Reading time: 5-10 minutes For this month, I’d like to shine an etymological spotlight on a humble bit of English vocabulary, which, at first glance, you wouldn’t give a second thought. As this post’s title implies, the everyday word in question is path. What, I hear you cry, is so special about path? It’s aContinue reading “The Path of ‘Path’”
Tag Archives: Indo-European
Prehistoric Syntax and Public Linguistics with Jackson Crawford
A personal bit of news: a return to rambling enthusiastically on YouTube! I’ve another rare appearance in visual format, as I was delighted to be invited back by Dr Jackson Crawford for a second interview with him and his Patreon supporters. Last time, it was all about etymology; this time, I got to talk veryContinue reading “Prehistoric Syntax and Public Linguistics with Jackson Crawford”
The Fates of the Dual
The Story of Indo-European‘s (Mostly) Lost Number Reading time: 10 minutes Introduction One book, many books. One cat, many cats. One woman, many women. One sheep, many… well, also sheep. In Modern English, the grammatical options for nouns are limted to two. A given noun can be singular, referring to one individual thing, or plural,Continue reading “The Fates of the Dual”
Christmas Trees and Etymologies
Reading time: 5 minutes As an etymological Christmas gift from me for 2023, here’s a quick dive into the story and connections of one festive word: the humble Christmas tree. Now, Modern English tree goes back to Old English trēow, which could mean a specific tree or the substance of wood. … Ġeseah iċ wuldres trēow,wǣdum ġeweorðode, wynnum sċīnan,ġeġyred mid golde; ġimmas hæfdonbewriġene weorðlīċeContinue reading “Christmas Trees and Etymologies”
Digging Old Irish
Reading time: 15-20 minutes Old Irish has a bit of a bad reputation. This historical form of the Irish language, dated to between c. 600 AD and c. 900 AD, is a challenge for learners, even for those who already know some Modern Irish. Its systems of spelling, sounds, word order and grammar are veryContinue reading “Digging Old Irish”
Cheat Your Way to Czech II: Learning (and Loving) the Lexicon
Reading time: 10 – 15 minutes For many people, myself definitely included, the most difficult part of learning a new language is the vocabulary. There’s just always so much of it and, unlike grammar, I find it hard to condense down into learnable bites. The world is full of things, so language is full ofContinue reading “Cheat Your Way to Czech II: Learning (and Loving) the Lexicon”
Danny L. Bate 