Here are answers to the puzzle from a few days ago, the one that asked you to identify 13 different languages: 1. French 2. Italian 3. Spanish 4. Portuguese 5. Ladino 6. Galician 7. Aragonese 8. Catalan 9. Occitan 10…. Read More ›
Linguistics
Easier (perhaps?) languages to identify
A sentence is shown below in 13 different languages, which are obviously related but how many can you identify? Some of them are going to be easier than the languages on the Mars bar the other day. I can give a… Read More ›
Literally
Kory Stamper’s typically excellent article in The Cut is literally the best thing ever. What did you think of that sentence? Did the figurative/emphatic use of literally bug you? If so — or even if not — you should read “The 300-Year… Read More ›
Mars (the candy bar, not the planet)
The image below shows the trilingual wrapper of a candy bar abandoned by a film crew that had been shooting in South Boston near Dorchester. Can you figure out what the three languages are? Hint #1: I can’t speak any… Read More ›
Because Internet
Every language changes, as I occasionally have to remind my non-linguist friends when they complain about this or that. Some languages change more than others — English, for example, has changed much more quickly and more dramatically than, say, Icelandic… Read More ›
{Korean, Arabic} Script Hacking for Beginners
No. “Script hacking” does not refer to writing programs in JavaScript — or even AppleScript. In this context it refers to exploring and playing with a non-Roman alphabet. At this point, Teach Yourself Library has published five books in the Script… Read More ›
How’s your German?
Did you miss the Barbra Trybe estate sale? This document looks to me like a Munich “fishing license for foreigners” from a century ago. My German is very rusty these days, so can anyone figure it out better than I… Read More ›
Should you read this book? Or just the review?
Occasionally the review is more informative and entertaining than the book itself. Consider a review of The 25 Rules of Grammar by Joseph Piercy. In case you’re confused, it’s the book that’s by Joseph Piercy; the review is by Joe… Read More ›
Scots: an indigenous language or a dialect?
Most Americans, I’m sure, hold an erroneous belief about languages in Scotland. Here are some common beliefs on this subject: Some Americans think that all Scots speak Gaelic. Not true. (And more on this one below.) Some — most, probably… Read More ›
