zompist bboard

Languages frequently contrast 4 different forms where English use only "to be" (note: I know there are more contrasts possible than that but bear with me here). 1) Copula, linking a noun with another noun (or sometimes an adjective, depending on the language): "The dog is an animal." 2) Substantive...

War Nerd is now writing a daily blog.

http://exiledonline.com/cat/war-nerd/

Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_Nerd

I updated the first post with some more links, which I hope are accessible for all. I believe we could challenge the supposition that more phonemes means more phonetic complexity in a language. Finnish would be a good example, and Estonian even a better one. Both languages have a relatively small in...

Uhm, I'm sorry about this. I apparently used my university-granted access powers for the paper without being aware of them in any way. I can't do anything about this right now. I'll look for a summary or similar when I have the chance. EDIT: Language Log is going to discuss the paper soon. It's ment...

I'm linking this to suggest this be discussed, and do not intend to advocate the ideas. I am not very well qualified to evaluate them anyway. "Phonemic Diversity Supports a Serial Founder Effect Model of Language Expansion from Africa" http://www.sciencemag.org/content/332/6027/346.full What are you...

Vy letite Gagarin
Vy letite Gagarin
Vam vernutsya nado zhivym

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNYM-2blJxM

This one is for the programmers. Mathematically minded people may enjoy this too. Sorting algorithms demonstrated via Hungarian, Romanian etc. folk dancing. Shell sort: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmPA7zE8mx0 Bubble sort: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyZQPjUT5B4 Selection sort: http://www.youtu...

This is a legitimate article in a legitimate blog, but it discusses some fine crackpottery stemming from language purism. You know, glottal stops, or rather glottal attacks, can be bad for you. They could shred your voice and damage your vocal cords! Don't use them! http://dialectblog.com/2011/04/01...

Nortaneous wrote:Vágtázó Csodaszarvas - Napkapu

This almost sounds like Finnish. If it weren't for some of the sounds Finnish doesn't use it could've fooled me for a while.

Guillaume Dufay: Adieu Ces Bons Vins de Lannoys (ca. 1426)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEI_Sce2OgA

They have some kind of historical pronunciation going on there with the diphthongs and final s's. Also, listen to "vins."

My favorite Finnish linguistics quackery are the theories of the late Sigurd Wettenhovi-Aspa. Unfortunately, they are not discussed in the English Wikipedia page on him: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigurd_Wettenhovi-Aspa If you can read Finnish, or at least are willing to look at his etymologies, y...

Peanuts comics with the last panel removed.

http://3eanuts.tumblr.com/

Charles Schulz's Peanuts comics often conceal the existential despair of their world with a closing joke at the characters' expense. With the last panel omitted, despair pervades all.

Here is an animated short called SALESMAN PETE and the amazing stone from outer space

http://vimeo.com/15126262

Here is the making-of blog in French

http://www.salesman-pete.blogspot.com/