Search found 134 matches

by Bryan
Fri Sep 23, 2016 5:24 am
Forum: Languages & Linguistics
Topic: Incorrect pronunciations you have (or have had) to unlearn
Replies: 669
Views: 181067

Re: Incorrect pronunciations you have (or have had) to unlea

In Dutch we write "Dzjengis", and I've ported that pronunciation over to English. Never occured to me it's pronounced with an initial [g]. Don't worry, [d_Z] is the "dictionary" pronunciation and absolutely correct, it's just that many people don't seem to know that and pronounce it with [g]. Merri...
by Bryan
Fri Sep 23, 2016 5:15 am
Forum: Languages & Linguistics
Topic: Incorrect pronunciations you have (or have had) to unlearn
Replies: 669
Views: 181067

Re: Incorrect pronunciations you have (or have had) to unlea

I still have no idea how 'alveolar' is pronounced. With -jə-? /ælˈvi.ələr/, if i remember correctly. it's been a while since i've heard anyone say it out loud. that said, i think the other way is also possible. My university professor pronounced it the "incorrect" way, according to this thread. If ...
by Bryan
Tue Sep 20, 2016 6:51 am
Forum: Languages & Linguistics
Topic: Spanish Etymology?
Replies: 8
Views: 3746

Spanish Etymology?

Hi guys,

1. Does anyone have a link to a free, good etymological dictionary of Spanish? I'm thinking something like etymonline.com.

2. Is the Spanish article el from or was it reinforced by Arabic al?
by Bryan
Mon Jan 18, 2016 2:08 pm
Forum: None of the above
Topic: Duolingo
Replies: 50
Views: 18220

Re: Duolingo

finlay wrote:That's still going?

Err.... yeah! Dozenalisms is the HOTTEST thing in town. Seriously, it's going very well.

http://z13.invisionfree.com/DozensOnline/index.php?
by Bryan
Mon Jan 18, 2016 2:04 pm
Forum: Conlangery & Conworlds
Topic: Game: Let's Reform English
Replies: 339
Views: 98092

Re: Game: Let's Reform English

This thread is what autism looks like. And I love it! 8) :-D
by Bryan
Sun Jan 17, 2016 5:14 pm
Forum: Languages & Linguistics
Topic: "English is a Scandinavian language?"
Replies: 39
Views: 9909

Re: "English is a Scandinavian language?"

UT... the similarities between English and Swedish are pretty obvious to anyone who's studied it. Including grammatically. For example, Swedish has lost case, too. You mean, exactly like all other Germanic languages apart from German (High and Low), Yiddish, and Nordic outliers like Icelandic and F...
by Bryan
Fri Jan 01, 2016 8:55 am
Forum: Languages & Linguistics
Topic: "English is a Scandinavian language?"
Replies: 39
Views: 9909

Re: "English is a Scandinavian language?"

Hi flamers, I'm not saying English is Scandinavian. In fact, I said "I agree" [with Viktor77]. I merely pointed out that it isn't just West Germanic languages which share striking similarities with English -- as Swedish does too. Weird how a simple, innocent statement of fact gets twisted and turned...
by Bryan
Fri Jan 01, 2016 8:48 am
Forum: None of the above
Topic: Duolingo
Replies: 50
Views: 18220

Re: Duolingo

You can't get up to A2 with an app that practices your vocabulary. You could do it if you're also speaking the language and using Duolingo to reinforce and introduce new vocabulary. Yes, Finlay, an app that has no way for you to converse with real people in real situations clearly can't bring you u...
by Bryan
Fri Jan 01, 2016 7:07 am
Forum: None of the above
Topic: Duolingo
Replies: 50
Views: 18220

Re: Duolingo

So, we're all agreed: Duolingo is great? The pattern of this thread may mirror my own findings: it's really fun at first, and then you stop. I did it diligently every day, in two languages, for a month or two, and then had to miss a couple of days unavoidably, and never went back. Well, I've tried ...
by Bryan
Fri Jan 01, 2016 7:04 am
Forum: Conlangery & Conworlds
Topic: Scandinavian/Baltic Auxlang
Replies: 5
Views: 3653

Re: Scandinavian/Baltic Auxlang

Shame about the scrapping. Is Nation States still even around? You read Jennifer Government?

Link us up when you post that language description.
by Bryan
Thu Dec 31, 2015 6:48 am
Forum: Languages & Linguistics
Topic: "English is a Scandinavian language?"
Replies: 39
Views: 9909

Re: "English is a Scandinavian language?"

I don't want to discredit the creole/pidgin theory, but English in my opinion has and remains a West Germanic language. This is obvious to anyone who learns Dutch or Frisian. ON might've shared a large chunk of the pie that created ME, but I would say it's too far to say half of the pie, and way to...
by Bryan
Thu Dec 31, 2015 6:44 am
Forum: None of the above
Topic: Duolingo
Replies: 50
Views: 18220

Re: Duolingo

So, we're all agreed: Duolingo is great?
by Bryan
Thu Dec 31, 2015 6:40 am
Forum: Conlangery & Conworlds
Topic: Auxlangs?
Replies: 1
Views: 2787

Auxlangs?

I know auxlangs are not popular in the conlanging community. But in any case, I am working on auxlangs as well as artlangs. Therefore: Care to share (1) your own auxlangs or (2) other auxlangs you love? I'm particularly looking for less well known examples; we all know about Esperanto et al. It's fo...
by Bryan
Thu Dec 31, 2015 4:48 am
Forum: Conlangery & Conworlds
Topic: Simplistic auxlang
Replies: 29
Views: 10423

Re: Simplistic auxlang

Hi Jal.

I ran a search on "auxlang". This was one of the first threads to come up. I got juiced up, posted. Quickly realised it is an old thread and I had already posted in it!

= FAIL.
by Bryan
Wed Dec 30, 2015 6:28 am
Forum: Conlangery & Conworlds
Topic: Simplistic auxlang
Replies: 29
Views: 10423

Re: Simplistic auxlang

Hi Skomakar'n, I've been working on a similar project for ten years or more now. Indeed, I believe we may have vaguely discussed these projects before. Here are some of my basic criticisms. they are often mangled beyond recognition Uh-ho. What is the point of using them if they are mangled beyond re...
by Bryan
Wed Dec 30, 2015 6:14 am
Forum: Conlangery & Conworlds
Topic: World Hybrid Auxlang - 4 year in the works and needs input!
Replies: 9
Views: 4587

Re: World Hybrid Auxlang - 4 year in the works and needs inp

Hi Avdenio, as someone who's working on a similar project myself (for about a decade, and still almost nothing online!), I'm both encouraged to post in your thread and discouraged to do so. Encouraged because it's an area I take an interest in. Discouraged because I wouldn't want to be precious abou...
by Bryan
Wed Dec 30, 2015 5:53 am
Forum: Conlangery & Conworlds
Topic: Scandinavian/Baltic Auxlang
Replies: 5
Views: 3653

Re: Scandinavian/Baltic Auxlang

Ditto what Genome said. Any update? I made a Germanic auxlang myself, which takes the Scandinavian languages on board. Only thing left online right now, though, is this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbt6d4wfBBA
by Bryan
Sat May 16, 2015 2:42 pm
Forum: None of the above
Topic: Duolingo
Replies: 50
Views: 18220

Re: Duolingo

GreenBowTie wrote:I understand that it's cost-prohibitive, but I wish the recordings were performed by real people instead of robo-synthesizers
Some (upcoming) courses are actually using real people. Which is good news.
by Bryan
Sat May 16, 2015 2:11 pm
Forum: None of the above
Topic: Duolingo
Replies: 50
Views: 18220

Duolingo

So, who else here is on Duolingo? I'm doing Spanish, Swedish, and Portuguese. Looking forward to the upcoming Norwegian, Greek, Catalan (from Spanish). I live in hope for an English -> Basque, one of these days...

https://www.duolingo.com/BryanAJParry
by Bryan
Sun Aug 04, 2013 4:31 pm
Forum: Languages & Linguistics
Topic: Common L2 English mistakes
Replies: 56
Views: 11741

Re: Common L2 English mistakes

Swan's "Learner English" is the go-to guide.
by Bryan
Fri Nov 23, 2012 4:55 am
Forum: Languages & Linguistics
Topic: Most beautiful/ugliest languages
Replies: 119
Views: 30205

Re: Most beautiful/ugliest languages

Hi Tieđđá,

cheers for that. I'll take a look when I get home!

:D
by Bryan
Thu Nov 22, 2012 8:45 am
Forum: None of the above
Topic: The Official ZBB Quote Thread
Replies: 2878
Views: 720009

Re: The Official ZBB Quote Thread

patiku, it doesn't work. :'( Yes it does, if you're intelligent enough to copy-paste the whole thing after the slash in the URL bar. Ulrike, two things. 1. I did do that. Perhaps I copied it wrong. 2. I'm plenty intelligent, thanks. Kinda rude to say what you just did. Perhaps you were never taught...
by Bryan
Thu Nov 22, 2012 4:30 am
Forum: Languages & Linguistics
Topic: Most beautiful/ugliest languages
Replies: 119
Views: 30205

Re: Most beautiful/ugliest languages

Big question: what's the UGLIEST language. The stand-out worst-sounding? Really, I fucking HATE Somali. A lot of Somalis round here, and so I hear it a fair bit, and it just sounds like Arabic but with all the non-gutterals taken out. Akh ghabhgghhghhghgxxxxx AAAAAAAAARGH !Xóõ sounds extremely unpl...
by Bryan
Thu Nov 22, 2012 4:29 am
Forum: Languages & Linguistics
Topic: Most beautiful/ugliest languages
Replies: 119
Views: 30205

Re: Most beautiful/ugliest languages

French sounds like the language of savages. Language nerds are, well, nerds, and generally either male or rather masculine. The people who spread the line about French being sexy are generally either teenage girls or people thinking about what teenage girls would like, and teenage girls don't have ...
by Bryan
Thu Nov 22, 2012 4:13 am
Forum: None of the above
Topic: The Official ZBB Quote Thread
Replies: 2878
Views: 720009

Re: The Official ZBB Quote Thread

patiku, it doesn't work. :'(