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
Papuan
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
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
The Language Closet 