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Do Newborns Cry in Different Languages?According to one study, yes. ... More
What Language Do They Speak in Chinatown?The obvious answer would be Chinese, but some would argue that there’s really no such language. ... More Tags: Cantonese, Chinese, dialects, Mandarin
Do You Know How to Say “Thank You” in 17 Languages?With Thanksgiving coming up in just a few weeks in the United States (Canada’s Thanksgiving is in October—Happy Belated Thanksgiving, Canada!), let’s look at different ways to say thank you all around the world:... More Tags: Arabic, Chinese, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Icelandic, Italian, Japanese, Latvian, Lenape, newsletter, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swahili, Thanksgiving, vocabulary
National Italian-American Heritage MonthDid you know that in the United States, October (ottobre) is National Italian-American Heritage Month?... More Tags: Italian, Italian-American, newsletter
It goes without saying…You may not know it, but every time you use that expression, you’re speaking French. Well, that’s pushing it a bit, but this perfectly good English phrase is actually a borrowing from French.... More Tags: borrowings, calques, loanwords
Language MythsInteresting site about Language Myths, in the form of a poll. It’s not really a yes-no format, since some of the answers are open to debate. But there are some good questions to consider. (Yes, the one about Eskimos and their n lexical entries referring to snow is there, too!) [Chris] Tags: language, language myths
How Do You Say “Purism” in Icelandic?A lot of languages, or more accurately, a lot of speakers or organizations of speakers of languages, decide that they have to remain pure, and fight the (presumably negative) influence of alien tongues. So, when foreign borrowing comes into a language, it is assumed that the foreign word has somehow robbed a native word of its right to exist or flourish. The foreign word is demonized, and all sorts of decrees are set forth that it must never be used. Instead, a native alternative is proposed.... More Tags: foreign borrowing, Icelandic, newsletter, purism
When a “Rainy Day” Is a Good Thing …Did you know that water holds a significant place in Iranian culture? Most of central Iran is arid; therefore most Iranian cities are built on the edge of deserts near rivers. Still, the dry climate has made Iranians appreciate water. Some Iranians even celebrate Jashne Tirgan (The Rain Festival) on July 1st.... More Tags: culture, Farsi, Iran, newsletter, Persian
When a French word isn’t quite what it seems …In the April newsletter, you saw that many, many French terms pop up on American English menus. However, sometimes they can be deceptive—just because the terms come from French doesn’t mean they also have the same meaning in the modern French language.... More Tags: dining, food, French, newsletter
In Thai, speak for yourselfYou might already know that in many languages, you have to change pronouns and adjectives depending on whether you’re speaking to a man or a woman. But did you know that in Thai you have to be aware of your own gender instead?... More Tags: gender, grammar, newsletter, Thai
Hindi time expressionsMost languages have separate words for yesterday and tomorrow. This probably strikes you as perfectly natural; after all, what two concepts could be more different? One’s in the past, and one’s in the future. One has happened already, and one hasn’t begun yet. One is all about memory, and the other is all about speculation and possibility.... More Tags: Hindi, newsletter, vocabulary
A tiny bit of FarsiDid you know that the official language of Iran has two names: Farsi and Persian?... More Tags: Arabic alphabet, Farsi, newsletter, Persian
It’s all Greek to me, but is it Hebrew to you?If you don’t understand something, you might say “It’s all Greek to me.” But have you ever wondered what Greek speakers say? After all, it wouldn’t really make sense for them to reference their own language as an example of something strange and incomprehensible.... More Tags: expressions, Greek
Those three magic wordsYes, Valentine’s Day has come and gone, but we all still like to hear how much others care, don’t we? So let’s go with a fun classic for this month’s article: how to say I love you in eleven different (and exciting!) languages:... More Tags: foreign language, I love you, newsletter, Valentine's Day
No official languageThe United States has always been a multilingual society. Not surprisingly, English (82.10% of the population) is the most widely spoken language, with Spanish (10.71%) a significant second.... More Tags: newsletter, official language, population, United States, widely spoken languages
Do your question words move or stay put?Take a look at these Japanese and English examples of a question and its answer.... More Tags: newsletter, syntax, wh-fronting, wh-in-situ, wh-movement
Arabic scriptDid you know that the Arabic alphabet is one of the most widely used alphabets in the world? It has been adapted by many languages, such as Farsi (Persian), Urdu, Punjabi, etc.... More Tags: Arabic alphabet, Arabic script, newsletter
The International Year of LanguagesDid you know that 2008 is the International Year of Languages, as proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly? You can find a wealth of information about this year-long event, lead by UNESCO and supporting multilingualism and linguistic and cultural diversity, here.... More Tags: diversity, multilingual, newsletter, UNESCO, United Nations
Endangered languagesDid you know that almost 50% of the world’s languages might be extinct by the end of the century? ... More Tags: endangered languages, Maori, newsletter
Introducing Fortune Cookies to China
Are fortune cookies Chinese? Clearly not. They are arguably more American (by way of Japan), judging by the way that people in China react to fortune cookies — with a mixture of confusion and amusement.From Introducing Fortune Cookies to China, by New York Times writer Jennifer 8.Lee. (via BoingBoing) Tags: Chinese, culture shock
The secret language of Japanese emoticons …It seems that not a day goes by lately when you don’t receive some sort of communication - be it e-mail or text - where someone tries to convey their pleasure or displeasure with an emoticon. You know, :) for the good, :( for the bad.... More Tags: emoji, Japanese emoticons, kaomoji, newsletter
The clever design of Korean HangeulThe languages of the world are written in a number of different ways. Languages like English, Arabic, and Russian use alphabets, where each letter represents a particular sound, at least when things are spelled phonetically.... More Tags: alphabet, Hangeul, Korean, language, newsletter, sounds, writing system
Arabic and its many variationsEven for native speakers, Arabic is a complex language. The intricate and extensive grammar and pronunciation can be daunting for beginners, but all Arabic speakers also face the difficult task of understanding someone who speaks a different regional dialect.... More Tags: Arabic, colloquial, dialects, language, Modern Standard, newsletter
Being bilingualDid you know that, according the 2001 U.S. Census, almost 20% of Americans speak a second language in addition to English? And are you aware of the fact that there are around 300 different languages spoken in this country, placing the U.S.’s “language diversity index” well ahead of the majority of European countries, like France or Greece? ... More Tags: bilingual, multilingual, newsletter, parenting
Chinese charactersIn last month’s Did you know?, you learned that Chinese is not quite as difficult as it might seem at first. After all, it doesn’t use plurals, articles, gender, or even verb conjugation. Of course, even with that in mind, Chinese can still be pretty intimidating, especially when dealing with the writing system.... More Tags: characters, Chinese, language, newsletter, radicals
The hardest languageIt’s common to hear people arguing over which language is “the hardest” to learn. The answer is: all of them - and none of them. People are often scared to learn a language that is vastly different from their own, and this makes certain languages seem more difficult than others. You may fear learning Chinese simply because it has few sounds similar to our own, and because it has such a different writing system to the English alphabet. But did you know that, in Chinese, you don’t have to worry about plurals or verb conjugation?... More Tags: Chinese, grammar, newsletter
Do you know all the colors of the rainbow?Of course, in order to answer that, you first need to know how many colors there are. Believe it or not, that information varies from language to language.... More Tags: colors, language, newsletter, Russian, Vietnamese
Make Mine a QuarantaHave you ever thought about what it means to order a venti coffee? Or a grande supremo? A few years back, comedian Dave Barry looked into the language of coffee, and his findings were dissected at Language Log. (SUZANNE) Tags: Italian
Speaking “Indian”“Do you speak Indian?” is an inevitable question for many people of South Asian descent. Even though ‘Indian’ isn’t really a language, it’s understandable why people prefer that term. With 22 national languages in India, and many more non-national ones, not even those who ask “Do you speak Hindi, Malayalam, or Telugu?” cover all the bases.... More Tags: Hindi, Hinglish, India, language, newsletter
When babies get “habituated”Like the rest of us, babies get bored when they hear things over and over. The pervasive feeling that overwhelmes them when they are repeatedly exposed to the same stimulus is technically called habituation.... More Tags: bilingual, Hindi, newsletter
Language coincidences: when “dog” means “dog”A list of words that happen to be the same — or have polar opposite meanings — in two completely unrelated languages. (via kottke) Not sure I’d go so far as to call them “amazing,” but certainly “interesting.” (SUZANNE)
Mr. King of the WolvesThe New York Times published an article recently about exporting hockey to China. Of course, translating sports terms (icing, power play, etc.) is a huge issue when trying to telecast in Mandarin. The Islanders might find it useful to take some tips from the NBA, who also expanded their program in China. My favorite bit is the translation of player names into Mandarin: Kevin Garnett in Mandarin is “Lang Wang,” which means “King of the Wolves.” There’s also Dirk Nowitzki who’s “German Racecar,” and Kobe Bryant, who’s “Little Flying Warrior.” Pretty cool, don’t you think? (ELHAM) Tags: language, Mandarin, translation
Pain au chocolatIt’s no secret that pastry is one of France’s most popular cultural ambassadors. In fact, it’s hard to pass by a coffee shop, bakery or any sort of store that sells baked goods in the United States without encountering that crucial French pastry: the chocolate croissant. However, don’t start practicing your pronunciation of chocolat croissant just yet. The actual phrase for a chocolate croissant in French doesn’t use the word croissant at all. ... More Tags: food, French, newsletter
Bamboozle the buffaloTurns out, “Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo” is a grammatically correct sentence. This baffled me at first, but the linguists at Language Log have some explanatory paraphrases that clear things out:... More
Wikipedia MonchakHere’s a chance for somebody to start an entry on the language Monchak, which as of now, does not appear in Wikipedia’s admirably large database. The New York Times has a little feature on it: “If you want to tell someone where to “go” in the dying language of the Monchak, you’d better have an intimate knowledge of the river currents in Mongolia, because that’s how the verb “go” is expressed in Monchak: upstream or downstream a bit or a bunch, never mind that there’s no stream in sight, or maybe there are a lot of streams going every which way.” ... More
Ahoy, me hearties!‘Tis Talk Like A Pirate Day. Take out your pirate thesARRRus and start talking like one! You could even learn pirate-speak in German, Chinese, or Swedish. (Scroll down to “Further Study.”) What will ye be doin today, matey? I’ll be wondering if pirates really said “arrr” or owned treasure maps. (ELHAM)
The Great American Vowel ShiftTo follow up from Elham’s post yesterday, I can attest first hand to Ohio’s affection for naming cities after international places then proceeding to mispronounce them. Honestly, though, I think it’s out of politeness.... More
Kai-roh or Kei-rou?More Wikipedia goodness: here’s a list of English names with non-intuitive pronunciations (via Language Hat). I sure wish this existed when I visited Berkeley of Gloucestershire, where I proceeded to ask directions for the town of “berk-lee” rather than “bark-ly.” Well, at least I pronounced Gloucestershire right.... More
Ga Ga Ga Ga GaMaybe universal understanding is the reason Spoon (the band) labeled their new album “Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga.” Research suggests that “baby talk” is recognizable to almost everyone, regardless of their native language. Even monkeys use it. ... More
Not spam? It might be “bacn.”Since we’re on the subject of spam, here’s something to add to the mix. The use of the term “bacn” (pronounced “bacon”) seems to be spreading throughout the internet: Bacn describes the things you signed up for but that still feel like clutter in your inbox: Email lists, Facebook notifications, Google alerts. (Via Buzzword)... More
New coinage alert: “Ding Chong Jiating”And it’s just another name for “dinks” (dual income, no kids couples) who prefer pets, rather than children. Chinese officials recently accepted new phrases such as the one above into the National Language Registry. Other adapted phrases include: “gray skills,” “house slaves,” and something most of us tech folks suffer from: the “three-hand illness,” which is for “people fatigued by overuse of their hand to play with gaming machines, click on their computer mouse or to send messages via their mobile phone.” We need to add that one to the English language.... More
Birds “stand,” they don’t “fly”It’s believed that only one fluent speaker of Mandan is left in the world: Edwin Benson, a rancher from North Dakota. Sara Techtor (a linguist) is working with Mr. Benson to preserve the language. Their most recent effort entailed transcribing Mandan folk stories:... More
“Jowling” might just save your lifeIn Pitmatic, a dialect of the north-east miners in England, “jowling” is a term that signifies different ways of communicating through a mine, especially after the roof falls. ... More
Vorsprung durch TechnikOf the many things the internet is good for, listing German expressions used in English is not the first thing we’d think of, but, well, wow. See also: List of Spanish words of Germanic origin. (SUZANNE)
Nahuatl, avocado, and Chinese scriptThe language of the Aztec Empire, Nahuatl, is now being made a compulsory part of the curriculum in Mexico City. Did you know tequila, chocolate, and avocado are loanwords from the Nahuatl language?... More
Keeping Michif and Hawaiian aliveKeeping languages alive : Hawaiian now boasts approximately 2000 speakers, when it was almost extinct in 1983! Métis educators received federal funds to revive Michif, an endangered language. Michif speakers primarily reside in North Dakota, and some parts of Canada. Click here and here to learn more about Michif. (ELHAM)
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