Search found 30 matches

by tron cat
Fri Sep 16, 2011 2:46 am
Forum: Languages & Linguistics
Topic: random etymology question: ta
Replies: 13
Views: 3231

random etymology question: ta

Just curious about the etymology of this. One source from a google search says ta is from Danish tak, etymonline.com gives "1772, "natural infantile sound of gratitude" [Weekley]"; actually here at least, ta is mostly parent-talk for "give that to me". I'm suspecting Scots is involved, but that's ju...
by tron cat
Fri Jul 08, 2011 11:38 pm
Forum: Languages & Linguistics
Topic: /l/ recognition
Replies: 26
Views: 3994

Re: /l/ recognition

In English, coda /l/ sometimes seems like [w] to me as well, but more rarely than what I've described in BP (well, I mostly have contact with English through TV series and whatnot, so there you have it). For example, I have [ɪnɚnaʃonəlˠ] for 'international', and it's generally what I hear. But I ha...
by tron cat
Wed Jun 29, 2011 9:22 am
Forum: None of the above
Topic: the Old Granny thread
Replies: 624
Views: 188242

Re: the Old Granny thread

For the next fortnight or so, I'm going to have to survive on about $45 ($35 usd) for food each week. Any suggestions for ultra-cheap (also preferably healthy and filling) meals? Currently I mostly survive on nachos, burritos, simple vegetarian pastas, chicken burgers, hash browns, breakfast cereal,...
by tron cat
Sun May 29, 2011 1:01 am
Forum: None of the above
Topic: What are you reading, watching and listening to?
Replies: 469
Views: 135570

Re: What are you reading, watching and listening to?

Listening to Hollinndagain by Animal Collective and reading The Sun Also Rises. Like some sort of hipster.
by tron cat
Fri Oct 08, 2010 11:38 pm
Forum: Languages & Linguistics
Topic: Tone Loss
Replies: 6
Views: 1735

I can't really give a good answer, but one language you might want to look at is Mandarin, which I've heard is in the process of losing a lot of tonal distinction (Bejing dialects only distinguishing tone on a stressed syllable).
by tron cat
Thu Oct 07, 2010 7:40 am
Forum: Languages & Linguistics
Topic: Koro
Replies: 21
Views: 4415

Well okay, say we have a language that has been more-or-less well described by linguists. And say that the whole corpus of traditional knowledge (medicinal, religious, cultural, etc) has been adequately recorded and translated into x lingua franca, and then the language just dies out, even ceremonia...
by tron cat
Thu Oct 07, 2010 1:21 am
Forum: Languages & Linguistics
Topic: Koro
Replies: 21
Views: 4415

It's an exaggeration if you read it to say that every language extinction involves the loss of all of those things, but surely it's true to say that some, perhaps many, language extinctions involve or are related to the loss of one or more of those things? I see it more as a conflation of the ideas...
by tron cat
Mon Aug 23, 2010 10:50 am
Forum: C&C Archive
Topic: Introducing O Yis
Replies: 34
Views: 9419

Awesome stuff.
by tron cat
Thu Jul 08, 2010 10:11 am
Forum: None of the above
Topic: ZBB 2010 Fieldtrip
Replies: 27
Views: 11731

Man, I really wanted to be there. Money just got in the way.

Have fun!
by tron cat
Sun May 23, 2010 6:55 am
Forum: None of the above
Topic: ZBB member photos, part 5. (Something for the weekend, sir?)
Replies: 5496
Views: 764828

Brandrinn, do you have an alter ego, or were those photos taken years apart?
by tron cat
Sat May 15, 2010 1:20 am
Forum: None of the above
Topic: ZBB member photos, part 5. (Something for the weekend, sir?)
Replies: 5496
Views: 764828

Popisfizzy wrote:Those blonder streaks? They aren't a trick of the light or camera. They show up more prominently on my webcam for whatever reason, but they're naturally like that. I have exactly zero idea why.
I used to have that. Turned out my acne treatment was just bleaching my hair.
by tron cat
Fri Apr 23, 2010 4:48 am
Forum: None of the above
Topic: ZBB member photos, part 5. (Something for the weekend, sir?)
Replies: 5496
Views: 764828

Nort, i wanna get naked with you and talk about phonology
by tron cat
Thu Apr 08, 2010 11:32 pm
Forum: L&L Museum
Topic: Simple phoneme inventories and syllable structures
Replies: 25
Views: 7511

That seems like a reasonable explaination.

Also, can anyone think of any counterexamples?
by tron cat
Thu Apr 08, 2010 10:07 pm
Forum: L&L Museum
Topic: Simple phoneme inventories and syllable structures
Replies: 25
Views: 7511

Simple phoneme inventories and syllable structures

I'm pretty sure this has been answered before but I can't seem to find anything:

Is there an explanation for why languages with small phoneme inventories seem to also have simple syllable structures?
by tron cat
Thu Jan 10, 2008 2:27 am
Forum: Conlangery & Conworlds
Topic: Conlang relay [relocated] (aka "The Cursed Relay")
Replies: 2538
Views: 881045

I'm starting work on my daughter of Zhen Lin's Proto Peninsular now, and soonish I'll start work on the Faralo one.

I think what this project could seriously benefit from is more mapmaking. Unfortunately I have no skill in this area; perhaps we should kidnap HandsomeRob.
by tron cat
Sat Nov 24, 2007 1:13 am
Forum: Conlangery & Conworlds
Topic: Conlang relay [relocated] (aka "The Cursed Relay")
Replies: 2538
Views: 881045

That name sounds good. I've added it to the Kneequickie page. As for the size, well, it was hard to tell without a scale. I figured it was about the size of Ireland. edit: Okay, yeah, what I said was stupid regardless. Obviously they're going to figure out it's an island pretty quick. edit2: a mapfr...
by tron cat
Fri Nov 23, 2007 11:38 pm
Forum: Conlangery & Conworlds
Topic: Conlang relay [relocated] (aka "The Cursed Relay")
Replies: 2538
Views: 881045

That is fine, however, there is a condition: I design the sound changes up to -500 Y.P. - but you are free to design grammar etc., and, the Peninsular language that comes to dominate the island pre-Huyfárah is from a branch adjacent to Lotoka, rather than from the same branch. That's fine. By the w...
by tron cat
Fri Nov 23, 2007 10:21 pm
Forum: Conlangery & Conworlds
Topic: Conlang relay [relocated] (aka "The Cursed Relay")
Replies: 2538
Views: 881045

Welcome to you too! what's going on with that unlabelled island/ couple of islands south-east of Dagæm (or is it part of Dagæm)? Half of it gets taken by Huyfárah in the most recent map, but why only half? Who's there? Can I haves it? When Radius suggested a while ago that Huyfárah should spread to...
by tron cat
Fri Nov 23, 2007 4:44 am
Forum: Conlangery & Conworlds
Topic: Conlang relay [relocated] (aka "The Cursed Relay")
Replies: 2538
Views: 881045

I'd also like to extend congratulations to everyone who has worked on this project! In fact, I'd really like to get involved at some point.. if that's possible I could start when my exams finish in about 2 weeks. However, I'd need to crawl through all the maps and histories first, before I can say e...
by tron cat
Tue Oct 16, 2007 10:13 pm
Forum: L&L Museum
Topic: I wish English had a word for this!
Replies: 333
Views: 145606

Do you mean constructions like "I admire the work of jsburke, Maknas, and of course zompist"? If so, yes, that's perfectly legal. That's still an adverb; you could also say "... and zompist, of course". I think the closest word to what he's asking for is "obvious" , although "... and obviously Zomp...
by tron cat
Mon Aug 13, 2007 11:29 pm
Forum: None of the above
Topic: Seahorses, I Love 'Em (& other Links of Interest)
Replies: 2235
Views: 433186

Before attempting fisting, a Christian husband and wife should pray together and ask for divine guidance. The husband should ask that God guide his hand and work through him, and for the skill and patience to fist his wife correctly and maximize her pleasure. The wife should pray for openness and r...
by tron cat
Wed May 16, 2007 4:45 am
Forum: None of the above
Topic: Seahorses, I Love 'Em (& other Links of Interest)
Replies: 2235
Views: 433186

Image

The strange world of mail art.
by tron cat
Mon May 07, 2007 12:02 am
Forum: L&L Museum
Topic: resources
Replies: 722
Views: 306667

http://privatewww.essex.ac.uk/~spena/Ch ... EPAGE.html

A grammar of chukchi.

Also, that really, really sucks about the pdf grammar list. Did anyone back it up by any chance?
by tron cat
Sun Apr 22, 2007 4:48 am
Forum: None of the above
Topic: Seahorses, I Love 'Em (& other Links of Interest)
Replies: 2235
Views: 433186

by tron cat
Fri Mar 09, 2007 5:14 am
Forum: None of the above
Topic: Seahorses, I Love 'Em (& other Links of Interest)
Replies: 2235
Views: 433186

Atheist militancy?

The media sure loves Dawkins, doesn't it..