Written English over time by Colin Gorrie

 

Did not stop me from thinking I was having a stroke at first glance though.

Girl, boy, whomever...

Because someone does this, here in #languages

An update for 2025

Hello yes we still exist and haven't gone away! 

We just forgot to post on here, for the last ten years. 
But please drop by and say hello if you like with your IRC client and joining the #languages channel. Or via webchat on https://chat.undernet.org/

One feature kindly provided by eggdrop host  DALEK2402 ran by khuylo is the ability to access the catAPI and bring a picture of a cat to you. Simply type !chat in the channel for this. So you can enjoy your caturday (or chatmedi in French) here.

I can't even?

Stumbled across this little text discussing the development of "internet English" as a dialect. Viewing it as a rapidly emerging dialect or own language.

02:50 < Delano-> I see you still retain a working knowledge of Afrikaans
02:52 < slowjames> ja hoor, ek sit en ek drink rooibos

Finnish! (Reblogged/swiped from tumblr)

What do you mean Finnish is difficult?

• English: A dog
• Swedish: What
• English: The dog
• English: Two dogs
• Swedish:
• Swedish:
• Swedish: En hund, hunden
• Swedish: Två hundar, hundarna
• German:
• English: No, go away
• Swedish: No one invited you
• German: Der Hund
• English: I said go away
• German: Ein Hund, zwei Hunde
• Swedish: Stop it
• German: Den Hund, einen Hund, dem Hund, einem Hund, des Hundes, eines Hundes, den Hunden, der Hunden
• Finnish: Sup
• English: NO
• Swedish: NO
• German: NO
• Finnish:
• English:
• German:
• Swedish:
• Finnish: Koira, koiran, koiraa, koiran again, koirassa, koirasta, koiraan, koiralla, koiralta, koiralle, koirana, koiraksi, koiratta, koirineen, koirin
• German:
• Swedish:
• Finnish:
• English:
• Finnish: Aaaand... koirasi, koirani, koiransa, koiramme, koiranne, koiraani, koiraasi, koiraansa, koiraamme, koiraanne, koirassani, koirassasi, koirassansa, koirassamme, koirassanne, koirastani, koirastasi, koirastansa, koirastamme, koirastanne, koirallani, koirallasi, koirallansa, koirallamme, koirallanne, koiranani, koiranasi, koiranansa, koiranamme, koirananne, koirakseni, koiraksesi, koiraksensa, koiraksemme, koiraksenne, koirattani, koirattasi, koirattansa, koirattamme, koirattanne, koirineni, koirinesi, koirinensa, koirinemme, koirinenne
• English:
• Swedish:
• German:
• Finnish: Wait! then theres koirakaan, koirankaan, koiraakaan, koirassakaan, koirastakaan, koiraankaan, koirallakaan, koiraltakaan, koirallekaan, koiranakaan, koiraksikaan, koirattakaan, koirineenkaan, koirinkaan, koirako, koiranko, koiraako, koirassako, koirastako, koiraanko, koirallako, koiraltako, koiralleko, koiranako, koiraksiko, koirattako, koirineenko, koirinko, koirasikaan, koiranikaan, koiransakaan, koirammekaan, koirannekaan, koiraanikaan, koiraasikaan, koiraansakaan, koiraammekaan, koiraannekaan, koirassanikaan, koirassasikaan, koirassansakaan, koirassammekaan, koirassannekaan, koirastanikaan, koirastasikaan, koirastansakaan, koirastammekaan, koirastannekaan, koirallanikaan, koirallasikaan, koirallansakaan, koirallammekaan, koirallannekaan, koirananikaan, koiranasikaan, koiranansakaan, koiranammekaan, koiranannekaan, koiraksenikaan, koiraksesikaan, koiraksensakaan, koiraksemmekaan, koiraksennekaan, koirattanikaan, koirattasikaan, koirattansakaan, koirattammekaan, koirattannekaan, koirinenikaan, koirinesikaan, koirinensakaan, koirinemmekaan, koirinennekaan, koirasiko, koiraniko, koiransako, koirammeko, koiranneko, koiraaniko, koiraasiko, koiraansako, koiraammeko, koiraanneko, koirassaniko, koirassasiko, koirassansako, koirassammeko, koirassanneko, koirastaniko, koirastasiko, koirastansako, koirastammeko, koirastanneko, koirallaniko, koirallasiko, koirallansako, koirallammeko, koirallanneko, koirananiko, koiranasiko, koiranansako, koiranammeko, koirananneko, koirakseniko, koiraksesiko, koiraksensako, koiraksemmeko, koiraksenneko, koirattaniko, koirattasiko, koirattansako, koirattammeko, koirattanneko, koirineniko, koirinesiko, koirinensako, koirinemmeko, koirinenneko, koirasikaanko, koiranikaanko, koiransakaanko, koirammekaanko, koirannekaanko, koiraanikaanko, koiraasikaanko, koiraansakaanko, koiraammekaanko, koiraannekaanko, koirassanikaanko, koirassasikaanko, koirassansakaanko, koirassammekaanko, koirassannekaanko, koirastanikaanko, koirastasikaanko, koirastansakaanko, koirastammekaanko, koirastannekaanko, koirallanikaanko, koirallasikaanko, koirallansakaanko, koirallammekaanko, koirallannekaanko, koirananikaanko, koiranasikaanko, koiranansakaanko, koiranammekaanko, koiranannekaanko, koiraksenikaanko, koiraksesikaanko, koiraksensakaanko, koiraksemmekaanko, koiraksennekaanko, koirattanikaanko, koirattasikaanko, koirattansakaanko, koirattammekaanko, koirattannekaanko, koirinenikaanko, koirinesikaanko, koirinensakaanko, koirinemmekaanko, koirinennekaanko, koirasikokaan, koiranikokaan, koiransakokaan, koirammekokaan, koirannekokaan, koiraanikokaan, koiraasikokaan, koiraansakokaan, koiraammekokaan, koiraannekokaan, koirassanikokaan, koirassasikokaan, koirassansakokaan, koirassammekokaan, koirassannekokaan, koirastanikokaan, koirastasikokaan, koirastansakokaan, koirastammekokaan, koirastannekokaan, koirallanikokaan, koirallasikokaan, koirallansakokaan, koirallammekokaan, koirallannekokaan, koirananikokaan, koiranasikokaan, koiranansakokaan, koiranammekokaan, koiranannekokaan, koiraksenikokaan, koiraksesikokaan, koiraksensakokaan, koiraksemmekokaan, koiraksennekokaan, koirattanikokaan, koirattasikokaan, koirattansakokaan, koirattammekokaan, koirattannekokaan, koirinenikokaan, koirinesikokaan, koirinensakokaan, koirinemmekokaan, koirinennekokaan
• Swedish:
• German:
• English: Okay, now you're just making things up!
• Finnish:
• Finnish: And now the plural forms...

polyamory is wrong! in T-shirt form

Podcast: History of the English Language

This podcast is a history one rather than a linguistics one, but he does go into a lot of etymology. It is made by an amateur and sometimes that is very noticeable, but IMO he does make a fair effort and I have found every single episode interesting so far. (Although one or two I was mostly incensed because he said stuff like "arctic animals like penguins" which is point-and-laugh material.) Overall though, I like it and can recommend it, and one of the things that really please me is how he brings up the different views held by various sources. Of course I keep going off on mental sidetracks connecting things he say to other Germanic languages while listening, but that just means more fun, eh?

Available on the homepage linked below, i-tunes, and probably a few more places.

http://historyofenglishpodcast.com/

Quiz time!

http://greatlanguagegame.com
Are you a polyglot? This game will play audio clips and you get to guess what the language is.  Includes 70 languages.

pronunciation differentials across USA

http://www.businessinsider.com/22-maps-that-show-the-deepest-linguistic-conflicts-in-america-2013-6

a few weird concentrated areas

Is texting killing language?

TED talk about text-speak - worth a look! 

Phony grammar rules

Do you buy into the rule that you cannot end your sentence with a preposition, shouldn't put an adverb between to and your infinitive, and that starting a sentence with a conjunction will bring the rage of the grammar fascists down upon you? If the answer to all these are yes, you might also have felt on more than one occasion that your language is sounding rather.. unnatural, jerky, stilted. Why? Because the rules are phony. 

Read more (external source)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20953138

 Silbo gomero: A whistling language revived

On a Spanish island, an ancient whistling language that once seemed to be dying out is now undergoing a revival.

You thought Scandinavian had many vowels?

What initially fascinated me about the Navajo language was the composite words (let me get back to that later).

But the vowel list was almost as captivating - or what do you think?

List from Gomyson.com 

Would you come out?

16:51 < natsu> Warum bist du gehidingen?!?
16:51 < natsu> Kom outen, kom outen, wherever du bisten!

A Horror For Any Linguistic Purist to Behold, in Any Language, Anywhere

TEXT SPELLZ

Channel Drama

12:37 < natsu> echo hi
12:39 < natsu> echo Bzzt!
12:39 < natsu> echo Bzzt!
12:39 < natsu> echo Bzzt!
12:39 < natsu> echo Bzzt!
12:39 < natsu> echo Bzzt!
12:39 < natsu> echo Bzzt!
12:39 < natsu> echo Bzzt!
12:39 < natsu> echo Bzzt!
12:39 < natsu> echo Bzzt!
12:39 < Silme> calm down.
12:39 < natsu> echo Bzzt!
12:39 < natsu> echo Bzzt!
12:39 < natsu> echo Bzzt!
12:39 < natsu> echo Bzzt!
12:39 < natsu> echo Bzzt!
12:39 < natsu> echo Bzzt!
12:39 < natsu> echo Bzzt!
12:39 < natsu> echo Bzzt!
12:39 < natsu> echo Bzzt!
12:39 < natsu> echo Bzzt!
12:39 < natsu> echo Bzzt!
12:39 < natsu> echo Bzzt!
12:40 < natsu> Sorry
12:40 < natsu> I was testing something and it went nuts.

A while later: 

12:47 < natsu> I think I've accidentally put the whole channel on /ignore :/
12:47 < natsu> Sorry, Silme, I won't be able to see any of your text until I fix this.

....life just wouldn't be the same without talvi :) 

Dictionaries...

"Dictionaries are always fun, but not always reassuring."
                                                                                          M.F.K. Fisher

Clinton Deploys Vowels to Bosnia

Another amusing piece, this time focusing on the "lack" of vowels in Bosnia. (Bosnian, btw, is more or less just a dialect of Serbo-Croatian.)  It's an oldie but goodie. Originally it was on The Onion, but even after digging a little bit, I couldn't find it. So I had to use another link for your reading pleasure.


Clinton Deploys Vowels to Bosnia