Linguist Answers Word Origin Questions - Tech Support - WIRED
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Date: 2024-10-23
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Comments and reviews: 20
vx8431
The Indo-European family tree is quite obvious how they connect until you hit Albanian a language isolate within the Indo-European family meaning there is no common ancestors or branch we can indentify except Proto-Indo-European. So yes Albanian language just sorta materialized. Then there are languages we can't really classify at all like Basque and many others who are at risk of going extinct note these are not unlcassified but seen as true language isolates as there are also unclassified languages for various reasons dubious existance, lack of study and basic vocabulary so alien we don't know where they belong or so mixed like Laal in Chad.
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The Indo-European family tree is quite obvious how they connect until you hit Albanian a language isolate within the Indo-European family meaning there is no common ancestors or branch we can indentify except Proto-Indo-European. So yes Albanian language just sorta materialized. Then there are languages we can't really classify at all like Basque and many others who are at risk of going extinct note these are not unlcassified but seen as true language isolates as there are also unclassified languages for various reasons dubious existance, lack of study and basic vocabulary so alien we don't know where they belong or so mixed like Laal in Chad.
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Frahamen
The Great Vowel Shift, and the fact that English didn't systematically revised their spelling like, for instance Dutch does, is the one of the main reasons why English speakers suffer so much while either learning other languages or just try to pronounce words in other languages that use Latin based scripts. You can of course fix that by learning IPA in secondary school but as long as English speakers see learning language as a hobby or a neat trick to sound smart rather than an essential asset to travel, to communicate to other people or to understand other cultures, it won't going to happen.
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The Great Vowel Shift, and the fact that English didn't systematically revised their spelling like, for instance Dutch does, is the one of the main reasons why English speakers suffer so much while either learning other languages or just try to pronounce words in other languages that use Latin based scripts. You can of course fix that by learning IPA in secondary school but as long as English speakers see learning language as a hobby or a neat trick to sound smart rather than an essential asset to travel, to communicate to other people or to understand other cultures, it won't going to happen.
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MitchBurns
As I’m sure you know language trees aren’t so nice and pretty like that. Sometimes branches fuse back together. English is a great example of this. The base language for English is actually Celtic in origin, it was then largely absorbed by Latin, then by genmanic languages, and then finally by the specific Latin language of French, creating a weird and hard to understand language that thanks to history has become the dominant langue of trade on the planet, and therefore begun to blend its way into all sorts of other often very different languages.
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As I’m sure you know language trees aren’t so nice and pretty like that. Sometimes branches fuse back together. English is a great example of this. The base language for English is actually Celtic in origin, it was then largely absorbed by Latin, then by genmanic languages, and then finally by the specific Latin language of French, creating a weird and hard to understand language that thanks to history has become the dominant langue of trade on the planet, and therefore begun to blend its way into all sorts of other often very different languages.
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alfresco8442
Even naughty words have respectable etymologies. The F word can be found right across the Germanic languages, but not always with the same connotations. My Dutch friend once told me that he'd started to breed guinea pigs, but he couldn't remember the English verb to breed so he substituted the Dutch one instead and said that he's started to fokk guinea pigs. I almost spilled my coffee.
It's actually more distantly related to the Latin fecundity (fruitfulness) and to fecundate (fertilise or make fruitful)
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Even naughty words have respectable etymologies. The F word can be found right across the Germanic languages, but not always with the same connotations. My Dutch friend once told me that he'd started to breed guinea pigs, but he couldn't remember the English verb to breed so he substituted the Dutch one instead and said that he's started to fokk guinea pigs. I almost spilled my coffee.
It's actually more distantly related to the Latin fecundity (fruitfulness) and to fecundate (fertilise or make fruitful)
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jack-a-lopium
All words are gender-neutral in English. we don't have declension. Also, the main strength of the English language is that it constantly evolves. unlike French, which is heavily codified and 'frozen in time'.
Remember these things when listening to Richard Dawkins, and know that he's probably being extorted with kompromat. Just wonder what he did to destroy his own intellectual legacy, maybe we'll find out one day. He is British, after all.
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All words are gender-neutral in English. we don't have declension. Also, the main strength of the English language is that it constantly evolves. unlike French, which is heavily codified and 'frozen in time'.
Remember these things when listening to Richard Dawkins, and know that he's probably being extorted with kompromat. Just wonder what he did to destroy his own intellectual legacy, maybe we'll find out one day. He is British, after all.
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Riheinorn
i want to sit down with this man and ask him how it is to be a linguist in regards to the modern day. i wonder how much the internet accelerated the transformation of languages (if at all. or at the very least, slang. he's obviously aware of internet meme language like demure and doggo - i know thats likely not how it is but it's funny to me imagining linguists in their offices scrolling through tiktok or reddit or tumblr for research
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i want to sit down with this man and ask him how it is to be a linguist in regards to the modern day. i wonder how much the internet accelerated the transformation of languages (if at all. or at the very least, slang. he's obviously aware of internet meme language like demure and doggo - i know thats likely not how it is but it's funny to me imagining linguists in their offices scrolling through tiktok or reddit or tumblr for research
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franny5156
Huh. as a getman this is really interesting. In german there is Mann meaning a man or male and there is man which is just someone so it can be male or female. Also his pronounciation of knight in the old way sounds a lot like knecht which is a german word as well. It's not the translation of a knight though which would be Ritter. A knecht is more someone who works for someone I can't quite explain it, it's an old word
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Huh. as a getman this is really interesting. In german there is Mann meaning a man or male and there is man which is just someone so it can be male or female. Also his pronounciation of knight in the old way sounds a lot like knecht which is a german word as well. It's not the translation of a knight though which would be Ritter. A knecht is more someone who works for someone I can't quite explain it, it's an old word
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j. w. 3437
The theory about the origin of the indo-european root for no makes a lot of sense to me because when your lips aren't closed and your tongue is in a natural position but you're still trying to close off your mouth as a sign pf rejection, that does lead to an alveolar nasal that is than likely followed by a vowel when you are still learning how to speak and inable to controll that very strictly.
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The theory about the origin of the indo-european root for no makes a lot of sense to me because when your lips aren't closed and your tongue is in a natural position but you're still trying to close off your mouth as a sign pf rejection, that does lead to an alveolar nasal that is than likely followed by a vowel when you are still learning how to speak and inable to controll that very strictly.
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r01d2
I still wondering how Ostrich in my language is translated lit Camel Bird, it's definitely a bird-like but where's the camel.
other interesting is how also in my language Seal is translated as Sea Dog, which I learn in modern day that Seals actually behave like a dog but with fins, now the question is how my people in old time knows about dogs of the sea if our geography doesn't match
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I still wondering how Ostrich in my language is translated lit Camel Bird, it's definitely a bird-like but where's the camel.
other interesting is how also in my language Seal is translated as Sea Dog, which I learn in modern day that Seals actually behave like a dog but with fins, now the question is how my people in old time knows about dogs of the sea if our geography doesn't match
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Oceanwaves-d8l
I think that trends teaching people new words and languages is a good thing. People are having fun while improving their vocab and overall their ability to speak. The younger generation is unfortunately refusing to learn new words, languages, etc at school, so I'm glad the internet is seeing this and making up trends to encourage learning.
Very mindful, very demure.
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I think that trends teaching people new words and languages is a good thing. People are having fun while improving their vocab and overall their ability to speak. The younger generation is unfortunately refusing to learn new words, languages, etc at school, so I'm glad the internet is seeing this and making up trends to encourage learning.
Very mindful, very demure.
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Oceanwaves-d8l
The word harvest in reference to autumn unlocked a memory I forgot I had. We celebrated harvest day every year in primary school, people bringing in tinned food to be donated and being thankful for the food we have. Being grateful for something as simple and taken for granted in the first world as food is very good practice I still do in gratitude journaling. :)
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The word harvest in reference to autumn unlocked a memory I forgot I had. We celebrated harvest day every year in primary school, people bringing in tinned food to be donated and being thankful for the food we have. Being grateful for something as simple and taken for granted in the first world as food is very good practice I still do in gratitude journaling. :)
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connormartin1618
Unalived is not used because of social taboos, but because algorithms on social platforms silence, deemphasize, or completely censor content with certain flagged words in them, like suicide. So these words are used to bypass a restriction, but it's not based on collective social norms, it's based on imposed restrictions by a few socially influential entities.
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Unalived is not used because of social taboos, but because algorithms on social platforms silence, deemphasize, or completely censor content with certain flagged words in them, like suicide. So these words are used to bypass a restriction, but it's not based on collective social norms, it's based on imposed restrictions by a few socially influential entities.
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meeds7473
At 5: 30 - when he compares 'head' to 'caput' you might wonder how they're cognates beyond the initial letter. The Old English word was 'heafod' - which means, following the same consonant sound changes (vowel changes happened too, you get 'ceapot' - which looks a lot similar. Interestingly, 'father' was originally 'fader' in Old English too.
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At 5: 30 - when he compares 'head' to 'caput' you might wonder how they're cognates beyond the initial letter. The Old English word was 'heafod' - which means, following the same consonant sound changes (vowel changes happened too, you get 'ceapot' - which looks a lot similar. Interestingly, 'father' was originally 'fader' in Old English too.
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katthetwatwithabat
I hate the fact that we have to use the term unalive here on this particular platform and other parts of social media. Frankly it’s a step backwards, back to the time when talking about mental health was taboo. We should be raising more awareness and not be afraid to talk about such things. Talking keeps people alive.
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I hate the fact that we have to use the term unalive here on this particular platform and other parts of social media. Frankly it’s a step backwards, back to the time when talking about mental health was taboo. We should be raising more awareness and not be afraid to talk about such things. Talking keeps people alive.
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RamsesTheFourth
I dont know if its the same in English but in Czech words for food like variety meat we eat was twice. For each there was a word that nobility used and a word that common folk used. Thats why we have two words for each like pig and pork or sheep and mutton or cow and beef and so on. Maybe it was similar with dogs and cats.
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I dont know if its the same in English but in Czech words for food like variety meat we eat was twice. For each there was a word that nobility used and a word that common folk used. Thats why we have two words for each like pig and pork or sheep and mutton or cow and beef and so on. Maybe it was similar with dogs and cats.
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cinco_de_la_tarde
Shame he went through the effort bringing up the word gossip but didn't bring up the fascinating history with that word where it was associated with midwives and gained is negative connotations attached to women specifically when men started taking over the medical profession and booted women out of the delivery rooms.
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Shame he went through the effort bringing up the word gossip but didn't bring up the fascinating history with that word where it was associated with midwives and gained is negative connotations attached to women specifically when men started taking over the medical profession and booted women out of the delivery rooms.
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MCarrington01
I amazingly look at etymology as a type of evolution that everyone accepts. It’s the evolution of language. With all the same branching over time, adaptations of environment, even spontaneous generation that big picture evolution exhibits. It’s a derivative, a model, of how the code (the language) of life has evolved.
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I amazingly look at etymology as a type of evolution that everyone accepts. It’s the evolution of language. With all the same branching over time, adaptations of environment, even spontaneous generation that big picture evolution exhibits. It’s a derivative, a model, of how the code (the language) of life has evolved.
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sleepingcity85
3: 05 Im german and its so cool to hear the similarities at this point. Knight without the silent K is sounding exactly like the german word Knecht. While they meant the same at one point in history, Knecht have changed to almost an insult, while Knight got uplifted over time. Funny how that works.
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3: 05 Im german and its so cool to hear the similarities at this point. Knight without the silent K is sounding exactly like the german word Knecht. While they meant the same at one point in history, Knecht have changed to almost an insult, while Knight got uplifted over time. Funny how that works.
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cineturon
My wife is Polish, and since I speak Romanian and Hungarian as mother tongues, plus fluent English and Dutch, and baby French, it’s super interesting to be able to understand some Polish rather quickly, with often odd connections to all of the languages I speak. It feels a bit like cheating, haha
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My wife is Polish, and since I speak Romanian and Hungarian as mother tongues, plus fluent English and Dutch, and baby French, it’s super interesting to be able to understand some Polish rather quickly, with often odd connections to all of the languages I speak. It feels a bit like cheating, haha
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gobosMommy
i would guess languages started out fairly common because they were all based on sounds a human could make, but would be different slightly across the globe. they have decided that whales have different languages between pods but its all clicks and whistles so im sure it would be the same for us
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i would guess languages started out fairly common because they were all based on sounds a human could make, but would be different slightly across the globe. they have decided that whales have different languages between pods but its all clicks and whistles so im sure it would be the same for us
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