Omniglot News 02/02/25

2nd February 20252nd February 2025 By Simon

Omniglot News

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

New language pages:

Kabwa (Ekikabwa), a Northeast Bantu language spoken in the Mara Region in northern Tanzania.
Bagirmi (tàrà ɓármà), a Central Sudanic language spoken mainly in southwestern Chad, and also in Nigeria.
Naba (Tar Melbene), a Central Sudanic language spoken mainly in Batha-Est Prefecture in central Chad.

New numbers pages:

Zinza (Ecizinza), a Bantu language spoken in the Mwanza Region in northern Tanzania.
Kabwa (Ekikabwa), a Northeast Bantu language spoken in the Mara Region in northern Tanzania.

New adapated script: Tengwar for Ukrainian, a way to write Ukrainian with Tolkein’s Tengwar script devised by Murray Callahan.

Sample text in Tengwar for Ukrainian

On the Omniglot blog there’s a new post entitled Hydraulic Plumbers, about how the word for plumber in Italian (idraulico) differs from words from plumber in other Romance languages, and there’s the usual Language Quiz. See if you can guess what language this is:

Here’s a clue: this language is spoken in the Indian Union Territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was: East Pomeranian (Ostpommersch), an East Low German language spoken mainly in Brazil, and also in the USA.

There’s no Adventure in Etymology this week as I was busy sorting things out at my mum’s house all weekend. That’s also why the sound quality of the recording is not up to the usual standards.

On the Celtiadur blog, there’s a new post entitled Ropes & Strings about words for rope, cord, to string and related things in Celtic languages.

For more Omniglot News, see:
https://www.omniglot.com/news/
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.

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

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.

Omniglot News (26/01/25)

26th January 2025 By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Omniglot News

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

New language pages:

Waiwai, a Cariban language spoken mainly in northern Brazil, and also in Guyana and Suirname.
Enawene Nawe (Enawenê-Nawê), a Southern Arawakan language spoken in State of Mato Grosso in western Brazil.
Jah Hut, an Aslian language spoken mainly in Pahang state in the south of peninsula Malaysia.
Brao, a Bahnaric language spoken in Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand.

New numbers page:

Mazandarani, a northwestern Iranian language spoken in the northwest of Iran.

New adapated script: Saurashtra for Gujarati (ꢱꣃꢬꢵꢰ꣄ꢜ꣄ꢬ ꢭꢶꢦꢶ), a way to write Gujarati with the Saurashtra alphabet devised by Aahan Kotian.

ꢦ꣄ꢬꢡꢶꢰ꣄ꢝꢵ ꢂꢥꢿ ꢂꢣꢶꢓꢵꢬꣂꢥꢷ ꢣꢺꢰ꣄ꢜꢶꢥꢿ ꢱꢬ꣄ꢮꢿ ꢪꢵꢥꢮꣂ ꢙꢥ꣄ꢪꢢꢷ ꢱ꣄ꢮꢡꢥ꣄ꢡ꣄ꢬ ꢂꢥꢿ ꢱꢪꢵꢥ꣄ ꢲꣂꢫ꣄ ꢘꢿ꣎ ꢡꢿꢪꢥꢵꢪꢵꢀ ꢮꢶꢗꢵꢬ꣄ꢯꢒ꣄ꢡꢶ ꢂꢥꢿ ꢂꢥ꣄ꢡꢁꢒꢬꢠ꣄ ꢲꣂꢫ꣄ ꢘꢿ ꢂꢥꢿ ꢡꢿꢪꢠꢿ ꢦꢬꢱ꣄ꢦꢬ꣄ ꢨꢥ꣄ꢤꢸꢡ꣄ꢮꢥꢷ ꢮꢬ꣄ꢡꢮꢸꢀ ꢙꣂꢄꢍ꣎

On the Omniglot blog there’s a new post entilted Kinder Kinder, in which we discover whether the words Kinder (children) in German and kind(er) in English are related, as in the joke ‘No matter how kind you are … German children are Kinder’, and there’s the usual Language Quiz. See if you can guess what language this is:

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

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was: Tiwi, a language isolate spoken on the Tiwi Islands in the Northern Territory of Australia.

In this week’s episode of Celtic Pathways, Calamitous Swords, we discover the possible Celtic roots of Romance swords and Slavic hammers.

It’s also available on Instagram and TikTok.

On the Celtiadur blog, there’s a new post entitled Birth about words for birth, to be born, to procreate and related things in Celtic languages.

Improved pages: Hiligaynon and Mazandarani phrases pages.

You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Stitcher, TuneIn, Podchaser, PlayerFM or podtail.

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

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.

Celtic Pathways – Calamitous Swords

25th January 2025 By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

In this episode we discover the possible Celtic roots of some words for sword, hammer and related things in Romance and Slavic languages.

The Proto-Celtic word *kladiwos means sword, and comes from Proto-Celtic *kladeti (to stab, dig), from Proto-Indo-European *kl̥h₂dʰ-é-ti, from *kelh₂- (to beat, strike) [source].

Related words in the modern Celtic languages include:

claíomh [kl̪ˠiːvˠ/kl̪ˠiːw] = sword in Irish
claidheamh [kl̪ˠajəv] = sword in Scottish Gaelic
cliwe = sword in Manx
cleddyf [ˈklɛðɨ̞v/ˈkleːðɪv] = sword, blade, brace (on a door or wall) in Welsh
kledha = sword in Cornish
kleze [ˈkleː.ze] = sword, glaive (a light lance with a long, sharp-pointed head) in Breton

For more about words for sword and related things in Celtic languages, see the Celtiadur post: Swords & Spikes

Words directly from the same Proto-Celtic root *kladiwos (sword) include kladivo (hammer, gavel) in Croatian, kladivo (hammer, sledgehammer) in Czech, kladivo (hammer, stamp, maul, hammerhead) in Slovak, kladivo (hammer, sledgehammer) in Slovenian [source].

Words from the same Proto-Celtic root *kladiwos (sword), via Gaulish *kladyos (sword), and Latin gladius (sword, death, a gladiatorial contest), possibly include gladiator, gladiolus and glaive in English, esglai (fright) in Catalan, ghiado (sword, dagger, knife, frost, cold), and giaggiolo (iris [flower]) in Italian, gládio (sword, power, strength) in Portuguese and glaïeul (gladiolus) in French [source].

Words from the same PIE roots include calamity, clade, clergy, cleric, clerk, coup, and glaive in English, коля (kolja – to slaughter, butcher) in Bulgarian, kłoda (log, trunk, beehive, barrel) in Polish, and Holz (wood) in German [source].

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.

Omniglot News (19/01/25)

19th January 2025 By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Omniglot News

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

New language pages:

Lawangan, an East Barito language spoken in Central Kalimantan Province in Indonesia.
Belait, a North Bornean language spoken mainly in Brunei, and also in northern Sarawak in Malaysia.

I started putting together a new phrases page containing translations of the phrase ‘So long, and thanks for all the fish’, which comes from Douglas Adams’ book by the same name. I’ll be adding more translations when I have a spare moment or two.

New adapated script: Linear-Tagalog, a way to write Tagalog mainly using glyphs from the Linear A and Linear B scripts of ancient Crete divised by Chen Carson D. Callueng.

Sample text in Linear-Tagalog

On the Omniglot blog there’s a new post about Travelling Hopefully about the saying ‘it’s better to travel hopefully than to arrive’, and there’s the usual Language Quiz. See if you can guess what language this is:

Here’s a clue: this language is spoken in the Northern Territory of Australia.

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was: Danwar (दनुवारी), a Bihari language spoken in eastern Nepal.

In this week’s Adventure in Etymology, entitled Cluttered Klutzes, we find connections between clutter, clods and klutzes.

It’s also available on Instagram and TikTok.

On the Celtiadur blog, there’s a new post entitled Spindly Axles about words for axle, axis, spindle and related things in Celtic languages.

You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Stitcher, TuneIn, Podchaser, PlayerFM or podtail.

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

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.

Adventures in Etymology – Cluttered Klutzes

18th January 202518th January 2025 By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

In this Adventure in Etymology, we find connections between clutter, clods and klutzes.

My cluttered kitchen part way through its current renovation

Clutter [ˈklʌtə(ɹ) / ˈklʌtɚ] is:

A confused disordered jumble of things
Background echoes, from clouds etc., on a radar or sonar screen.
Clatter; confused noise. (obsolete)

It comes from Middle English cloteren (to form clots, coagulate, heap on), from clot (clot, ball of earth of clay), from Old English clot(t) (mass, lump), from Proto-West-Germanic *klott (clod, lump, ball), from Proto-Germanic *kluttaz (clod, lump, ball), from Proto-Indo-European *gel- (to ball up, amass, clench) [source].

Words from the same roots include cleat, clod, clot, cloud and klutz in English, Klotz (block, log, chunk, klutz) in German, klut (rag, cloth, patch, sail) in Swedish, klode (globe) in Danish, and possibly cludair (a heap, pile) in Welsh [source].

The word klutz, which in the USA refers to a clumsy or stupud person, comes from the Yiddish word קלאָץ (klots – wooden beam, log, block, oaf, blockhead), from Middle High German kloz (stump, ball), from Old High German kloz (stump, ball), from Proto-West Germanic *klott (clod, lump, ball), etc. [source].

In the UK, one equivalent of a klutz might be a clot, which is used to refer to a silly person, and not so much a clumsy person Other words with similar meanings are available. For a clumsy person, we might say butterfingers [source].

Some related words related to clutter include:

cluttercore – An interior design trend and aesthetic, popular in the 2020s, based on densely filling spaces with personal objects and decorative items, resulting in a vibrant and eclectic arrangement of contrasting colours and textures – a.k.a. ‘TikTok aesthetic’ [source]
clutterblug – someone who collects lots of things that have value or personal meaning, unlike a hoarder, who collects huge amounts of stuff, often of seemingly little value to themselves or others [source].
(to) declutter – The act or process of removing clutter; a decluttering; to remove clutter from, to tidy – a.k.a. (to) unclutter [source]. This is something I’m attempting to do at the moment in my late mother’s house, and my own house.

I am a bit of a clutterblug, and tend to hold on to things that might be useful one day. I seem to go through phases of cluttering, decluttering and recluttering. How about you?

I thought I’d just made up reclutter (the process of cluttering after a declutter), but apparently it’s a thing: “recluttering encourages us to discard our negative associations towards ‘clutter’ and create a conscious, more mindful relationship with our belongings, instead. Essentially, if something brings joy, purpose or personality to us and our homes, it’s worth holding on to, whether it’s ‘necessary’ or not.” [source].

You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Podchaser, Podbay or Podtail and other pod places.

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

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.

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

Omniglot News (12/01/25)

12th January 202513th January 2025 By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Omniglot News

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

New language pages:

Sambas Malay (Base Melayu Sambas), a Malayic language spoken mainly in the Sambas Regency in West Kalimantan Province of Indonesia.
Brunei Malay (Bahasa Melayu Brunei), a Malayic language spoken mainly in Brunei Darussalam, and nearby parts of East Malaysia.
Enggano, a Malayo-Polynesian language spoken on Enggano Island in Bengkulu Province in western Indonesia.

New numbers pages:

Sambas Malay (Base Melayu Sambas), a Malayic language spoken mainly in the Sambas Regency in West Kalimantan Province of Indonesia.

New constructed script: Pujangga, an alternative way to write Indonesian, Malay and related languages such as Balinese, Javanese and Sundanese, created by Pangus Ho.

Sample text in Indonesian in the Pujangga script

New adapated script: Canadian Aboriginal Syllabics for Cherokee, a way to write Cherokee with Canadian Aboriginal Syllabics (mainly for Carrier) devised by Aahan Kotian.

ᘆᗴᑕ ᐊᘆᘐᗔ ᘆᗲᗯᑕᘤᘇ ᐊᘥ ᐁᘆᘵᘒ ᐁᘇᑓᓇ ᑌᘎᗴᑐ ᗲᙐᐉ. ᗲᙥᘅᘧ ᐁᘇᑕᘄᗟᑔ ᐊᘥ ᐁᘃᘸᙓᑔ ᐊᘥ ᔆᐠᗐ ᗲᙐ ᙡᘆᘤᗔᔆᑕᘅᑔ ᐊᘇᘸᘄᘶ ᐊᑕᘄᑎ ᗱᑔ.

On the Omniglot blog we find out whether the Italian words pasto and pasta are related in a post called Pasting Meals, and there’s the usual Language Quiz. See if you can guess what language this is:

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

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was: Halkomelem (Halq̓eméylem), a Central Salishan language spoken in British Colombia in Canada, and in Washington State in the USA.

In this week’s Celtic Pathways podcast, entitled Follow That Hound!, we find connections between words for to follow, pursue and related things in Celtic languages, and words for hound and sleuth in Romance languages.

It’s also available on Instagram and TikTok.

On the Celtiadur blog, there are new posts entitled Larches and Pursuing Followers.

I also made improvements to the Akkala Sami language page.

You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Stitcher, TuneIn, Podchaser, PlayerFM or podtail.

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

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.

Celtic Pathways – Follow That Hound!

11th January 2025 By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

In this episode we discover the possible Celtic roots of some words for hound and sleuth in Romance languages.

The Proto-Celtic word sekʷetor means to follow, and comes from Proto-Indo-European *sékʷetor (to be following), from *sekʷ- (to follow) [source].

Related words in the modern Celtic languages include: seicheamh (following, taking after, imitating, sequence, progression) and fosheicheamh (subsequence) in Irish [source], and sewya (to follow, result) in Cornish [source].

For more about words for (to) follow and related things in Celtic languages, see the Celtiadur post: Pursuing Followers

Words from the same Proto-Celtic root, via Gaulish (?) and Latin segusius (a hunting dog) include: sabuxo (hound) in Galician, segugio (hound, bloodhound, private eye, sleuth) in Spanish, and sabujo (hound, submissive person) in Portuguese [source].

Words from the same PIE roots include: associate, sector, sequence, society, (to) sue, suit, suite and subsequent in English, suivre (to follow) in French, segno (sign, mark, indication, target) in Italian, and seguir (to follow, continue, keep (on)) in Spanish [source].

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.

Omniglot News (05/01/25)

5th January 20256th January 2025 By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Omniglot News

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

New language pages:

Ghulfan (Wuncu), an Eastern Sudanic language spoken mainly in the Nuba Mountains in the south of Sudan.
Kadaru (Kodhin), a Northern Luo language spoken in the state of South Kordofan in the south of Sudan.
Ponosakan, a Greater Central Philippine language spoken in North Sulawesi in the Philippines.

New numbers pages:

Polci (Pəlci), a West Chadic language spoken in Bauchi State in northeastern Nigeria.
Piapoco (Wenewika), an Arwakan language spoken in eastern Colombia and southwestern Venezuela.
Powhatan (Kikitowämank), an Eastern Algonquian language that was spoken in Virgina and Maryland in the USA until the 1790s, and which is being revived.
Munsee (Hulunìixsuwáakan), an Eastern Algonquian language spoken on the Moraviantown Reserve in Ontario, Canada.

On the Omniglot blog we discover what links the word satorial with words for tailor in various languages in a post called Satorial Tailoring, and there’s the usual Language Quiz. See if you can guess what language there is:

Here’s a clue: this language is spoken in Canada and the USA.

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was: Ge’ez, (ግዕዝ), the classical language of Ethiopia which is still used as a liturgical language by Ethiopian Christians and the Beta Israel Jewish community of Ethiopia.

In this week’s Adventure in Etymology, entitled Windy Wings, we find connections between the words wing, wind and feather.

It’s also available on Instagram and TikTok.

On the Celtiadur blog, there’s a new post entitled Dutiful Laws about words for duty, debt, law, rule and related things in Celtic languages.#

I also made improvements to the Munsee language page.

A Multilingual Happy New Year!

You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Stitcher, TuneIn, Podchaser, PlayerFM or podtail.

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

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.

Adventures in Etymology – Windy Wings

4th January 20254th January 2025 By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

In this Adventure in Etymology, we find connections between the words wing, wind and feather.

A wing [wɪŋ] is:

An appendage of an animal’s (bird, bat, insect) body that enables it to fly.
A fin at the side of a ray or similar fish.
Part of an aircraft that produces the lift for rising into the air. (other meanings are available)

It comes from Middle English winge / wenge [ˈwinɡ(ə) / ˈwɛnɡ(ə)] (wing, flank of an army, shelter, refuge), from Old Norse vængr [ˈwɛ̃ːŋɡr̩] (wing), possibly from Proto-Germanic *wēingijaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂weh₁- (to blow) [source].

Words from the same Old Norse root include vinge (wing) in Danish, vængur (wing) in Icelandic, and vinge (wing) in Swedish [source].

Words from the same PIE root possibly include aeroplane, athlete, fan, vent, and weather in English, waaien (to blow, be windy, wave) in Dutch, vento (wind) Italian, and vent (wind, flatulence, empty words) in French [source].

The English word wind [wɪnd] also comes from the same roots, via Middle English wynd / wind [wi(ː)nd] (wind), from Old English wind [wind] (wind, flatulence), from Proto-West-Germanic *wind (wind from Proto-Germanic *windaz [ˈwin.dɑz] (wind) from Proto-Indo-European h₂wéh₁n̥ts (blowing, that which blows, air, wind), from *h₂weh₁- (to blow) [source].

Incidentally, ityn Old Englsh, a word for wing was fiþre [ˈfiθ.re], which was displaced by the Old Norse vængr (wing). It comes from Proto-Germanic *fiþriją [ɸi.θri.jɑ̃] (feathers, plummage, wing) from Proto-Indo-European *péth₂r̥ / pth₂én- (wing, feather), from *peth₂- (to fly). It became em>feþer / fether (feather) in Middle English, and feather in modern English. [source].

By the way, Happy New Year! Blwyddyn newydd dda! Bonne année ! ¡Feliz Año Nuevo! 新年快樂！新年快乐！ Felice anno nuovo! 新年おめでとうございます! Bliain úr faoi shéan is faoi mhaise duit! Bliadhna mhath ùr! Blein Vie Noa! Ein gutes neues Jahr! Feliĉan novan jaron! Поздравляю с Новым Годом! Šťastný nový rok! Godt nytår! Gott nytt år! La Mulți Ani! Onnellista uutta vuotta! 🎆🎉🥂🥳

You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Podchaser, Podbay or Podtail and other pod places.

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

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.

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

Omniglot News (29/12/24)

29th December 202429th December 2024 By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Omniglot News

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

New language pages:

Yele, possibly a language isolate spoken on Rossel Island in the Louisiade Archipelago in east of Papua New Guinea.
Hamtai, a Southeast Angan language spoken in Morobe and Gulf provinces in Papua New Guinea.

New constructed script: Pakis (Fern) Alphabet, which was created by Reza Sumanda for fun and as an alternative way to write Indonesian.

Sample text in Indonesian in the Pakis Alphabet

New constructed script: Melronian, which was invented by Murray Callahan for his conlang of the same name.

Sample text in Melronian

New adapted script: Tengwar for Lingala (Tengwala), a way to write Lingala with Tolkien’s Tengwar alphabet devised by Paul Mbongo.

Sample text

On the Omniglot blog there’s the usual Language Quiz. See if you can guess what languages there are:

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

The mystery languages in last week’s language quiz were: Isnag, a member of the Northern Luzon branch of the Philippine language family spoken in the north of Luzon in the Philippines.

And Blaan (B’laan), a member of the South Mindanao branch of the Philippine language family spoken in the south of Mindanao in the Philippines.

They are related, as they both belong to the Philippine branch of the Malayo-Polynesian language family.

I forgot to mention in the recoding, but I also made improvements to the Marma language page.

If you celebrate Christmas or anything else at this time of year, I hope you had a good one, and I wish you a Happy New Year for 2025.

You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Stitcher, TuneIn, Podchaser, PlayerFM or podtail.

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

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.