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Copyright © Simon Ager 2018-2021
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Radio Omniglot is a podcast about language and linguistics, brought to you by Simon Ager, the man behind Omniglot.com, the online encyclopedia of writing systems and languages.
511 Episodes
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Here’s the latest news from the world of Omniglot. New language pages: Saxwe (saxwɛgbe), a Gbe language spoken in the Atlantique, Couffo and Mono departments in the southwest of Benin. Ekpeye (Ẹkpeye), an Igboid language spoken in Rivers and Bayelsa states in southern Nigeria. Gun (Gungbe), an Eastern Gbe language spoken in southeastern Benin and […]
On today’s adventure we are looking at the origins of the word session, because this afternoon I took part in a music session in a friend’s garden, and I thought I’d find out where the word comes from. Session comes from the Old French session (sitting, (court) session), from the Latin sessiō (a sitting, a […]
Here’s the latest news from the world of Omniglot. New language pages: Ushoji (اُݜوجو), an Eastern Dardic language spoken mainly in the Swat District in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province in northwest Pakistan. Aer (آیر), a Western Indo-Aryan language spoken in Sindh in Pakistan and Gujarat in India. Dameli (دمیلی), a Dardic language spoken in the […]
In this Adventure in Etymology we fish for the origins of the word fish. Fish [fɪʃ] can refer to: A typically cold-blooded vertebrate animal that lives in water, moving with the help of fins and breathing with gills. Any animal (or any vertebrate) that lives exclusively in water. As a verb it can mean: To […]
Here’s the latest news from the world of Omniglot. New language pages: Turu (Kιnyatυrυ, Kιrιmi), a Bantu language spoken in the Singida Region in central Tanzania. Pnar (Ka Ktien Pnar), a Khasi-Palaungic language spoken in northeastern India and northeastern Bangladesh. Wenzi (LiWenzi), a Bantu language spoken in the Kigoma Region in northwestern Tanzania. Dimasa (Grao-Dima), […]
In this episode we discover the Celtic roots of words for kingdom, rich and related things in Germanic, Romance and other languages. The Proto-Celtic word *rīgyom means kingdom, and comes from Proto-Indo-European *h₃rḗǵs (king). Related words in Proto-Celtic include *rīxs (king) and *rīganī (queen) [source] Related in the modern Celtic languages include: rí [ɾˠiː] = […]
Here’s the latest news from the world of Omniglot. New language pages: Shambala (Kisambaa), a Bantu language spoken in the Tanga Region in northern Tanzania. Suabo (nidáibo), a Trans-New Guinea language spoken in Southwest Papua Province in eastern Indonesia. Tongwe (Sitongwe), a Bantu language spoken in the Kigoma Region in northwestern Tanzania. New numbers pages: […]
What does the word while have to do with resting? Let’s find out in this Adventure in Etymology on Radio Omniglot. While [waɪl / wæl] as a noun means an uncertain duration of time, a period of time, or an uncertain long (or short) period of time. As a conjunction it means during that same […]
Here’s the latest news from the world of Omniglot. New language pages: Rangi (Kɨlaangi), a Bantu language spoken in the Kondoa District of the Dodoma Region in central Tanzania. Suabo (nidáibo), a Trans-New Guinea language spoken in Southwest Papua Province in eastern Indonesia. Oko (Ọ̀kọ), a Volta-Niger language spoken mainly in the Ogori-Magongo LGA in […]
In this episode we discover the Celtic roots of words for hostage in Germanic languages, and words related to engagement in Finnic languages. The Proto-Celtic word *geistlos means hostage or bail, and comes from Proto-Indo-European *gʰeydʰ- (to yearn for, to desire) [source] Descendents in the modern Celtic languages include: giall [ɟiəl̪ˠ] = hostage, pledge in […]
Here’s the latest news from the world of Omniglot. New language pages: Inuinnaqtun (ᐃᓄᐃᓐᓇᖅᑐᓐ), an Inuit language spoken in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories in northern Canada. Pare (Kipare), a Northeast Coast Bantu language spoken the Kilimanjaro Region in northeastern Tanzania. Kwamera (Nɨninɨfe), a Southern Oceanic language spoken on Tanna Island in Tafea Province in […]
You can be unkempt, but can you be just kempt? Let’s find out in this Adventure in Etymology on Radio Omniglot. An unkempt llama Unkempt [ˌʌnˈkɛmpt] means uncombed or dishevelled (hair), disorderly, untidy, messy, rough or unpolished. It comes from unkemmed, from Middle English kembed (well-combed, neat), from kemben [ˈkɛm(b)ən] (to comb), from Old English […]
Here’s the latest news from the world of Omniglot. New language pages: Naman, a Southern Oceanic language spoken on Malekula Island in central Vanuatu. Mbugu (kiMbugu) / Maʼa (kiMaʼa), a Bantu language spoken in the Lushoto District in the Tanga Region in the northeast of Tanzania. Mwerlap (N̄wërlap), a Southern Oceanic language spoken in the […]
In this episode we unearth the Celtic roots of words for birch (tree) in various languages. The Proto-Celtic word *betuyā means birch tree, and comes from Proto-Indo-European *gʷetu-yo-s, from *gʷet- (resin, gum) [source]. Descendents in the modern Celtic languages include: beith = birch (tree), letter B in Ogham (ᚁ) in Irish beithe [behə] birch, birch […]
In this Adventure in Etymology we uncover the sticky roots of the word climb. Meanings of climb [klaɪm] include: To ascend, rise or go up To mount, move upwards To scale, get to the top of To move by gripping with the hands and using the feet It comes from Middle English climben [ˈkli(ː)mbən / […]
Here’s the latest news from the world of Omniglot. New constructed script: Surat Binua, which was created by Reza Sumanda as a way to write Kendayan, a Land Dayak language spoken in Indonesia and Malaysia. New constructed script: Tenzu, which was created by Reza Sumanda as a way to write Indonesian, and inspired by the […]
Here’s the latest news from the world of Omniglot. New constructed script: Urup Bidayuh’, which was created by Reza Sumanda as a way to write Biatah (Bidayuh), a Land Dayak language spoken in West Kalimantan in Indonesia, and Sarawak in Malaysia. New language pages: Luang (Letri Lgona), a Timoric language spoken in the Leti and […]
In this Adventure in Etymology we investigate the word feather. A feather [ˈfɛð.ə(ɹ) / ˈfɛð.ɚ] is: A branching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds, used for flight, swimming, protection and display. Long hair on the lower legs of a dog or horse, especially a draft horse. [other meanings are available] It comes […]
Here’s the latest news from the world of Omniglot. New constructed script: Urup Bakatiʼ, which was created by Reza Sumanda as a way to write Bakatiʼ, a Land Dayak language spoken in West Kalimantan in Indonesia. New language pages: Bakatiʼ, a Land Dayak language spoken in West Kalimantan in Indonesia. Koro (Kōrō), a North-Central Vanuatu […]
In this episode we unravel the Celtic roots the English word deiseal. Deiseal [ˈdjɛʃəl] refers to a motion towards the right, in the direction of the hands of a clock or of the apparent motion of the sun (in the Northern Hemisphere); a turning in this direction. It is also written deisal, deasil, deisul or […]
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