Author Topic: Interesting language stuff (Read 25346 times)

Jonathon · « **on:** September 22, 2013, 08:51:13 AM »

A linguist recites a reconstructed Indo-European fable in Proto-Indo-European.

Jonathon · « **Reply #1 on:** October 11, 2013, 02:50:12 PM »

A side-by-side comparison of the British and American versions of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's/Sorcerer's Stone

I find it interesting how many of the changes are rather inconsequential style changes (do Americans really need "large tawny owl" to be edited to "large, tawny owl"?). There's an awful lot of taking hyphens out of some words and putting them in others. And then there's a whole slew of changes to forms that aren't strictly British—they're just unedited American (towards and other -wards words, restrictive relative which, grey, and so on).

rivka · « **Reply #2 on:** October 11, 2013, 04:41:30 PM »

Oddly, "bun" is unchanged. And is that really the correct Brit spelling for dialing? *shudder*

I've been told the last three books have substantially less of these sort of edits than he first several. By then Scholastic had figured out that American HP readers wanted a British flavor to the books. But I think all of them have "sweater" for "jumper".

BlackBlade · « **Reply #3 on:** October 17, 2013, 01:31:00 PM »

1920's era American slang.

I really liked handcuff for engagement ring.

rivka · « **Reply #4 on:** October 17, 2013, 02:02:45 PM »

I disagree with their definition of bushwa. It's just nonsense; not as strong as BS. And I've heard that one many times.

I know a some of the others and think of them as old-fashioned (but still used), rather than obsolete: Don’t take any wooden nickels, jake, sinker, and maybe a couple others.

Jonathon · « **Reply #5 on:** November 04, 2013, 08:50:00 AM »

From Risuena on Sakeriver: European etymology maps

Annie Subjunctive · « **Reply #6 on:** November 19, 2013, 11:00:36 AM »

Because internet.

BlackBlade · « **Reply #7 on:** November 20, 2013, 01:01:41 PM »

New word! "Quotidian." I quite like it.

adjective
1.
daily: a quotidian report.
2.
usual or customary; everyday: quotidian needs.
3.
ordinary; commonplace: paintings of no more than quotidian artistry.
4.
(of a fever, ague, etc.) characterized by paroxysms that recur daily.

Jonathon · « **Reply #8 on:** November 20, 2013, 01:31:16 PM »

Dude, that's not new. It dates to, like, the mid-fourteenth century.

It is a cool word, though.

Annie Subjunctive · « **Reply #9 on:** November 20, 2013, 01:33:40 PM »

I learned the French word quotidien(ne), which is a very common word for "daily," and then was weirded out when I saw it in English once. Like - you all know my secret language!

BlackBlade · « **Reply #10 on:** November 20, 2013, 01:50:34 PM »

Quote from: Jonathon on November 20, 2013, 01:31:16 PM

Dude, that's not new. It dates to, like, the mid-fourteenth century.

It is a cool word, though.

I restored the word, like Joseph Smith!

Jonathon · « **Reply #11 on:** November 20, 2013, 02:25:52 PM »

BlackBlade · « **Reply #12 on:** November 20, 2013, 02:45:57 PM »

Jonathon · « **Reply #13 on:** November 26, 2013, 11:26:09 AM »

Remember those dialect maps that went around a little while back? Here's a video demonstrating some of the different pronunciations.

rivka · « **Reply #14 on:** January 12, 2014, 07:54:44 PM »

Ashkenazi names: The etymology of the most common Jewish surnames

BlackBlade · « **Reply #15 on:** January 12, 2014, 08:48:33 PM »

Are there even any last names left after going through that list?!

rivka · « **Reply #16 on:** January 13, 2014, 08:19:13 AM »

I know quite a few that are not on the list, yes.

pooka · « **Reply #17 on:** January 14, 2014, 02:04:47 PM »

Reading that really took me back to my synagogue bookkeeper days. Is the dove associated with Jonah or Noah?

Jonathon · « **Reply #18 on:** January 14, 2014, 02:35:24 PM »

I've heard that there are a lot of errors in that post, but I don't know the details. I just saw someone on Twitter saying that people on a genealogy forum were going nuts over the errors.

rivka · « **Reply #19 on:** January 14, 2014, 03:37:49 PM »

Quote from: pooka on January 14, 2014, 02:04:47 PM

Is the dove associated with Jonah or Noah?

Yes.

Yonah means dove, but the dove is also associated with Noach because of what happened after the flood.

Quote from: Jonathon on January 14, 2014, 02:35:24 PM

I've heard that there are a lot of errors in that post, but I don't know the details. I just saw someone on Twitter saying that people on a genealogy forum were going nuts over the errors.

I really don't know. However, many of those etymologies have been claimed (by the people with those names, among others) for a long time. Which doesn't make them right, of course.

pooka · « **Reply #20 on:** January 14, 2014, 06:03:56 PM »

Yeah, I mean we're talking about Yiddish after all. Is it considered a creole?
Hmm. If it was, it was probably really long ago. It has 6 dialects now. I had no idea that it is the traditional language of the Talmud. Jews never stop surprising me.

rivka · « **Reply #21 on:** January 14, 2014, 06:31:20 PM »

Quote from: pooka on January 14, 2014, 06:03:56 PM

Yeah, I mean we're talking about Yiddish after all.

Not for all of the names, but for some of them.

Quote from: pooka on January 14, 2014, 06:03:56 PM

I had no idea that it is the traditional language of the Talmud.

The Talmud is written in Aramaic. Which is definitely NOT Yiddish. Yiddish isn't old enough.

Jonathon · « **Reply #22 on:** January 14, 2014, 07:07:00 PM »

Quote from: pooka on January 14, 2014, 06:03:56 PM

Yeah, I mean we're talking about Yiddish after all. Is it considered a creole?

I'm pretty sure it isn't. It's basically just an offshoot of High German with borrowings from Hebrew and Slavic languages, I believe (and Aramaic?).

rivka · « **Reply #23 on:** January 14, 2014, 07:24:19 PM »

Not sure about Aramaic, but probably there are a few words. Definitely Slavic languages (especially Polish and Russian) and English, though.

Annie Subjunctive · « **Reply #24 on:** January 15, 2014, 09:48:49 PM »

I found the names post interesting. I have a line in my family tree - my paternal grandmother's family - who get impossible to trace once they get back to the old country. (They were in what was then Prussia but I even have records of two separate towns that my great-grandfather was supposedly born in.) Their family name is Fingleman, which is spelled Finkelman in some records. I'd really love to find out more about them but none of the genealogy resources I've tried show me any Finkelmans in any if the towns they're supposed to be from, though the Jewish records are sparse. After reading that I wondered what the origin of their name was. Could it be one of the "-man" names that refers to the husband of someone? (Those are pretty cool) Or I wonder if it's related to the occupational root "finkel." Seems a bit more likely.