Radio Omniglot Simon Ager

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

New writing system: Sheek Bakrii Saphaloo Script, which was created in 1956 by Sheikh Bakri Sapalo from Ethiopia, and is used to write Oromo, a Cushitic language spoken in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Egypt.



New fictional script: Exception, which appears in the Netflix anime series “Exception”.



New constructed script: Formetta, an alternative way to write English invented by TCSenpai, and designed to be clear, simple, and easy to learn and reproduce.



There are new language pages about:



* Maká (mac’a) – a Matacoan language spoken in the Chaco region of Paraguay and Argentina.

* Wichí Lhamtés Nocten (‘weenhayek) – a Matacoan language spoken mainly in southeastern Boliva, and also in northwestern Argentina.

* Wichí Lhamtés Güisnay (Wiznay) – a Matacoan language spoken in Salta Province in northern Argentina

* Wichí Lhamtés Vejoz – a Matacoan language spoken mainly in northern Argentina and also in southern Bolivia.



New phrase pages in Taíno-Quisqueyanaíqui, a reconstructed language based on the Taíno that was spoken in the Dominican Republic created by Desmond Johnson Montes De Oca.

On the Omniglot blog there’s a new post entitled A Little Alliteration about alliteration and other kinds of rhymes, and how they can be difficult to translate into other languages. There’s also the usual Language Quiz. See if you can guess what language this is:

Here’s a clue: this language is spoken in Eritrea.

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Mocoví, a Southern Guaicuruan language spoken mainly in Santa Fe, Chaco, and Formosa provinces in Argentina.



In this week’s Celtic Pathways podcast, Bills and Gouges, we find connections between Celtic beaks and bills, and chisels and gouges in other languages.



On the Celtiadur blog there’s a new post entitled The End about words for end, final, after and related things in Celtic languages.



I also made improvements to the Taíno language page.

In other news, I reached 2,500 days in my current streak on Duolingo this week. I’m still concentrating on Irish, Scottish Gaelic, Spanish and Japanese, and occasionally doing a bit of Dutch or Swedish.

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,

In this episode we find connections between Celtic bills and beaks, and chisels and gouges in other languages.



A gouge [ɡaʊdʒ] is a chisel with a curved blade for cutting or scooping channels, grooves, or holes in wood, stone, etc.

The word comes from Middle English gouge (gouge), from Old French gouge (gouge), from Late Latin goia / gu(l)bia (chisel, piercer), from Gaulish *gulbiā (beak, bill), from Proto-Celtic *gulbā / *gulbīnos (beak, bill) [source].

Related words in the modern Celtic languages include:



* gulba = beak, bill, tip, point, projection in Irish

* gulb [gul̪ˠub] = beak, nose in Scottish Gaelic

* gylf = sharp point, knife, bird’s beak or snout in Welsh

* gelvin = beak, bill in Cornish

* gwlib = curlew, whimbrel (?) in Breton



Other words from the same Proto-Celtic roots, via Gaulish and Latin, include gulbia (gouge) in Galician, gubia (gouge) in Spanish, gorbia (ferrule*) in Italian [source].

*A ferrule is band or cap (usually metal) placed around a shaft to reinforce it or to prevent splitting [source].



Incidentally, the word chisel comes from Old Northern French c(h)isel (cutting tool, chisel), from cisoir (cutting tool), from Late Latin cīsōrium (cutting instrument), from Latin caedō (to cut, hew, fell), from Proto-Italic *kaidō, from PIE *kh₂eyd- (to cut, hew) [source].

Words from the same roots include cement, concise, decide, excise, hit, incision, precise and scissors in English; and hitta (to find, locate) in Swedish [source].

More about words for Beaks and Snouts 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.



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

There are new language pages about:



* Bhaca (isiBhaca) – a Southern Bantu language spoken in Eastern Cape Province in South Africa.

* Ulumandaʼ – a South Sulawesi language spoken in West Sulawesi Province in Indonesia.

* Bambam– a South Sulawesi language spoken in West Sulawesi Province in Indonesia.



New numbers pages in Ulumandaʼ and Bambam.

On the Omniglot blog there’s a new post called Buckling Swashes in which we learn about swashbucklers, and also pirates, privateers, buccaneers, freebooters and corsairs. There’s also the usual Language Quiz. See if you can guess what language this is:

Here’s a clue: this language is spoken in Argentina.

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Kagoshima dialect (鹿児島弁), a variety of Japanese spoken in Kagoshima Prefecture in southern Japan. It is also known as Satsugū dialect (薩隅方言).

The recording comes from YouTube:



In this week’s Adventure in Etymology, we look into the word Landlubber, and related words in English and other languages.



New Celtic Cognates page: Names – a collection of Celtic personal names from Celtic and non-Celtic roots.

On the Celtiadur blog there’s a new post about words for Glens and Valleys and I made improvements to the post about words for Full and related things.

In other news, the Polyglot Gathering is currently taking place in Prague in the Czech Republic. I decided not to go this year for various reasons, but if any of you were there, I hope you had a good time. I may go to the Polyglot Conference in Valletta in Malta in November.

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 podtail.

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In this Adventure in Etymology we look into the word landlubber, and related words in English and other languages.



A landlubber [ˈlænd.lʌ.bə / ˈlænd.lʌ.bɚ] is:



* Someone unfamiliar with the sea or seamanship, especially a novice seaman.



It comes from lubber (a big, clumsy, stupid fellow who lives in idleness), from Middle English lobre (lazy lout) from lobbe (a lump), or from Old French lobeor (swindler, parasite), or from a Nordic word [source].

Related words include abbey-lubber (an able-bodied idler who grew sleek and fat from the charity of religious houses; a lazy monk), lubberly (clumsy, awkward, coarse), lubberland (a land of plenty), and lubberwort (a mythical herb that produces laziness) [source].

Landlubbers are also known as landsmen, land-lopers or fresh-water seamen in English.

Words in other languages for landlubber include landkrabbe (“land crab”) in Danish, landrot (“land rat”) in Dutch, and marin d’eau douce (“freshwater mariner”) in French [source].

Experienced sailors and seaman used to call themselves, and were called (Jolly) Jack Tars or Tars in English. The name Jack is/was used as a generic name, in the UK at least, and tar is probably related to the use of tar on ships to make things waterproof [source].

For more seafaring-related words, see this Omniglot blog post: Buckling Swashes, and this podcast, which inspired this post:



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:



* Teanu – an Oceanic language spoken on Vanikoro Island in Temotu Province in the east of the Solomon Islands.

* Nanggu (Engdewu) – an Oceanic language spoken on the island of Nendö in Temotu province in the east of the Solomon Islands.

* Uneapa (Uniapa) – an Oceanic language spoken on Unea Island in West New Britain Province of Papua New Guinea.



Uneapa happens to be the 2,000th language on Omniglot, by the way.

There’s a new adapted script, Turkorece (툴코레제), a way to write Turkish with the Korean Hangeul script created by Wojciech Grala.



New numbers pages:



* Nawat (Nāwat), an Uto-Aztecan language spoken mainly in western El Salvador.

* Classical Nahuatl (Nāhuatlahtōlli), an Uto-Aztecan language that was spoken in the Valley of Mexico and central Mexico until about the 17th century.

* Chakma (𑄌𑄋𑄴𑄟𑄳𑄦 𑄞𑄌𑄴 / চাাংমা ভাচ), an Eastern Indo-Aryan language spoken in parts of Bangladesh and India.



On the Omniglot blog there’s a new post entitled 2,000 Languages!, in which I talk about some significant Omniglot-related moments from the past 26 years, including adding the 2,000th language to the site this week. There’s also the usual Language Quiz. See if you can guess what language this is:

Here’s a clue: this language is spoken in Japan, but isn’t (standard) Japanese.

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Nambya, a Bantu language spoken in northwestern Zimbabwe and northeastern Botswana.



In this week’s Celtic Pathways podcast, we find some Celtic Brio behind some vigorous Romance and English words.



On the Celtiadur blog there are new posts entitled Bodies and Meaty Flesh, and I made improvements to the post about words for Horses and Strength.

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,

In this episode we discover the Celtic power behind some vigorous Romance and English words.



The English word brio [ˈbɹiːoʊ] means vigour or vivacity. When used in musical directions, as con brio, it means with spirit, with vigour, vivciously [source].

It comes from Italian brio (vivacity, liveliness), from Spanish brío (vigour, mettle, zest, zeal), from Old Occitan briu (wild), from Gaulish *brīgos (strength), from Proto-Celtic *brīgos (power, worth), possibly from PIE *bʰerǵʰ- (to rise; high) [source].

Related words in the modern Celtic languages include:



* brí [brʲiː] = strength, vigour; force, significance, influence or merit in Irish

* brìgh [brʲiː] = essence, gist, matter, pith, purport or substance in Scottish Gaelic

* bree = power, energy, stamina or vigour in Manx

* bri [briː] = honour, dignity, reputation, fame or prestige in Welsh

* bri = distinction, importance, relevance or reputation in Cornish

* bri [briː] = dignity or honour in Breton



Other words from the same Proto-Celtic roots include briu (energy, push, courage) in Catalan, brio (brilliance, panache) in French, and brio in Italian, brío in Spanish (as mentioned above).

Words from the same PIE roots possibly include barrow, burrow, bury, effort, force and fort in English, and brenin (king), bwrw (to hit, strike, cast) in Welsh [Source].

Incidentally, the musical direction forte (f), which indicates that a passage in music is to be played loudly or strongly, also comes from the same PIE roots, via Italian and Latin, as does the English word forte (strength, talent), though via Middle French [Source].

More about words for Strength 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.