Radio Omniglot Simon Ager

Here’s the latest news from the world of Omniglot for the past three weeks – I was away on holiday in Scotland for a week, and didn’t have time to record newscasts during that time. (More on that later).

There are new language pages about:



* Niuatoputapu-Tafahi, an extinct Polynesian language or dialect cluster which was spoken on the islands Niuatoputapu and Tafahi in what is now Tonga.

* Isinai, a Central Cordilleran language spoken in the Province of Nueva Vizcaya in Luzon in the Philippines.

* Owa, a Southern Solomonic language spoken in Makira-Ulawa Province in the Solomon Iands.

* Desano, Carapana (Mõxtã), Tuyuca (Docapúaraye), and Yurutí, which are all Eastern Tucanoan language spoken in Colombia and in Brazil.



New constructed script: Marubhasha, an alternative way to write Telugu invented by K. Kiran Kumar.



New constructed script: Erm, an alternative way to write English invented by Jeffy Huang and based mainly on the classical Mongolian script.





New constructed script: Ayxanər, which was created by Ayxan Eyvazov as an alternative way to write the Azerbaijani language.





New phrases and numbers pages: Dogri (डोगरी), a Western Pahari language spoken in northern India.

New numbers pages:



* Saurashtra (ꢱꣃꢬꢵꢰ꣄ꢜ꣄ꢬꢵ), a Western Indo-Aryan language spoken in Tamil Nadu in southern India.

* Chorti (Ch’orti’), a Mayan language spoken in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.

* Midland Mixe (Ayüük), a Mixe-Zoque language spoken in Oaxaca in southern Mexico.



New Tower of Babel translation: Midland Mixe (Ayüük)

On the Omniglot blog there are new posts about Sabhal Mòr Ostaig (the Scottish Gaelic college on the Isle of Skye where I spent most of my holiday), Turas Fada (Long Journey) (about my journey to Skye), Giving Up (a April’s fool post), and Mr(s) Rumbling, about the Japanese word ごろごろ様 (gorogoro sama – thunder). There’s also the usual Language Quiz. See if you can guess what language this is:

Here’s a clue: this language was spoken in California in the USA, and is currently being revived.

The mystery language in language quiz of 7th April was

Interslavic (Меджусловјански / Medžuslovjanski), an international auxiliary language designed to be used by speakers of different Slavic languages to communicate with one another.



The mystery languages in the language quiz of 14th April were

Assamese (অসমীয়া),

In this Adventure in Etymology we find out whether the words stable (a building for horses) and stable (steady, permanent) are related.



A stable is:



* a building for the lodging and feeding of horses, cattle, etc.

* a collection of animals housed in such a building. [other meanings are available]



It comes from Middle Englsh stable (a building for horses), from Anglo-Norman stable (a place for keeping animals), from Latin stablum (dwelling, stable, hut, tavern), from stō (to stand, stay, remain) and‎ -bulum (instrumental suffix) [source].

In Old English, a stable was a horsern [ˈhorˠzˌerˠn] (“horse place”) [source] or a steall [stæ͜ɑll], from which we get the word stall (a compartment for a single animal in a stable or cattle shed) [source].

As an adjective stable means:



* Relatively unchanging, steady, permanent; firmly fixed or established; consistent; not easily moved, altered, or destroyed



It comes from Middle English stable, from Anglo-Norman stable / stabel (stable, firm), from Latin stabilis (firm, steadfast), from stō (to stand, stay, remain) and -abilis (able). It displaced the Old English word for stable, staþolfæst [ˈstɑ.ðolˌfæst] [source].

So it seems that these two words do come from the same roots. Other words from the same roots include stage, stand, state and stamina in English, stabbio (pen, fold, pigsty) in Italian, estar (to be) in Spanish, and ystafell (room, building, house) in Welsh [source].

I forget mention on the podcast, but the reason I chose the word stable for this adventure is because it’s related to the Scottish Gaelic sabhal [sa.əl̪ˠ] (barn), which comes from Middle Irish saball, from Latin stabulum [source], and I’ve just spent a week doing a course in Scottish Gaelic songs at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig (“Ostag’s Big Barn”), the Gaelic college on the Isle of Skye [more details].

You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Podchaser,

Here’s the latest news from the world of Omniglot.

There are new language pages about:



* Ambo-Pasco Quechua (Kichwa), a Central Quechua language spoken in central Peru.

* Matsés, a Panonan language spoken mainly in Brazil and Peru.

* Yine, a Southern Arawakan language spoken in eastern and southern Peru.



New constructed script: Skyling Script, which was invented by Kitsune Sobo for his fictional Rhodinoverse.



New constructed script: Japonesian, which created by Aiden Neuding as an alternative way to write Japanese and Indonesian.



New numbers pages:



* Chuj (Koti’), a Mayan language spoken in western Guatemala and southern Mexico.

* Tzotzil (Batsʼi kʼop), a Mayan language spoken mainly in the Mexican state of Chiapas.

* Tzeltal (Bats’i k’op), a Mayan language spoken in the Mexican state of Chiapas.



On the Omniglot blog there’s a new post about Madrugadores (Early Risers), and there’s the usual Language Quiz. See if you can guess what language this is:

Here’s a clue: this is an International Auxiliary Language (IAL).

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Khanty (Ханты), a Ob Ugric language spoken in the Khanty-Mansi and Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrugs in the west and north of the Russian Federation.



In this week’s Celtic Pathways podcast, entitled Fortified Dunes, we uncover Celtic fortresses among the sand dunes.



On the Celtiadur blog there’s a new post about words for Blessings and related things, and I made improvements to the post about words for Talkative.

I also made improvements to the Tzotzil, Tzeltal and Kubachi language pages.

For more Omniglot News, see:

https://www.omniglot.com/news/

https://twitter.com/Omniglossia

https://www.facebook.com/groups/omniglot/

https://www.facebook.com/Omniglot-100430558332117



You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Stitcher, TuneIn, Podchaser, PlayerFM or a href="https://podtail.

In this episode we uncover Celtic fortresses among the sand dunes.



A dune is a ridge or hill of sand piled up by the wind. It comes from Proto-West Germanic *dūn(ā) (sand dune, hill), via French or Dutch, from Proto-Germanic *dūnaz (accumulation, pile, heap, mound), or from Gaulish dunum (hill), from Proto-Celtic *dūnom (stronghold, rampart), all of which come from Proto-Indo-European *dʰuHnom (enclosure) [source].

Related words in the modern Celtic languages include:



* dún [d̪ˠuːnˠ] (fort(ress), place of refuge, residence, house) in Irish

* dùn [duːn] (fortress, heap) in Scottish Gaelic

* doon [duːn] (fort, stronghold) in Manx

* din [dɪn] (city, fortress, stronghold), and dinas (city) in Welsh

* din [di:n] (fort) in Cornish

* din [ˈdĩːn] (fortress) in Breton



Apart from dinas in Welsh, these words are mostly found in placenames, such as Dún Dealgan (Dundalk) in Ireland, Dún Dè(agh) (Dundee) in Scotland, Dinbych (Denbigh) in Wales, Dinmeur (Dunmere) in Cornwall, and Dinan in Brittany.

Words from the same Celtic roots possibly include town and down (a [chalk] hill, rolling grassland) in English, tuin (garden, yard) in Dutch, tún (hayfield) in Icelandic, and тын [tɨn] (fence [especially one made of twigs]) in Russian [source].

Words same PIE roots include dusk, dust and fume in English, dagg (dew) and dy (mud, mire, sludge) in Swedish, and fem (dung, manure) in Catalan [source].

More about words for Castles & fortresses and related things in Celtic languages.

You can find more connections between Celtic languages on the Celtiadur blog. I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.



a class="a2a_dd addtoany_share_save addtoany_share" href="https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.omniglot.com%2Fradio%2F%3Fp%3D3307&title=Celtic%20Pat...

Here’s the latest news from the world of Omniglot.

There are new language pages about:



* Jibu, a Central Jukunoid spoken in Taraba State in eastern Nigeria.

* Oroha, a Southern Solomonic language spoken in the south of Small Malaita Island in Malaita Province in the east of the Solomon Islands.



There’s a new page about Neolatin, an international auxiliary language designed to be used by speakers of different Romance languages to communicate with one another, and also Phrases, Numbers, Time, Family words and Weather pages in Neolatin

New constructed script: Script of the All-Seers (Lishan Oiad), which was invented by Kitsune Sobo as the native script of the alien All-Seers in the fictional Rhodinoverse.



New numbers pages:



* Jibu, a Central Jukunoid spoken in Taraba State in eastern Nigeria.

* Oroha, a Southern Solomonic language spoken on Small Malaita Island in the east of the Solomon Islands.

* Kryts (цIека meз), a Northeast Caucasian language spoken in the Quba district in the northeast of Azerbaijan.



On the Omniglot blog we’re Noodling About Nurdles, and there’s the usual Language Quiz. See if you can guess what language this is:

Here’s a clue: this language is distantly related to Finnish and is spoken in Russia.

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Achuar-Shiwiar (Achuár chícham), a Chicham language spoken in Peru and Ecuador.

The recording comes from YouTube



In this week’s Adventure in Etymology, we’re Noodling About Noodles.



On the Celtiadur blog there’s a new post about words for heart, centre and related things, and I made improvements to the posts about words for Streets and Ants.

Finally, with all this noodling about, I was inspired to write a new song called Noodling. It goes something like this:



Simon Ager · Noodling

For more Omniglot News, see:

https://www.omniglot.com/news/

https://twitter.com/Omniglossia

https://www.facebook.com/groups/omniglot/

In this Adventure in Etymology we’re noodling around with the word noodle.



As a noun, a noodle can refer to:



* A string or flat strip of pasta or other dough, usually cooked (at least initially) by boiling, and served in soup or in a dry form mixed with a sauce and other ingredients.

* An object which is long and thin like a noodle.



It comes from Dutch noedel (noodle), or from German Nudel (a piece of pasta, noodle). The origin of these words is uncertain [source].

Apparently in the USA noodle can refer to Asian noodles and Italian pasta, whereas in the UK, noodle only refers to Asian noodles.

As a verb, to noodle can mean:



* To play a musical instrument or to sing in an improvisatory or light-hearted manner

* To ponder or think, especially in an unproductive or unsystematic manner

* To attempt in an informal or uncertain manner; to fiddle.



In Shetland dialect, to noddle means to hum or sing (a tune) at a low pitch or volume. This may be a blend of the Shetland word nune (to sing softly, croon, hum) and doodle (to play the bagpipes) in Scottish English.

The English verb to noodle may come from the Shetland word, or from German nudeln (to make music or sing listlessly, at a low pitch or volume, or in an improvisatory manner). It was possibly influenced by doodle (to draw or scribble aimlessly).

In informal British English, to noodle can also mean to engage in frivolous behaviour, or to fool around or waste time, and it used to mean a person with poor judgement, a fool, or to fool or trick someone.

Other meanings of noodle are available.

Incidentally, I like to noodle on my various musical instruments, and with my voice, and wrote a little ditty about this the other day, which goes something like this:

I’m just noodling away quite happily

and nothing can get in my way

I could noodle all day down by the bay

and noodle all through the night

Will you noodle with me down by the sea?

Will you noodle along the shore?

Will you noodle and moodle and all that caboodle?

We’ll have a lot of fun you’ll see

We can noodle and doodle and eat some strudel

with oodles of custard and cream

And then noodle some more it won’t be a bore

Just noodling down on the shore

Just noodling down on the shore

Just noodling down on the shore

Just noodling down on the shore

Just noodling down on the shore



Simon Ager · Noodling

To moodle means to dawdle aimlessly, to idle time away [source], oodles means an unspecified large amount, number, or quantity; lots, tons [source], and cabdoodle means any large collection of things or people [source]

You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Podchaser,