Languages and linguistics

Lokebee · Nov 21, 2022, 02:10 PM

Hello is anyone here interested in learning about languages and linguistics? I’m new here. I’m reading a book called The Loom of Languages. I recommend if you enjoy linguistics

WastingAsparagus · Nov 21, 2022, 04:07 PM

Yes, I definitely am interested in such topics. What is the book about mainly? I guess I could look up a summary about it, but what was the most interesting part of it for you?

Nov 21, 2022, 04:34 PM

Thank you for the recommendation

Lokebee · Nov 21, 2022, 05:03 PM

[/I]

Quote:

Originally Posted by WastingAsparagus

Yes, I definitely am interested in such topics. What is the book about mainly? I guess I could look up a summary about it, but what was the most interesting part of it for you?

It all is interesting. The book is basically a guide on how to learn other languages based on knowledge of a language family’s grammar and syntax. It mainly discusses Proto Indo European languages. It compares English to Romance languages and others. I also learned about agglutination of English words ie the word none is a contraction of “no one”.

It was published in the 1940s so keep that in mind. But I haven’t read the whole book yet. I can tell you more afterward. It’s available on Amazon. I had to wait like a month to get mine.

Also a linguist I listen to a lot is John McWorter. If you are interested in the history of the English language a good podcast to look up is The History of English Podcast.

*Beth* · Nov 21, 2022, 06:12 PM

Thank you. Language and linguistics are an interest of mine.

Lokebee · Nov 21, 2022, 09:58 PM

@*Beth* hi. My second language was Spanish. I’m now studying Arabic (MSA and Egyptian dialect). My Dr who’s from Syria can never understand what I say though lol 😂 cos I figure my West Virginia accent throws him off. I also dabble in other languages as a hobby.

Māori is a really neat language. From what I can see Māori has many cognates with English. At least that’s my perception. Ie pini means beans. Pata means butter. Parete means fart. (Excuse my crudeness). Soup is hupa and sugar is huka.

Māori is spoken in New Zealand. What I learned was that NZ was occupied by the English at one point. Māori has English cognates but the grammar (syntax) is different.

Mendingmysoul · Nov 21, 2022, 11:48 PM

I always liked learning new languages. Growing up I have had friends whose native language was not english.I would hang out with them a lot ,did sleep overs in their homes and learned the language. I am an advanced speaker of three languages with native proficiency .A couple more with medium proficiency.it's fun.

Lokebee · Nov 22, 2022, 08:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mendingmysoul

I always liked learning new languages. I am an advanced speaker of three languages with native proficiency .A couple more with medium proficiency.it's fun.

Wow! That’s good!

Lokebee · 08:35 AM

@Mendingmysoul Russian and German are difficult to me to learn. I got bored with Turkish. I really like Swahili and Māori and of course I like Arabic (which can be difficult). Tonal languages (ie Mandarin) are also hard for me.

*Beth* · Nov 22, 2022, 04:28 PM

You're both amazing! I am not proficient in any language besides English. I know a tiny bit of French (mostly pronunciation), a minuscule bit of Spanish, and some Hebrew (prayers, for the most part; my pronunciation is very good, though). I know some Yiddish.

I've learned just a few words of Bulgarian from friends who come from Bulgaria. Some of the words I've learned are so pretty; cute, really:
Ko-lee-bray (hummingbird, but it also means "jewelry"); roo-sahl-kah (mermaid); kook-la (doll).

Lokebee, it's interesting that soup in Maori is "hupa." In most eastern European languages, soup is pronounced "zsoo-pa." Similar.

Speaking of Yiddish, I read recently that the word "lox" (smoked salmon) is an ancient word, unchanged, that is found in a number of languages dating back to the very beginning of written language.

Mendingmysoul · Nov 22, 2022, 05:57 PM

I chuckled a little when you mentioned ..Russian, lokebee.Recently I came across with a youtuber who uploads amazing craft videos in Russian. I was really hooked on how sweet the language was.Rather than translating I decided I will learn Russian in order to follow her directions.Slowly I am beginning to .But I do agree it's difficult.

Mendingmysoul · Nov 22, 2022, 06:02 PM

Beth,lately,I was thinking of challenging myself and learn an ancient language I know Hebrew is one.Is it difficult to pronounce?

MuseumGhost · Nov 22, 2022, 06:52 PM

I find languages and linguistics fascinating. I love English so much, but have an affection for so many other languages as well (Spanish, German, French, Arabic, Modern Greek and Italian, as well as the schtickle of Yiddish I have learned over the years.).

I just read a very interesting article on the Italian language the other day, and how it has changed in use in America with the long presence of Italian -Americans, over time (particularly its usage in New Jersey.). Very interesting!

Many Educational psychologists do feel that continually refreshing our language skills or even learning a new language helps keep the brain sharp.

Thanks for the recommendation, Lokebee.

lemonSys · Nov 22, 2022, 08:58 PM

Love love love languages! So sad I let my fluency in Spanish slide away. Took a linguistics class in undergrad. Was super cool. Words are fascinating. Computer/programming languages hold the same intrigue for me, too. Yay language!

[ There was this guy a year behind me in HS. He translated the Torah into Spanish “just ‘cuz”. I suppose it made sense, though, in hindsight, given he did graduate a year early and spent that “extra year” in Peru teaching Hebrew to kids. ]

— lemonSys

divine1966 · Nov 23, 2022, 05:40 AM

Yes I like languages. I am trilingual and also have a degree in one of my languages/linguistics. I always wanted to learn more languages but I just don’t have the time of motivation. I start but don’t continue. I still have hope that I’ll persevere maybe when I retire if my brain will be in capacity ha

I find it funny that people state they know the language if they just know few words or can read the alphabet. I’d not call it knowing the language. If that’s the case I then know at least ten languages. Lol But I don’t. I truly know only three.

divine1966 · Nov 23, 2022, 05:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by *Beth*

You're both amazing! I am not proficient in any language besides English. I know a tiny bit of French (mostly pronunciation), a minuscule bit of Spanish, and some Hebrew (prayers, for the most part; my pronunciation is very good, though). I know some Yiddish.

I've learned just a few words of Bulgarian from friends who come from Bulgaria. Some of the words I've learned are so pretty; cute, really:
Ko-lee-bray (hummingbird, but it also means "jewelry"); roo-sahl-kah (mermaid); kook-la (doll).

Lokebee, it's interesting that soup in Maori is "hupa." In most eastern European languages, soup is pronounced "zsoo-pa." Similar.

Speaking of Yiddish, I read recently that the word "lox" (smoked salmon) is an ancient word, unchanged, that is found in a number of languages dating back to the very beginning of written language.

Cool. Those words in Bulgarian are exactly the same in several other Slavic languages.

My daughter took a course in Yiddish, it was very interesting. I was surprised it was offered, not a college class but through some language center. It’s sad how the language is dying. I think it will be dead at some point

I want to take conversational Hebrew actually. They gave it at community center. I took a class that was focused on reading. I arrogantly thought that if I know three languages all with different alphabet I can learn fourth. Plus my daughter constantly teased me that I can’t read Hebrew (I am Jewish). Well it was embarrassing but I had to drop the class. I couldn’t memorize the letters lol they all look the same to me. Very embarrassing. . I was too frustrated so I quit haha

unaluna · Nov 23, 2022, 08:27 AM

I love Yiddish. My t and i often used it in session.

*Beth* · Nov 23, 2022, 12:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lemonSys

Love love love languages! So sad I let my fluency in Spanish slide away. Took a linguistics class in undergrad. Was super cool. Words are fascinating. Computer/programming languages hold the same intrigue for me, too. Yay language!

[ There was this guy a year behind me in HS. He translated the Torah into Spanish “just ‘cuz”. I suppose it made sense, though, in hindsight, given he did graduate a year early and spent that “extra year” in Peru teaching Hebrew to kids. ]

— lemonSys

Torah in Spanish would be so-so connected to Sephardi Jews, roughly.

*Beth* · Nov 23, 2022, 12:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by divine1966

Cool. Those words in Bulgarian are exactly the same in several other Slavic languages.

My daughter took a course in Yiddish, it was very interesting. I was surprised it was offered, not a college class but through some language center. It’s sad how the language is dying. I think it will be dead at some point

I want to take conversational Hebrew actually. They gave it at community center. I took a class that was focused on reading. I arrogantly thought that if I know three languages all with different alphabet I can learn fourth. Plus my daughter constantly teased me that I can’t read Hebrew (I am Jewish). Well it was embarrassing but I had to drop the class. I couldn’t memorize the letters lol they all look the same to me. Very embarrassing. . I was too frustrated so I quit haha

Go easy on yourself! Hebrew is an extremely difficult language to read for those of us whose native language is based upon the Roman alphabet. Just getting into our brains the left to right is a major shift, it truly is. Bear in mind that almost all Israelis begin learning English in grade school, when their brains are young. Did you attend synagogue or temple as a small child (i.e., were you exposed to Hebrew pronunciation at a young age)?

When I was a child Jews were convinced that Yiddish was dead and there was great lament. But it remains very much alive in ultra-Orthodox communities globally and so many people have taken an interest in it and re-learned it. So maybe?

*Beth* · Nov 23, 2022, 12:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by unaluna

I love Yiddish. My t and i often used it in session.

Dos iz vunderlekh!

(That is wonderful!)

*Beth* · Nov 23, 2022, 12:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mendingmysoul

Beth,lately,I was thinking of challenging myself and learn an ancient language I know Hebrew is one.Is it difficult to pronounce?

I think that people who are new to speaking Hebrew find it difficult to pronounce, yes. That's been my experience, anyway. I've heard American rabbis who pronounce Hebrew poorly.

divine1966 · Nov 23, 2022, 02:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by *Beth*

I think that people who are new to speaking Hebrew find it difficult to pronounce, yes. That's been my experience, anyway. I've heard American rabbis who pronounce Hebrew poorly.

I think it depends if one speaks other languages where there is a hard “h” sound. For native English speaker it’s hard to say the hard “h” sound as well as roll the Rs.

divine1966 · Nov 23, 2022, 02:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by *Beth*

Go easy on yourself! Hebrew is an extremely difficult language to read for those of us whose native language is based upon the Roman alphabet. Just getting into our brains the left to right is a major shift, it truly is. Bear in mind that almost all Israelis begin learning English in grade school, when their brains are young. Did you attend synagogue or temple as a small child (i.e., were you exposed to Hebrew pronunciation at a young age)?

When I was a child Jews were convinced that Yiddish was dead and there was great lament. But it remains very much alive in ultra-Orthodox communities globally and so many people have taken an interest in it and re-learned it. So maybe?

I know. I am aware. I am not that serious about being embarrassed about Hebrew alphabet. Was a bit of inside joke. I took a class in my synagogue mainly because of my own kid making fun of me at services having to read English transcription.

My pronunciation in Hebrew is good. Pronunciation isn’t an issue. My issue was with reading. Those aren’t the same things. I just had hard time with the alphabet. It required practice. I read, write and speak and am proficient in 3 different languages that use three different alphabets. So I assume how hard would that be to learn the 4th! I’ve learned English in my 30s. Guess reading Hebrew was a different story. I don’t give up!

Yiddish is on endangered languages list. Yes there is one. So that’s a reality

Mendingmysoul · Nov 23, 2022, 10:47 PM

Being proficient in reading ,writing and speaking in three different languages, I was looking forward to learn Hebrew. I gather it won't be easy.I think you become as good as a native if started early on.The ones I am very good at I started in my childhood.

lemonSys · Nov 24, 2022, 04:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by *Beth*

Torah in Spanish would be so-so connected to Sephardi Jews, roughly.

Interesting. The guy I speak of has an older brother that was good friends with my brother. I wonder if my brother would know if their family was Sephardi. I’ll ask him (if I remember lol).

— lemonSys

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