#Linguistics Interest

[tricornonthecob]

This is an odd question I guess but its bugging my hyperfixating brain: from what I understand, the period dialect of 18th century British North America would more likely contract "it is" to "'tis," instead of "it's," which is the default for a 21st century ear. I don't actually know how certain this is, though - human language is soft and pliable over time and no one group of people follow anything strictly, and how certain are we, anyway, that this would be a "correct" way to reconstruct the dialect?

Anyway, I'd like to write spoken grammar and cadence to be more period-accurate in my fanfics, but I do understand that going all-in on it risks making the dialogue sound contrived, which is, in my opinion, a greater sin than a little bit of anachronism in my contractions. The mortal sin of Can't Relate against the venial sin of A Little Bit Not Correct.

Anyway tl;dr what do y'all think?

[nibmoss]

[scribefindegil]

As much as I adore conlangs, I really like how the Imperial Radch books handle language. The book is entirely in English but you're constantly aware that you're reading a "translation," both of the Radchaai language Breq speaks as default, and also the various other languages she encounters. We don't hear the words but we hear her fretting about terms of address (the beloathed gendering on Nilt) and concepts that do or don't translate (Awn switching out of Radchaai when she needs a language where "citizen," "civilized," and "Radchaai person" aren't all the same word) and noting people's registers and accents. The snatches of lyrics we hear don't scan or rhyme--even, and this is what sells it to me, the real-world songs with English lyrics, which get the same "literal translation" style as everything else--because we aren't hearing the actual words, we're hearing Breq's understanding of what they mean. I think it's a cool way to acknowledge linguistic complexity and some of the difficulties of multilingual/multicultural communication, which of course becomes a larger theme when we get to the plot with the Presgar Translators.

[lonepower]

my dad and I just finished listening to a fascinating (and really pretty alarming) podcast about American literacy education recently—Sold a Story by Emily Hanford—and it got me wondering what my peers’ experience was, so here's my first poll! This pertains to people who learned to read in the U.S. specifically, so even if one of the other options matches your experience, I'd politely ask you to refrain from picking one (presumably you guys have better school districts than we do anyway). 

(the most horrifying part out of the entire thing was the fact that dubbya was the one to realize something was wrong. even a broken clock, I guess...?)

[aiteanngaelach]

[Image ID: a response from rondlebocht which reads "@aiteanngaelach also hiberno English takes a lot of words and influence from yola (language once spoken in wexford) such as the word quare (meaning very, not to be confused with queer, meaning strange(in reference to hiberno English)) and yoke. It's a completely dead language but has still drastically shaped how wexford (and ireland) still speak :)" end ID]

@rondlebocht this is so incredibly interesting I can't believe I've never heard of this language?

It sounds so beautiful, it's a pity it's not spoken anymore

[coquelicoq]

what i like especially about the pronouns in the goblin emperor is that this language doesn't just have the T-V distinction (aka informal vs. formal second-person pronouns, in this case 'thou' vs. 'you'), it also has informal and formal first-person pronouns. having BOTH of these distinctions in the same language lets you fine-tune your tone by mixing and matching. with only one axis of formality, when you use informal pronouns, are you being familiar in an intimate way, or in an insolent or dismissive way? when you use formal pronouns, are you being polite or standoffish? you can't tell just from the pronouns; there's ambiguity. but a language where you can use a formal first-person pronoun in the same sentence as an informal second-person pronoun allows you to distance yourself (via the formal first) while also being familiar (via the informal second), thereby achieving the conversational tenor known to linguists as Fuck Thee Specifically.

[ariadne-mouse]

Sorrowlord Zathuda: the child will learn

Corellon: the children will learn

[visualtaehyun]

Love Sea 🌊 is here and I'm being so normal about it! Entirely normal! Totally didn't already write half an essay on pronoun predictions back when the intro trailer came out or anything haha...

This is gonna be a bit meandering because it's partly my chronological notes and partly me trying to gather similar things into one category so please excuse the chaotic nature of this post lol

Disclaimer: not a native Thai speaker, still learning 🙏

Overworked secretary Mook is already my favorite 😂 She's adorable and clumsy and clearly thinks way too much! The way she frustratedly strikes through 'high voice' on her 30-step-script/plan I LOVE HER

Sidenote: I see why Vi and Rak are besties, she's such a schemester omg ViMook are gonna be an excellent side couple! It's also such a delight to see Aya in a completely different role from Wa in Wedding Plan. :>

Back to Mook's desk though- We know that BossNoeul are gonna have a cameo as themselves during the book fair Mook mentions on the phone because we've seen them with the "Boy Next World" novel in the trailer-

So let's take a look at Rak's manuscripts:

1) "Love Sand" - which is the novel that Connor and his boyfriend Khom, played by Pentor in Love Sea, are from! 2) "Test Love" - specifically, the illustration looks to be from the special novel and the middle couple, Ryu and Sun. We know them from Wedding Plan because none other than Forth, who plays Palm in Love Sea, played Sun:

Since I'm talking about him already- Palm saying ขอนั่งนะ /khaaw nang na/ (= Can I sit?) as he's literally already gettin comfy?? djshshjs this kid is so- fucking- nonchalant? overly casual? (in his speech too) it's hilarious! Also, I'm not sure if he's the best or the worst wingman ever lmao

แล้วถ้าเกิดที่นี่มีดีสุดแค่เนี้ย พี่ก็ไม่อยากได้ที่เหลือเหมือนกัน /laaeo thaa geert thee nee mee dee soot kaae niia, phi gaaw mai yaak dai thee leuua meuuan gan/ = If the best this place has to offer is just this then I don't want the rest either. -> I love and appreciate MMY's translator but it's entirely implication if he means the drink, the bar or Mahasamut

When Mut asked if Connor's talking about a person or dog and Connor said Rak is more like a cat which he'll see once he meets him, Mut texted:

/khun Connor phuut meuuan pom rap liiang laaeo/ = You say that like I've already adopted him/agreed to raise him.

And the word เลี้ยง /liiang/ comes up several times then-

This one's subbed as 'take for a walk' but it's actually เลี้ยง /liiang/ again, not that Rak understands a single word anyway when Mut's speaking Southern dialect lmao Sidenote: His dialect isn't even that strong btw, especially compared to some of the folks he interacted with at the beginning of the episode. Mut and Connor are just clearly pulling one over on Rak lmao I couldn't stop laughing at Mut keeping on pulling out the dialect to get on city boy Rak's nerves! Similarly, I love that Rak clearly underestimates Mut at first and thinks he's a huge idiot and country bumpkin, even trying to manipulate Mut with his body, meanwhile Mut plays his part so well 😂

... as well as the cat/pet implication:

He actually said 'brush your fur' lol

Here we've got an idiom that got lost in translation cause it wouldn't make sense:

หลงตัวเอง ผีเจาะปากมาพูด* /lohng dtuua eng. phee jaw bpaak maa phuut/ = So full of yourself/such a narcissist. You sure like hearing yourself talk*. -> *it's an idiom that literally translates to 'a ghost pierced your mouth to make you talk' and describes someone who talks endlessly ผีอะไรมันจะหล่อขนาดนี้คุณ /phee a rai man ja laaw khanaat nee, khun/ = What ghost would be this handsome?

Lastly- the seagull laugh after Rak trips on the beach is so. fucking. funny!

[defectivegembrain]

Sometimes having a special interest is just like no I can't coherently explain why but an Old English definite article inflection table is a holy relic to me can't you feel the utter serenity when you look at it

[tricornonthecob]

Observation that nobody asked for time!

When doing all the soft research I've done for writing in 18th cent dialect, I've noticed a quirk in my own accent/dialect.

It's a broadly north american dialect, with a touch of southeastern and a helping of Maryland/tidewater. But when speaking fast or informally/relaxed, I sometimes pronounce "you" as "ye." As in "yeh" (or sometimes "ya") not "yeee." so then:

"you've got something on your face," (which I might pronounce fully if I'm actually trying to speak clearly/speaking with a stranger)

becomes "yehv got somethin' on yeh face," or, if I'm VERY chill, "y'got sum'in' on y'face."

I guess the problem I have is when transcribing that, and when I apply it to my fics when I think it might be appropriate, I really, REALLY want to use "ye" and not "yeh" because it looks/reads easier, (and in practice that "h" isn't actually there, which makes it so so so easy to cram it into other words like above,) but I'm assuming most people will read it as yeee and not yeh.

...I don't know where I was going with this but yeah. Actual linguists of tumblr, pipe in.

[he-is-lightning-in-a-bottle]

They both have such cute names!

당 = Tang = Nickname for Sugar and used at the end of words to cute-ify them.

난감 = Nan Gam = Embarrassed. Impossible. Awkward. Because you're at a loss, in a sticky situation, or facing a conundrum, a paradox. His full name Jang Nan Gam means Toy, and can sometimes be slang for 'Are you playing with me?".

It's no wonder Detective Jang said he felt a kinship with Lee Tang because of their awkward names and that he became a cop so people would take him seriously.

These two are made for each other.

[syn4k]

okay so after asking a younger friend of mine for the meaning of some more common gen alpha terms and lingo, here's what i've been able to pick up on so far:

gyatt/gyat: fat ass, large butt. evolved from the phrase "god damn" -> "ge-yott damn" (drawing out the vowels in god and adding a t at the end for extra emphasis) -> "gyatt damn" (vowel sound evolving to be pronounced more like "bat") -> somehow transformed into a noun referring to one's butt somehow

alpha: does NOT refer to the omegaverse, although its origin similarly refers to the leader wolf in a pack. is an adjetive which refers to someone who is generally well respected or powerful; positive term, is a compliment

sigma: a modifier placed in front of nouns that emphasizes them in a way i don't quite understand yet, i.e "sigma male." seems to be used in somewhat the same way as "very" or "extremely" but for nouns instead of verbs or adjetives?

rizz: one's ability to successfully flatter a romantic interest or get them interested in them. i KNOW there is a synonym of this that's more commonly known (for example smooth, slick) but i can't find a 1:1 comparison or equivalent word anywhere so i'll get back to this one later. positive term; is a compliment

rizzler: related to above; is essentially someone who is very good at pulling bitches. very positive term; compliment. the "-ler" suffix is the same as the Onceler which is why i was able to pick up on this one instantly, i wonder if that's where they got the idea from

skibidi: adjetive. HIGHLY contextual word that can either be positive or negative when referring to someone, but seems to be mostly used neutrally to positively. indicates that the subject's actions is or would be positively received within Gen Alpha spaces? can also be used as a noun in very specific cases (i.e "and that's on skibidi"). refers to the popular animated YTP series Skibidi Toilet. (note: the full phrase "skibidi toilet" when used as an adjetive seems to be pretty negative, mostly due to the emotions associated with toilets.)

fanum tax: referring to the influencer Fanum, who jokingly stole/steals food from their friends on stream. similar concept as the sibling tax or parent tax, in which a family member snatches food off of your plate and is allowed to because they're related to you. i'm pretty sure this phrase can also be used to refer to jokingly snatching all manner of things from people you're close to, not just food. despite being commonly associated with them, a lot of gen alphas don't actually know what this one means either, so i had to do some digging on Urban Dictionary to figure it out. noun; neutral. (something i find interesting about this phrase specifically is that in it, the name Fanum has been turned into a simple noun, like how people will say "googling it" when referring to looking something up on the Internet.)

i spent like twenty minutes writing this out hope it helps someone! if anyone has corrections or comments, feel free to add :]

[kujakumai]

rereading yugioh while outlining a transfem atem au and just realized that bakura is not an egyptian name. so like. did thief king just steal bakura's name for himself. is the thief king also nameless. what the fuck is going on with bakura??? i humbly ask you this because the wiki is making me want to tear my hair out and you are the person i trust most will all yugioh takes forever

anyway fistbump to you fellow gravekeeper player. we stan anti-meta and giggling when the graveyard is locked down amen

The general consensus is that KT indeed intended his name to actually be Bakura and it's a coincidence. There's a couple posts floating around which transcribe it into hieroglyphs to get some pretty on-point meanings. The alternative option would be to suggest that TKB's name was lost and Atem's memories are just shoving in the known placeholder, but I don't know there's a ton of evidence for that. I think his name is just Bakura.

It's worth noting that Karim and Mahad aren't ancient Egyptian names either, as far as I know they're both Arabic-derived names about 2000 years before the Arab conquest of Egypt. And if it wasn't planned, KT just got really lucky with Set(o). From what I understand based on what Japanese speakers have said, there are several character names in Yugioh that are sort of bizarre and don't make a ton of sense as written names at all (Mokuba primarily, but I've also been told that the way "Ryou" is written is really weird?) so I don't think "KT gave this character a weird or ahistorical name" is necessarily a reason to believe that name is inaccurate.

So. Yeah his name is probably Bakura and yeah that's weird but when it comes to naming characters KT just followed his heart. Also ty I have been playing this evil stall/mill deck for a while but I should go back to gravekeepers for a bit just for fun again

[chiropteracupola]

going through a pile of papers and found Him...

[canisalbus]

what part of italy are machete and vasco from? not their birthplace since from what i've seen you're still workshopping that. where do they live? i assume rome?

In the 1500's setting Vasco lives and was born in Florence, his family has lived there for centuries. Machete was born in Sicily, was taken to Naples to serve as an apprentice and ended up living and working in Rome (and more specifically today's Vatican city, which as you may know has been an independent country since 1929 but wasn't back then). They first met when they were both studying in Venice in their late teens/early twenties.

I think in the modern au they live together somewhere in Florence.