stuff like “ladies and gentlemen”, “bread and butter”, or “coffee or tea”, without giving much thought to the mechanisms that make these sequences of words palatable to the ear or eyes. This pattern of words transpires down to order of names, as in … Continue reading Why “Span and Spick” Sounds Wrong — Frozen Binomials
How do we talk? — Phonation
Previously, we have looked at the various types of airstream mechanisms we use to make sounds. Most of our languages only use a couple of these in the words we speak, while there are perhaps one or two that manage to use as many as 4 or 5. Today, we will look a particular type … Continue reading How do we talk? — Phonation
I’ve apparently been made aware of this grammatical feature (Mirativity)
In February, I made a little post reaching out to the Langsky community on Bluesky to ask for some ideas I could read up and talk about in a monthly stream series that I have been doing. One of the responses I got was the concept of mirativity, something that I have not really heard … Continue reading I’ve apparently been made aware of this grammatical feature (Mirativity)
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?
Perhaps the most controversial language — Pirahã
The academic world is not new to controversial findings. From publications with conclusions that contradict long-held paradigms, to downright academic fraud and the direct use of generative artificial intelligence in writing manuscripts, it is safe to say that many of such discoveries and findings have come under heavy scrutiny by other subject matter experts. And … Continue reading Perhaps the most controversial language — Pirahã
How do we talk? — Airstream mechanisms
There is pretty much no denying that all modern natural languages today are predominantly spoken. It is also perhaps the one aspect of language that we pretty much take for granted, and not really paying attention to the various processes underlying how we talk. I have been wanting to cover the fundamentals of phonetics for … Continue reading How do we talk? — Airstream mechanisms
The number systems of hunter-gatherer languages
Continuing from the deep investigation of unconventional number systems around the world, there seems to be an interesting pattern that is worth addressing. Many number systems we are familiar with tend to be in base 5, 10 or 20, with some of them having terms for higher numerals well into the thousands or millions and … Continue reading The number systems of hunter-gatherer languages
The language in the most radioactive city on Earth
There is a saying that goes 'fire is a good servant, but a bad master'. It describes the good that fire can bring to us, such as heat and light, serving us in our daily lives. Yet, it is capable of growing out of control, wreaking destruction in the form of blazes, infernos, and wildfires. … Continue reading The language in the most radioactive city on Earth
An introduction to Ume Sámi
A while ago, I traveled to Umeå in Västerbotten County in Sweden. It was there when I came across signs like these, on which upcoming events in the city are posted. But it was not the events that caught my attention, but more rather, the languages which are featured on the signs themselves. While I … Continue reading An introduction to Ume Sámi
The language in the United States’ most remote community*
Picture this. You are in a village where goods and mail enter and exit by mule. There are no cars, for the nearest road that reaches this village is around 13 km away. Apart from hiking and mules, the only other way in and out of this village is by helicopter. Judging by this description, … Continue reading The language in the United States’ most remote community*
What is the Ecological Risk Hypothesis?
When we explore the greatest factors influencing biodiversity, we often see factors like ecological niches, geographical barriers to migration, and various ecological and environmental factors come to mind. As researchers prescribe ecological means to explain linguistic diversity, drawing the parallels biodiversity shares with linguistic diversity, similar theories to linguistic diversification also arise. Mountains and large … Continue reading What is the Ecological Risk Hypothesis?
The language of America’s southernmost settlement
The southernmost settlements of America are shared between two countries -- Argentina and Chile. Nestled in the island called Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego, translating to "Big Island of the Land of Fire", this island just south of continental South America is home to the settlements of interest today. Among these, are three settlements … Continue reading The language of America’s southernmost settlement
The German dialect behind a bizarre word
Today, I want to look into a German dialect mostly spoken in the state of Baden-Württemberg, totally not because I too happen to own a translation of The Little Prince in this dialect, but because I came across a bizarre idiomatic expression in that particular dialect. That idiom is Muggeseggele or Muggaseggele. From this article … Continue reading The German dialect behind a bizarre word
The languages in the world’s largest shire
There are many names given to administrative divisions around the world. We are familiar with states, counties, provinces, parishes, prefectures, arrondissements, boroughs, districts and so on, but today, we will look at the administrative division called a shire. We are generally familiar with the regions associated with this word, most likely as a suffix, and … Continue reading The languages in the world’s largest shire
The Australian languages with fricatives
The indigenous languages of Australia are particularly remarkable for their rather shared pattern of sounds. With generally not more than three or five vowels which may or may not be contrasted by length, and sharing many places of articulation for their consonants, these sounds have come to generally define what the indigenous languages of Australia … Continue reading The Australian languages with fricatives
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
Talking about otitis media
In some of the past journal club essays, we have looked at the underlying environmental factors that could influence linguistic diversity of a region, or certain characteristics of languages like tones and sonority. But to claim that certain diseases do impact the characteristics of a certain group of languages seems a bit farfetched. Recently, I … Continue reading Talking about otitis media
Who influences who? Exploring linguistic influences in Melanesia through the numeral lens
When doing my research and reading up for this essay published some time ago, I came across this article that particularly caught my attention. You might have noticed it in the Further Reading section at the end of the essay as well. And so, I decided to take a thorough read of the article, and … Continue reading Who influences who? Exploring linguistic influences in Melanesia through the numeral lens
Evaluating linguistic diversity using a different approach
Previously, and by that we mean about 6 months ago, we covered the various methods where one could use to assess linguistic diversity, which are extensions of biodiversity evaluation methods contextualised in linguistics. We have covered anything from richness to the Greenberg index, and looked at the downsides of evaluating linguistic diversity using these indices. … Continue reading Evaluating linguistic diversity using a different approach
The languages of Asia’s easternmost frontier (Pt 1)
The Bering Strait forms the maritime boundary between two continents, Asia and North America. Not only does the International Date Line run through it, separating the easternmost part of Russia and the westernmost part of Alaska by at least an entire day, but it also once formed the land bridge that humans theoretically used to … Continue reading The languages of Asia’s easternmost frontier (Pt 1)
A brief introduction to avoidance speech
When we talk about avoidance speech, the first thing that comes to mind is the language one might use when referring to the deceased, or things related to the deceased. After all, in some cultures, they might believe that a deceased person's soul would become a malevolent entity, and death is perhaps the greatest misfortune … Continue reading A brief introduction to avoidance speech
When English had its ge- prefix gelost
English is a Germanic language. So too is German and Dutch. While geographically separated by the English Channel, these languages generally have rather similar histories, up until several centuries ago. If you have learned these languages before, you would find that many German and Dutch participles contain the prefix ge-, while English participles lack this … Continue reading When English had its ge- prefix gelost
An exploration on some unusual counting systems
When we compare numbers across various languages, there are perhaps two dominant counting systems we can identify. Intuitively, these rely on counting the number of digits on two hands, or perhaps including the toes as well. Many languages across the world use the former, hence having a decimal (base-10) counting system like Japanese, while some … Continue reading An exploration on some unusual counting systems
Does this language really have only 3 verbs?
Verbs are pretty much a universal occurrence in natural languages across the world. After all, their main function in a clause or sentence is to express a certain action, a certain state, or a certain occurrence in relation to other constituent parts of a sentence. But languages treat verbs differently from other languages, with some … Continue reading Does this language really have only 3 verbs?
Tracking the colonisation of Madagascar using Malagasy
Madagascar is a rather interesting place. With such a lush biodiversity, and famous for its lemurs, this island several hundred kilometres east of continental Africa hosts a substantial number of endemic species. However, unlike other biodiversity hotspots like New Guinea, Madagascar is not particularly known for its linguistic diversity. In fact, it seems anomalous that … Continue reading Tracking the colonisation of Madagascar using Malagasy
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)
The most grammatically complex (?) Australian language
What makes a language complex? Is it the grammatical elaborateness of a language, or is it the specific nuances a language can discern through some form of grammatical inflection or otherwise? Investigating this area of linguistics has been mired in controversy and prejudice, as the 19th century view of language complexity hinged on meeting the … Continue reading The most grammatically complex (?) Australian language
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’
The birth of a toneme in Khmer
The languages of Southeast Asia are known for their tones. Sure, there are notable exceptions such as the Austronesian languages spoken in the Malayan Peninsula, but for the majority of languages, including the Kra-Dai languages spoken in Thailand, Laos, and northern Vietnam, Hmong-Mien languages spoken in northern Vietnam and Laos, and the Sino-Tibetan languages spoken … Continue reading The birth of a toneme in Khmer
How do you actually read Maya?
If you have visited Maya ruins across Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize, particularly in the Yucatan Peninsula, such as Tikal, you might have encountered some stone walls or bricks with some graphic inscriptions on them. They may seem to blend in, or resemble the graphic carvings of figures, deities, or the like they are found with, … Continue reading How do you actually read Maya?
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
Are languages really louder in the tropics?
In December 2023, I came across several articles covering a journal publication with rather sensational titles. While some use more typical titles like "Climate Plays Role in Shaping Evolution of Human Languages, New Study Reveals", others went the sensational route, using titles like "Languages are louder in the tropics" or "Linguistics study claims that languages … Continue reading Are languages really louder in the tropics?
India’s only true indigenous alphabet (recognised as an official script)
With over 1.4 billion people, and being the most populous country in the world, India is an incredibly diverse place. With its diversity, also comes many languages, and writing systems used to write them. However, most of these writing systems have a similar pattern. Each consonant letter carries its own inherent vowel, and its vowel … Continue reading India’s only true indigenous alphabet (recognised as an official script)
How do we measure linguistic diversity?
Earth is a diverse place, with millions of species, and thousands of languages. Yet, when we think about diversity, our minds gravitate towards biodiversity, or the variety of life (usually plant and animal) in a particular area. But the same applies to linguistic diversity, or the diversity of languages in a particular area. On The … Continue reading How do we measure linguistic diversity?
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
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)
‘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’?
The language on the highest mountain of an island
When we talk about the highest points on Earth, we only ever talk about Mt Everest. It is no doubt the top of the world, but its status as the tallest mountain is under debate, since Hawai'i's Mauna Kea, when measured from its underwater base to summit, stands at 9330m, around 500 metres taller than … Continue reading The language on the highest mountain of an island
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?
The Languages of North America
When this topic pops into mind, our first instinct may be to gravitate towards English, French, and Spanish, the dominant languages in this region. French and English are spoken in Canada, English and Spanish are spoken in the United States, and Spanish is spoken in Mexico (North America largely includes only the Northern Mexican states, … Continue reading The Languages of North America
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
The simplified Chinese characters you probably have never heard about
For the past month or so, we have been on quite a streak with content surrounding Mandarin Chinese, but there are so many relatively obscure things about writing Chinese that many speakers, both native and non-native, often overlook. Today, we introduce the system of simplified Chinese characters that have dodged most people in the years … Continue reading The simplified Chinese characters you probably have never heard about
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
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 lacking the most common consonants
When we look at the sounds of the world's languages, there are some sounds that appear more often than others. The stop consonants /k/, /t/, /p/ (and their voiced counterparts) are among the most common sounds we hear, but some languages lack at least one of these consonants. One notable example is the lack of … Continue reading The languages lacking the most common consonants
Why does Australia not seem to have any indigenous writing system?
For most of us today, we read and write our languages in various writing systems -- some use alphabets, some use syllabaries, and some decide, why not, just use a bunch of them together. Despite the ubiquity and importance of writing in various societies today, most languages across the world are predominantly only spoken, with … Continue reading Why does Australia not seem to have any indigenous writing system?
How might a Japanese version of Wheel of Fortune work?
Today, I want to do a little thought experiment, one that is based on a televised gameshow. Wheel of Fortune is perhaps one of the most iconic televised gameshows in America, and perhaps, the world, with over 7000 episodes aired in its ~40 years of history. Currently hosted by Pat Sajak and Vanna White, Wheel … Continue reading How might a Japanese version of Wheel of Fortune work?
The languages with the rarest word order
The vast majority of languages have something in common with each other -- in their canonical word order, the subject always comes before the object. Such word order encompasses the subject-object-verb word order, the most common word order accounting for 45% of all the world's languages, subject-verb-object word order accounting for 42% of the world's … Continue reading The languages with the rarest word order
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 where verbs also conjugate… by case?
For a great many of us language learners, knowing when a particular case is used, and its associated endings are probably frustrating enough. Nouns and adjectives are probably the word categories where one would find these endings the most, while other languages might do things a bit differently and add case particles or markers instead. … Continue reading The language where verbs also conjugate… by case?
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?
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
The language on the highest settlement on Earth
Cities on mountains are not unusual. Looking across the mountain ranges of the world, we see settlements dotting everywhere, from the cities of the Alps, and towns in the Himalayas and the Andes. But there are some cities at altitudes that tower way above those we are accustomed to. Cities high enough such that anyone … Continue reading The language on the highest settlement on Earth
The breve — Beyond its use in Romanian
Saying that Romanian is a bit like French may be a bit of an understatement. They both share a common ancestor for their languages, being Vulgar Latin, and thus have rather similar words, and for some parts, grammar. But these similarities go a bit further than that. In orthography, both French and Romanian have their … Continue reading The breve — Beyond its use in Romanian
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
A weird Chinese-looking writing system
To say the languages of what is today China, or the People's Republic of China, exert a strong influence on other languages in the region, is an understatement. Loanwords have entered languages such as Uyghur, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese, and writing systems based on Chinese have entered use in Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, and perhaps a … Continue reading A weird Chinese-looking writing system
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
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
The languages that were once spoken on Tasmania
Tasmania, the southernmost state of the Australian Commonwealth. It has been inhabited by indigenous Australians since first arriving around 40 000 years ago, but it was not until the 18th century when first contact with European explorers was established. But less than a century later, every indigenous language once spoken on this island would go … Continue reading The languages that were once spoken on Tasmania
Exploring the languages at Earth’s extremities
The idea of geographical or social isolation and their immense scale amazes and intrigues me. From being miles away from the closest road or airstrip to the rest of the country, or part thereof, to being days of boat rides away from literally everyone else, it is unfathomable how there are people living and forming … Continue reading Exploring the languages at Earth’s extremities
The diminutive in Australian English
In language, we have different forms of expressing endearment or how small something is. For people, we often notice this in names. In Russian, for example, the diminutive for names is often suffixed with a "-nya", "-k", or "-ka". For instance, Alexander has Sashok or Shurochka, Fiodor has Fedyenka, and Danil (or Daniel) has Danya. … Continue reading The diminutive in Australian English
Who are the ‘wizards’ in our installation wizards?
From the surface, the mention of the word 'wizard' would conjure up connotations surrounding fantasy, magic, and spells. So often has that been portrayed in pop culture, from series such as Harry Potter, to the various isekai anime around here. But there is another place where we would find the word 'wizard'. One not so … Continue reading Who are the ‘wizards’ in our installation wizards?
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
Writing in Africa — Mwangwego
Our next writing system takes us to Southern Africa, particularly in a landlocked country called Malawi. Home to several Bantu languages, like Chichewa, Malawian Lomwe and Lambya, Malawi sure boasts a variety of languages in the Bantu language group. The origins of Mwangwego trace back to linguist Mr Nolence Moses Mwangwego, born in Zambia to … Continue reading Writing in Africa — Mwangwego
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-“?
Writing in Africa — The Somalian Alphabets (Pt 2)
Previously, we covered the Osmanya alphabet created in the early 20th century meant to write and represent the Somali language. Its spread was unfortunately put to an end by the Italians, who suspected its proliferation to be part of a pro-independence movement. But this was not the only writing system to arise in that era, … Continue reading Writing in Africa — The Somalian Alphabets (Pt 2)
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)
How did we get tones in Mandarin Chinese?
There are a bunch of tonal languages spoken throughout the world, but by a large margin, Mandarin Chinese comes up at the top in terms of number of native speakers. But its size or scope of usage is not the focus of our discussion today. One thing that intrigues me is the history of the … Continue reading How did we get tones in Mandarin Chinese?
From politics to proverb
A proverb is meant to be simple, it is meant to be insightful, and it expresses a perceived truth based on common experiences. Often figurative or metaphorical, proverbs collectively form a sort of folklore passed down by oral traditions. You may have heard of "Your mileage may vary" or "ignorance is bliss", but how about … Continue reading From politics to proverb
Where did Idaho come from?
While browsing meme pages and terrible or not-so-terrible maps, I came across this one: Ignoring the notion of Proto-World, it appears that 48 of the 50 states plus Washington DC in the US of A have some sort of an etymology. After doing a bit of fact checking, that is correct. But now we come … Continue reading Where did Idaho come from?
When capitalisation actually makes a difference
There is a curious poem in the book titled The Word Circus, written by Richard Lederer, and published in 1998. Called "Job's Job", it goes something like: In August, an august patriarchWas reading an ad in Reading, Mass.Long-suffering Job secured a jobTo polish piles of Polish brass.Richard Lederer, in The Word Circus, 1998 While seeming like … Continue reading When capitalisation actually makes a difference
Yet another vertical writing system
In a previous post, we have introduced one of the writing systems that is written vertically, but read horizontally. But what if I told you that there are more writing systems that sort of use similar writing directions? That is right, because today, we will dive into yet another one of these writing systems, that … Continue reading Yet another vertical writing system
Swiss High German has one fewer letter than Standard High German. But why?
When prowling through various orthographies, and their changes throughout modernity, I came across a particularly interesting case study on the use of the letter "eszett" (or scharfes es) in relation to the surrounding vowels, the letter s, and the digraph ss. These changes somehow disproportionately applied to Standard German, particularly those used in Germany and … Continue reading Swiss High German has one fewer letter than Standard High German. But why?
The story of Eszett (ß)
You only see this letter being used in German today, but not just any German, more rather, the German typically spoken in Germany, Austria, Luxembourg, and parts of Belgium. You might see this on street signs, or basically everywhere. For learners, you might have first encountered it in the very first lesson of a beginner's … Continue reading The story of Eszett (ß)
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
Putting a ring on it — The å’s diacritic
The letter 'å' (typed using Alt+0229) is perhaps one of the most recognisable letters in the languages of Scandinavia, as you may have recalled the last time you went strolling about in an Ikea store. It is even the entire name of certain places in Norway and Sweden. So too does it represent a unit … Continue reading Putting a ring on it — The å’s diacritic
The Language Closet 