Language - Blog Posts
Lately I've been thinking about how language can sometimes be a curse - from the words we speak, even though these words have their own meanings, most of us don't even know how they came about but we just use them because that's the tool that is available to us.
Let's not even mention how words are sometimes so misused that they eventually mean nothing, especially when people don't even mean what they say.
I guess every tool has its advantages and disadvantages. I now understand why they say 'silence is divine' because it truly is. There is no misunderstanding or lies construed in silence - it just is. It's so pure, it can't be marred by lies, manipulations or ulterior motives. What a blessing silence is.
About the French languange
I started learning French two weeks ago, just as a hobby. I've always thought it's a wonderful language and whenever I heard someone say basically anything in French, my heart melted a little bit out of awe. Despite my former respect towards the language, it's never been a part of my endless list of interests. Until now!
Though I'm a mere beginner, a punk amateur, I feel I've found something of utter brilliance. As words form sentences and as a tiny bit of poetry slowly implants itself into the uninhabited plains of my mind, I'm loving it more and more. Though I've sampled several languages in my short life and have attained acceptable skills regarding one or two, nothing compares to French.
I find it inexpressible what a joy it is to be able to say 'You're perfect' in French and make it truly mean what it's intended to; or to be able to listen to this ethereal melody and have something of it understood. It's like falling in love. It's like discovering a very old book, which surpasses your taste in contemporary literature or basically just anything you've ever read in your whole life.
I'm so glad I started this. And it makes me enthusiastic of many other things. The beginning of something wondrous, like this, is always a perfect reminder of the fact, that there are infinite options, infinite chances in life. And the majority of them is better than I could ever dream. I realised, that there's just so much to do. Tomorrow, when I wake up, I'll know I have amazing and beautiful things to do, besides life's endlessly grave side. I invite you to start learning a language you've always wanted to, or to finally get to read (COMPLETELY) War and Peace, or just simply to begin a journey of any kind, which will make you more as a person and as a part of the ever-expanding interconnection of us: the people. Our days can get boring and miserable every now and then, but it's never, NEVER, unchangeable.
Indigenous Love Words Project!!!!
Kaqchikel: Janila yatinwajo'
This is amazing!! WATCH AN EPISODE! Arthur in Kaqchikel anybody? hehe..
Seriously, this is a great place to learn Lakota. Each episode is only ~13mins long!
Each episode includes:
“Episode Script” | You can practice reading along with the script while you’re watching - and practice reading out loud yourself!
“Episode Vocabulary” | These are great learning tool- take a look at them before watching an episode and again afterwards, it’s amazing how much you’ll pick up.
“Comprehension Questions” | Some of these are actually pretty tough if you are just starting out, but being able to answer them can be a great goal to work towards!
http://www.youtube.com/embed/IHmNsLgdWiA?fs=1&feature=oembed
The Importance of Indigenous Languages (by Kristy Auger) - I hope to make something like this in Kaqchikel someday!
Ninwajo yinok achatkawi’ Ruma janila yaqajo Ninwajo yiwär awik’in Ruma yaqa chi nuwäch …. quiero que acuestas por mi almohada porque te quiero mucho quiero que duermas conmigo porque eres tan bella …. I want you to lie on my pillow Because I want you so bad I want you to sleep with me Because you are so beautiful
Verse from a Kaqchikel song by Baldomero Kawoq
*yaqa chi nuwäch is a phrase which cannot be directly translated, but literally means something like, “you descend on my eyes”
(via artthropology)
Maya Health Alliance Wuku' Kawoq produces radio spots in Kaqchikel about common health conditions and remedies.
How many languages can you speak,miss multilingual?
5 but not fluent in all of them
I'm only fluent in English and Urdu. I can also speak Korean but cannot write it and I know broken Punjabi too. I'm currently learning French which makes it the 5th language that I know
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS: Language
QUESTION: I have seen you using various words in your posts that you address as being Bowynn. Is there an actual language?
ANSWER: Yes we have a language we have been using since the formation of the tradition. the Bowynn dictionary is around 25,000 (I stopped counting decades ago) words. It's has come to the point where it is a first language for some of use and a second language for others. Some words in the dictionary have no English counterpart.
IPA diacritics: c̝c̹c̟c̩c̯c̘c̈c̃c̪c̥c̬c̤c̰c̃c˞c̆c͡c c͜c
s̟ə̆ʊ̈ mⁿe̹n̥iː d̘aɪkɻɪ̆tɪ̆k͜s
Unicode
.̐⃢⃢⃢⃰⃡⃡⃡⃡⃡⃡⃞⃞⃞⃞⃞⃞⃞⃞⃝⃞⃝⃞⃝⃞⃝⃞⃝⃠⃠⃟⃟⃟⃟⃟⃦⃦⃦⃫⃦⃫⃫⃫⃫⃦⃫⃦⃫⃦⃫⃦⃫⃫⃫⃦⃨⃨⃨⃧⃧⃧-⃝⃟⃠⃞⃝⃞⃝⃞⃟⃠⃦⃞⃦⃝⃝⃡⃡⃡⃢⎳⎲⎳⃢⃢̐̐̐̐ꜙ҉҉҉҉҉ꜙ҉ꜙ҉ꜙ҉ꜙ҉҉
Okay, most of ðose don't render on our laptop.
Yeah, like what the hell are those supposed to be?
Yeah, I agree, Ian. What the hell are those glyphs?
I love how @insight-holding-acclam-two uses đ while @wisdom-bearing-exclam-two uses ð.
It's so cool to see different characters representing the same sound being used. Also, @insight-holding-acclam-two used ɳ, which represents the voiced retroflex nasal in the IPA, as opposed to ŋ, the voiced velar nasal in the IPA, which is more appropriate for how it was being used.
Daily Insight 3
If you're sad, search for a parallel dimension to help you.
...I believe đis may not be my dimension. Sort of apt, if I do say so myself.
Just got the Norðern Sami keyboard, so I can use the Eŋ (Ŋ/ŋ)
i am slightly miffed to announce þis blog has surpassed my main in terms of followers wiþin two weeks and will no doubt continue exponentially
Account Intro post!
Preferable name: Andry
Pronouns: They/He
Age: ≤56 years, 3 months, 2 weeks, 6 days, 5 hours, 28 minutes and 31 seconds.
Alt account: @astroandry
Keyboards:
English, Deutsch, తెలుగు (Telugu), Українська (ukrainian), हिन्दी (Hindi/Devanagari), International Phonetic Alphabet, Ελληνικά (Greek), Русский (Russian)
We take for granted our special ability to describe abstractions - such as "tomorrow" yet such abstractions are only made possible by language.
-Donald B. Calne , within reason
The limits of my language means the limits of my world.
-Ludwig Wittgenstein
The limits of my language means the limits of my world.
-Ludwig Wittgenstein
well maybe YOUR language, that is WEIRD and FOREIGN, does that, but MY language, that is PERFECT, makes complete sense and is perfectly understandable, and is also the default and best way of experiencing the human life.
Why does like every language do things with their R sounds that nobody else understands
An Englishman, a Frenchman, a Spaniard, and a German are watching a juggler perform in the street
The juggler notices the four men have a poor view of the show, so he stands on a crate so they may get a better view. He then asks them if they can now see the show. They reply
Yes
Oui
Si
Ja
Studying linguistics is actually so wonderful because when you explain youth slang to older professors, instead of complaining about how "your generation can't speak right/ you're butchering the language" they light up and go “really? That’s so wonderful! What an innovative construction! Isn't language wonderful?"
More or less from one day to the next, they forgot. It had been coming for years, even decades. A few had noticed, but named it something else. A new invention in the ever accelerating digital world. Some positive or unavoidable thing. Anything digital. Connected to development, innovation, progress… It's a win/win. Another much used term; guaranteed to hide the truth. But suddenly, one fine day, everybody on the planet had forgotten. Words. Letters. Sentences. How to write, speak, communicate. Apparently for no reason. They began all over. They had to. Some with 0'es and 1'es. Trying to reprogram languages. That failed, no surprise. Other started scratching in modern caves. In the beginning just almost indecipherable signs. Trying hard to express something. Almost with impatience. Even with a kind of anger. Forgetting seems to create very strong feelings. Let's hope we find a way to describe that. I hope, but have no words for that. #mantelmomento #danielmantel #https://mantelsroman.wordpress.com/ #laurieandthestoryof #primeiroproximopasso #udenfilter #shortstory #prose #fiction #lift #language #words #communication #justsaying #serversdown #startingalloveragain #withoutwords #justmyvisionandthoughtsaftertoomuchdigitalinputandnotatleastthatannoyingfacebook (Usual one-off hashtag)
Free Online Language Courses
Here is a masterpost of MOOCs (massive open online courses) that are available, archived, or starting soon. I think they will help those that like to learn with a teacher or with videos. You can always check the audit course or no certificate option so that you can learn for free.
American Sign Language
ASL University
Sign Language Structure, Learning, and Change
Arabic
Arabic for Global Exchange (in the drop-down menu)
Intro to Arabic
Madinah Arabic
Moroccan Arabic
Arabe (taught in French)
Catalan
Intro to Catalan Language & Society
Intro to Catalan Sign Language
Chinese
Beginner
Basic Chinese I. II, III, IV , V
Basic Mandarin Chinese I & II
Beginner’s Chinese
Chinese for Beginners
Chinese Characters
Chinese for HSK 1
Chinese for HSK 2
Chinese for HSK 3 I & II
HSK Level 1
Mandarin Chinese
Mandarin Chinese for Business
More Chinese for Beginners
Start Talking Mandarin Chinese
UT Gateway to Chinese
Chino Básico (Taught in Spanish)
Intermediate
Chinese Stories
Intermediate Business Chinese
Intermediate Chinese Grammar
Dutch
Introduction to Dutch
English
Online Courses here
Resources Here
Faroese
Faroese Course
Finnish
A Taste of Finnish
Basic Finnish
Finnish for Immigrants
Finnish for Medical Professionals
French
Beginner
AP French Language and Culture
Basic French Skills
Beginner’s French: Food & Drink
Diploma in French
Elementary French I & II
Français Interactif
French in Action
French Language Studies I, II, III
French: Ouverture
Intermediate & Advanced
French: Le Quatorze Juillet
Passe Partout
La Cité des Sciences et de Industrie
Vivre en France - A2
Vivre en France - B1
Frisian
Introduction to Frisian (Taught in English)
Introduction to Frisian (Taught in Dutch)
German
Beginner
Beginner’s German: Food & Drink
Conversational German I, II, III, IV
Deutsch im Blick
Diploma in German
German at Work
Rundblick-Beginner’s German
Intermediate
German: Regionen Traditionen und Geschichte
Landschaftliche Vielfalt
Gwich’in
Introduction to Gwich’in Language
Hebrew
Biblical Hebrew
Know the Hebrew Alphabet
Teach Me Hebrew
Hindi
A Door into Hindi
Business Hindi
Virtual Hindi
Icelandic
Icelandic 1-5
Indonesian
Learn Indonesian
Irish
Introduction to Irish
Irish 101
Irish 102
Italian
Beginner
Beginner’s Italian: Food & Drink
Beginner’s Italian I
Introduction to Italian
Italian for Beginners 1 , 2, 3 , 4 , 5, 6
Intermediate & Advanced
AP Italian Language and Culture
Intermediate Italian I
Advanced Italian I
Letteratura italiana
Japanese
Genki
Japanese JOSHU
Japanese Pronunciation
Sing and Learn Japanese
Tufs JpLang
Kazakh
A1-B2 Kazakh (Taught in Russian)
Korean
Beginner
First Step Korean
How to Study Korean
Introduction to Korean
Learn to Speak Korean
Pathway to Spoken Korean
Intermediate
Intermediate Korean
Nepali
Beginner’s Conversation and Grammar
Norwegian
Introduction to Norwegian
Norwegian on the Web
Portuguese
Curso de Português para Estrangeiros
Pluralidades em Português Brasileiro
Russian
Beginner
Easy Accelerated Learning for Russian
Advanced
Reading Master and Margarita
Russian as an Instrument of Communication
Siberia: Russian for Foreigners
Spanish
Beginner
AP Spanish Language & Culture
Basic Spanish for English Speakers
Beginner’s Spanish: Food & Drink
Introduction to Spanish
Restaurants and Dining Out
Spanish for Beginners 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Spanish Vocabulary
Intermediate
Spanish: Ciudades con Historia
Spanish: Espacios Públicos
Advanced
Corrección, Estilo y Variaciones
Leer a Macondo
Spanish:Con Mis Propias Manos
Spanish: Perspectivas Porteñas
Swedish
Intro to Swedish
Swedish Made Easy 1, 2, & 3
Ukrainian
Read Ukrainian
Ukrainian Language for Beginners
Welsh
Beginner’s Welsh
Discovering Wales
Multiple Languages
Ancient Languages
More Language Learning Resources & Websites!
Last updated: April 1, 2018
Me, myself and as a muse to those interested..
Photos by: John Tyler
Instagram creator of: #isaidnomoreselfies
I guess, one felt amusingly announced for the camera to appeal an illusion intended to create a well-being nudism noted. Along, Activeawarenessart's of thy's backside and designed by my drawing.. the creation is what's posted lastly.
"Freedom freelancer of fairly feverish fought findings, fumbling towards an ecstatic endurance."
-Tyler Somebodies aka John Tyler Mounce.
@evolution-is-just-a-theorem
I don’t think (f) is necessarily about minds, especially given your interpretation of g. “Sherlock Holmes has a name that starts with S” seems to me to be the equivalent of “Justice has a name that starts with J.” Even though Justice is not a physical thing that exists in the world any more than Sherlock Holmes is, the second statement can still be evaluated as true or false, in the sense that the first letter of the string “Justice” can be determined.
(It is possible that you are using a more narrow definition of the word “name” than I am, which could affect this analysis.)
Bullet of the day: conversations about fictional objects are non-sensical*. One cannot reasonably ask whether or not Sherlock and Watson did the frick-frack.
@lambdaphagy , because you had good comments the last time I talked about a similar topic.
* They can be made sensical without changing the conversation *too* much, but in my experience people don’t even realize they’re doing something strange.
these "transcends language" posts usually contain a lot of cognates! these are words with similar origins in the two languages, like:
"j'ai visité la université, les professeurs sont respectables!" - means what you think,
"j'ai voir l'école, les enseignants sont convenables!" - is the same; you can't read it!
post: el problema es el capitalismo
half of the people in the notes, predictably: good word!😱 it appears that, despite not being fluent in spanish, i have this strange intuition🧠 that “problema” means “problem” and “capitalismo” means “capitalism!”☝️ from there, i think🤔 i can put these words together to infer that this post says “the problem is capitalism!” 🤯🤯🤯 truly, this post transcends language!🙌
Everyone needs to learn sign language pls. Like whatever version is used in your country I encourage you to learn.
Not only will you be learning another language, but you'll be able to talk to other signers, D(d)eaf or not, and two people can communicate in loud places without needing to hear the other.
I'm hard of hearing and have such a difficult time with trying to hear others. I stopped wearing hearing aids because I got annoyed that even after about 18 years I still had a hard time distinguishing what hearies were saying.
I'm learning my country's sign language (ASL) but don't have any experienced signers to practice with. I really hope more people learn these languages (and the history of said languages).
And sign is also helpful with neurodivergent people and babies aswell!
Outsiders are not not saving a language by learning it.
While I’m personally grateful services like Tribalingual exist, creating some academic access to Indigenous languages, particularly for Indigenous diaspora (if they can afford it), I’m extremely dubious of the notion that a outsiders learning an Indigenous language is somehow “saving” it. There was a testimonial from some white American girl learning Ainu itak, and she spoke of it as if she were collecting some rare Pokemon card before it went out of print or something, framing it in typical dying Native rhetoric. What is she going to do with Ainu itak, except as some obscure lingual trophy?
If you want to save a language, save the people.
Language means nothing without history and culture breathing life into it, and in turn we are disconnected from our history and ancestors without it. Support Indigenous quality of life, ACCESS to quality education, quality health services (mental and physical), land and subsistence rights, CLEAN DRINKING WATER, advocate against police brutality and state violence, DEMAND ACTION FOR MISSING AND MURDERED INDIGENOUS WOMEN.
Damn, if you really want to “save the language” pay for an Indigenous person’s classes for them to reconnect to their mother tongues. I’m not saying outsiders shouldn’t learn languages they’re invited to learn, but don’t pretend like you learning conversational Ainu itak is saving it from extinction.
What is Black American Sign Language? 🤟🏾
