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

New language pages:

• Kwaʼ (Bakwa’), a Bamileke language spoken in the southwest of Cameroon.
• Ndau (ChiNdau), a Bantu language spoken mainly in Mozambique, Zimbabwe and South Africa.
• Ndonga (OshiNdonga), a Bantu language spoken mainly in the north of Namibia, and also in southern Angola.
• Arammba (Aramba), a Tonda language spoken in the Morehead area in the Western Province of Papua New Guinea.

New numbers pages:

• Ndonga (OshiNdonga), a Bantu language spoken in northern Namibia and southern Angola.
• Arammba (Aramba), a Tonda language spoken in the Morehead area in the Western Province of Papua New Guinea.

New Tower of Babel translation:Ndau (ChiNdau)

New constructed script:Enjay, an alternative way to write English invented by Toonmaker.

New adapted script:Thaana-Wayuu (ތާނަ ޥަޔޫ), was devised by Pablo Villa Uhia as a way to write Wayuu, an Arawakan language spoken in Venezuela and Colombia, with theThaana script, as used for the Maldivian language.

On the Omniglot blog this week there’s a new post entitledA Complete Canard!, which looks at the various meanings of the wordcanard in French and English, and there’s the usualLanguage Quiz. See if you can guess what language this is:

Here’s a clue: this language is spoken in the northwest of Brazil.

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz wasGoral (Górolski), a West Slavic language (or dialect) spoken in southern Poland, northern Slovakia and northeastern Czechia.

In this week’sAdventure in Etymology,Burning Focus, we focus on what links the wordsfocus,fuel,focaccia andcurfew.

It’s also available onInstagram andTikTok.

On the Celtiadur blog there’s a new post entitledNettles about words fornettle and related things in Celtic languages.

In other news, I’m going to China in a few days after recording this news. I’ll be staying with friends in Zhaoqing / Shiuhing (肇庆), a city in Guangdong Province in the south of China for nearly two months. In preparation for this trip, I’ve been brushing up my Mandarin and Cantonese, and I’m sure I’ll have plenty of opportunities to use both languages while I’m there. I may visit other parts of China, and maybe nearby countries. I haven’t been to Zhaoqing before, but did spend a few months travelling in southern China back in 1991. It’s probably changed a little since then. I’ll try to keep Omniglot ticking over while I’m away, but may not have as much time as usual for that.

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,TuneIn andPodchaser.

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation viaPayPal orPatreon, orcontribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association withBlubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo codeomniglot.

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In this Adventure in Etymology we focus on the origins of the wordfocus.

Focus [ˈfəʊ.kəs / ˈfoʊ.kəs] as a noun can mean:

• A point at which reflected or refracted rays of light converge.
• The quality of the convergence of light on the photographic medium.
• Something to which activity, attention or interest is primarily directed.

As an verb,focus can mean:

• To cause (rays of light, etc) to converge at a single point.
• To adjust (a lens, an optical instrument) in order to position an image with respect to the focal plane.
• To direct attention, effort, or energy to a particular audience or task.
• To concentrate one’s attention.

It comes from Latinfocus (fireplace, hearth, brazier, house, family), possibly from Proto-Indo-European*bʰeh₂- (to shine), or from PIE*dʰegʷʰ- (to burn) [source].

Words from the same roots includefuoco (fire, torment) in Italian,feu (fire, lighter) in French,fogo (fire, house, family, flame) in Portuguese,φουφού (foufoú – brazier) in Greek,Fokus (focus) in German, andcurfew in English [source].

The English wordfuel, also comes from the same Latin root, via Middle Englishfewell (fuel), Old Frenchfouaille (firewood, kindling), andf(o)u / foc (fire), and Late Latinfocus (fire) [source].

The Italian flatbread,focaccia, also gets its name from the same roots, via Late Latinfocācia, the plural offocācium (bread baked under ash), from(panis) focācius ((bread) of the hearth), as doeshogaza (loaf) in Spanish andpogača (cake) in Slovenian [source].

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation viaPayPal orPatreon, orcontribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association withBlubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo codeomniglot.

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

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

New language pages:

• Kgalagadi (SheKgalagadi), a Southern Bantu language spoken mainly in the Kgalagadi and Gantsi districts in southern Botswana.
• Saluan (Bahasa Saluan), a Celebic language spoken in the east of Sulawesi in Indonesia.
• Humburi Senni (humburi ciini / هُمْبُرِ ٺِينِ‎), a Southern Songhay language spoken mainly in southern Mali, and also in Burkina Faso.

New constructed script:Azkarthelian (Azkarthe’elith), an abjad created by Murray Callahan for his conlang of the same name.

New numbers pages:

• Saluan (Bahasa Saluan), a Celebic language spoken in the east of Sulawesi in Indonesia.
• Wintu (winthu:h), a Wintuan language that was spoken in northern California in the USA, and which is being revived.
• Emilian-Romagnol (emiliân-rumagnol), a Romance language spoken mainly in northern Italy, and also in San Marino.
• Föhr (Fering), a variety of North Frisian spoken on the island of Föhr in the German region of North Frisia.

New family words page:Föhr (Fering), a variety of North Frisian spoken on the island of Föhr in the German region of North Frisia.

On the Omniglot blog this week we look into idioms that meanBetter Safe Than Sorry and similar things in various languages, and there’s the usualLanguage Quiz. See if you can guess what language this is:

Here’s a clue: this language is spoken in Poland, Slovakia and Czechia.

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz wasBouyei (Haausqyaix), a northern Tai-Kaidai language spoken mainly in southern China, and also in northern Vietnam.

In this week’sAdventure in Etymology, we investigate the origins of the wordCardinal, and find out what it has to do withhinges and a Roman goddess.

It’s also available onInstagram andTikTok.

On the Celtiadur blog there’s a new post entitledWhat? about words forwhat?which?who?where? and related things in Celtic languages.

I also made improvements to theNorth Frisian language page.

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,TuneIn andPodchaser.

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation viaPayPal orPatreon, orcontribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association withBlubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo codeomniglot.

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In this Adventure in Etymology we investigate the origins of the wordcardinal.

As an adjective,cardinal [ˈkɑː.dɪ.nəl / ˈkɑɹdɪnəl] can mean:

• Of fundamental importance, e.g. a cardinal rule.
• Of or relating to the cardinal directions (north, south, east and west).
• Describing a “natural” number used to indicate quantity (eg 1, 2, 3, 4, etc), as opposed to an ordinal number indicating relative position (1st, 2nd 3rd, etc).
• Having a bright red colour (from the colour of a Catholic cardinal’s cassock).

As an noun,cardinal can mean:

• One of the officials appointed by the pope in the Roman Catholic Church, ranking only below the pope, equal to the patriarchs, constituting the special college which elects the pope.
• Any of various species of New-World passerine songbird in the genus Cardinalis, so called because of their red plumage.
• A deep red colour, somewhat less vivid than scarlet, the traditional colour of a Catholic cardinal’s cassock.

It comes from Middle Frenchcardinal ([Catholic] cardinal), from Latincardinālis (pertaining to a door hinge, principal, chief, cardinal), fromcardō (hinge, socket, turning point, critical moment of action), possibly from Ancient Greekκράδη (krádē, twig, spray, swing, crane in the drama) or from PIE*(s)kerd- (to move, sway, swing, jump) [source].

Words from the same roots includecardinal (important, paramount, cardinal) andcharière (hinge, joint, turning point) in French,cardine (hinge, pivot, support, cornerstone) in Italian, andcorddyn (pivot, hinge) and possiblycerdded (to walk) in Welsh [source].

Cardea, the Roman goddess of hinges and families, also got her name from the same roots [source]. She kept evil spirits from crossing the threshold of houses and protected the family and children insideMore information about Cardea.

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation viaPayPal orPatreon, orcontribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association withBlubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo codeomniglot.

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

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

New language pages:

• Jarawa, a Southern Bantoid language spoken in Bauchi State in northeastern Nigeria.
• Cypriot Greek (κυπριακά), a variety of Greek spoken in Cyprus and by the Greek Cypriot diaspora.
• Dendi, a Southern Songhay language spoken mainly in northern Benin, and also in Niger and Nigeria.

New numbers pages:

• Nez Perce (Nimipuutímt), a Plateau Penutian language spoken in Idaho, Washington and Oregon in the USA.
• Yakama (Ichishkíin), a Plateau Penutian language spoken on the Yakima Reservation in southern Washington State in the USA.
• Eastern Pomo (Ba·csal), a Pomoan language spoken around Clear Lake in Lake County, California in the USA

New constructed script:iAlphabet, an alternative way to write English, Farsi, Arabic, Russian, Croatian and Greek created by Azam Banoo Torabi.

This week on the Omniglot blog we look into idioms meaning something that happens rarely in various languages in a post calledOnce in a Blue Moon, and there’s the usualLanguage Quiz. See if you can guess what language this is:

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

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz wasTuamotuan (Reʻo Paʻumotu), a Polynesian language spoken mainly in Tuamotu in French Polynesia.

In this week’sAdventure in Etymology,A Little Loitering, we find out what links the wordsloiter,little,lout andLuxembourg.

It’s also available onInstagram andTikTok.

On the Celtiadur blog there’s a new post entitledTenacious Toughness about words fortough,tenacious,stiff and related things in Celtic languages.

I also made improvements to theLips, Mouths & Throats Celtiadur post.

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,TuneIn andPodchaser.

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation viaPayPal orPatreon, orcontribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association withBlubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo codeomniglot.

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In this Adventure in Etymology we look into the origins of the wordloiter.

Toloiter [ˈlɔɪtə(ɹ) / ˈlɔɪtɚ] can mean:

• To stand about without any aim or purpose; to stand about idly.
• To remain at a certain place instead of moving on.
• (archaic) To stroll about without any aim or purpose, to ramble, to wander.

It comes from Middle Englishloitren (to idle away one’s time, to dawdle over one’s work, to linger or lurk idly in a place), from Middle Dutchloteren (to shake, wag, wobble), from Proto-Germanic*lūtaną (to bow down), from Proto-Indo-European*lewd- (to duck, crouch, cringe, become small) [source].

Words from the same roots includelittle,lout (a troublemaker, often violent) in English,luttel (little, few, mere) in Dutch,lude (lout, stoop) in Danish,луд (lud – crazy, mad, insane) in Bulgarian,liūdnas (sad, downhearted) in Lithuanian, andlut (to request, ask, plead, beg) in Albanian [source].

The Grand Duchy ofLuxembourg (Lëtzebuerg in Luxembourgish) also gets its name partly from the same roots, via Proto-Germanic*lūtilaz (bent, crouching, little) and*burgz (fortification, stronghold, city) [source].

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation viaPayPal orPatreon, orcontribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association withBlubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo codeomniglot.

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

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

New language pages:

• Ha (Igiha), a Bantu language spoken in the Kigoma Region in the northwest of Tanzania.
• Fut (Bɨfɨɨ̀), an Eastern Grassfields language spoken in the Northwest Region of Cameroon.
• Maasina Fulfulde (مَاسِنَ ڢُلْڢُلْدٜ‎), a West Central Fula language spoken in Mali, Ivory Coast and Ghana.
• Tadaksahak (Tadáksahak‎), a Northern Songhay language spoken in southern Mali and western Niger.

New numbers pages:

• Fut (Bɨfɨɨ̀), an Eastern Grassfields language spoken in the Northwest Region of Cameroon.
• Bambalang (Chrambo), an Eastern Grassfields language spoken in Cameroon.
• Tadaksahak (Tadáksahak‎), a Northern Songhay language spoken in southern Mali and western Niger.

New constructed script:Sleep Token Alphabet, a cypher for English that appears on album artwork and merch for the band Sleep Token.

This week on the Omniglot blog we find out whether the words(ham)burger,burgher andburglar are related in a post calledBurgling Burg(h)ers, and there’s the usualLanguage Quiz. See if you can guess what language this is:

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

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz wasMakaa (mǝ́kaá), a Bantu language spoken in the East Region of Cameroon.

In this week’sAdventure in Etymology we investigate the origins of the wordNemesis.

It’s also available onInstagram andTikTok.

On the Celtiadur blog there’s a new post entitledSighing Groans about words forsigh,groan and related things in Celtic languages.

In other news, I started using theLing App [affiliate link] to learn some more Cantonese this week. I’ve studied Cantonese before, and have forgotten a lot, but it’s now coming back to me. Ling is similar to Duolingo in the style of lessons, and offers courses in 60+ languages. You can get a free trial on the 1-year subscription, after which you have to pay. I may review it when I’ve spent more time on it, but so far I’m finding it useful and well-put together.

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,TuneIn andPodchaser.

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation viaPayPal orPatreon, orcontribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association withBlubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo codeomniglot.

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In this Adventure in Etymology we investigate the origins of the wordnemesis.

Nemesis [ˈnɛməsɪs] can mean:

• An enemy, especially an archenemy.
• A person or character who specifically brings about the downfall of another person or character, as an agent of that character’s fate or destiny, especially within a narrative.
• The personification of the “fatal flaw” of a dramatic hero in the style of Greek tragedy.
  Other meanings are available

It comes fromΝέμεσῐς (Némesĭs – the Greek goddess of retribution), from Ancient Greekνέμεσις (némesis – distribution of what is due, righteous assignment of anger, wrath at anything unjust), fromνέμω (némō – to deal out, distribute, dispense, count, hold, possess, pasture flocks), from Proto-Hellenic*némō from Proto-Indo-European*nem(h₁)- (to distribute, give, take) [source].

Words from the same roots includeņemt (to take, seize) in Latvian,nehmen (to take, hold, grasp) in German,nimma (to understand) in Swedish,nimble andnumber in English,nimh (poison, venom) in Irish and possiblynant (stream, brook) in Welsh [source].

The English wordnumb also comes from the same roots. It was originally the past participle ofnim (to take, seize, steal –obsolete / archaic), which comes from Middle Englishnimen (to (under)take, draw, enter), from Old Englishniman (to take), from Proto-West Germanic*neman (to take), from Proto-Germanic*nemaną (to take), from PIE*nem(h₁)- (to distribute, give, take) [source].

The wordnimps (easy –northern England) also possibly comes from the same roots, as doovernim (to take away, rob) andnimmer (a petty thief) [source].

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation viaPayPal orPatreon, orcontribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association withBlubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo codeomniglot.

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

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

New language pages:

• Bangolan (Bǎŋgulaŋ), an Eastern Grassfields language spoken in the Northwest Province of Cameroon.
• Chopi (Cicopi), a Southern Bantu language spoken mainly in Inhambane Province in southern Mozambique.
• Palembang (Baso Pelémbang / باسو ڤليمباڠ‎), a Malayic language spoken in Palembang in South Sumatra Province in Indonesia.

New constructed script:Neo Alfabet, a phonetic script created by François Toulot to write almost any language.

New numbers pages:

• Bangolan (Bǎŋgulaŋ), an Eastern Grassfields language spoken in the Northwest Province of Cameroon.
• Arta, a Northern Luzon language spoken in northern Luzon in the Philippines.

New family words pages:

• Gothic (𐌲𐌿𐍄𐌹𐍃𐌺𐌰), an East Germanic language spoken in parts of Crimea until the 17th century.
• Alsatian (Ëlsässisch), a West Germanic language spoken mainly in Alsace in northeastern France.

This week on the Omniglot blog we find out when aforest is not aforest in a post calledSylvan Forests, and there’s the usualLanguage Quiz. See if you can guess what language this is:

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

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz wasYerakula (ஏறுகள), a Dravidian language spoken in Andhra Pradesh, in the southeast of India.

In this week’sAdventure in Etymology we search the ether for the elemental origins of the wordQuintessence.

It’s also available onInstagram andTikTok.

On the Celtiadur blog there’s a new post entitledPithy Marrow about words for(bone) marrow,pith 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,TuneIn andPodchaser.

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation viaPayPal orPatreon, orcontribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association withBlubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo codeomniglot.

Podcast:Play in new window |Download

In this Adventure in Etymology we search for the elemental origins of the wordquintessence.

Quintessence [kwɪnˈtɛs.əns] is:

• A thing that is the most perfect example of its type; the most perfect embodiment of something; epitome, prototype
• A pure substance.
• The essence of a thing in its purest and most concentrated form.
• (alchemy) The fifth alchemical element, or essence, after earth, air, fire, and water that fills the universe beyond the terrestrial sphere. (A)ether.
• (physics) A hypothetical form of dark energy postulated to explain observations of an accelerating universe.

It comes from Middle Englishquint-essence (quintessence, the fifth essence or element), from Old Frenchquinte essence (quintessence), from Medieval Latinquinta essentia (fifth essence, aether), from Latinquīntus (fifth) andessentia (the being or essence of a thing) [source].

Words from the same roots includequintillion (a billion billion, a million quadrillion, or an unspecified very large number),quintuplex (a collection of 5 things, a building divided in 5 residences or businesses) andquintet (a group of 5 musicians, or any group with 5 members) in English,cinque (5) in Italian,cinco (5) in Spanish,cinc (5) in French [source], and alsoessence andessential in English,esence (essence, extract) in Czech,essence (petrol, gasoline, essence, essential oil) in French, andésser (to be, exist, be real) in Catalan [source].

Incidentally, I was inspired to investigate the wordquintessence after learning the Welsh wordmêr, which means marrow, the best or essential part, quintessence, essence, soul, heart, centre, middle, depth, and (source of) strength.

It’s related to the Irish wordsmior (marrow, pith, essential part, quintessence), to the English wordsmear, and to the Swedish wordsmör (butter – as in smörgåsbord) [more details].

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation viaPayPal orPatreon, orcontribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association withBlubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo codeomniglot.

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