Radio Omniglot

• Ndemli, a Grassfields language spoken in the Littoral Region in the southwest of Cameroon.
• Johor Malay, a Malayic language spoken in the state of Johor in the south of the Malay Peninsula.

New constructed script: Avo, an alternative way to write English invented by Toonmaker.

New constructed script: Faciagram, an alternative script for English invented by Toonmaker and based on facial expressions.

This week is travelled to China to visit friends. I’m staying in Zhaoqing (肇庆) in Guangdong Province in the south of the country, and plan to stay here until January next year. You can find out more about my experiences in China Adventures on the Omniglot blog. This is why there isn’t as much new material as usual due to the Great Firewall of China.

There’s no language quiz this week as it seems difficult to find suitable recordings here due to internet restrictions. The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Tuparí, a Tupian language spoken mainly in the state of Rondônia in the North Region of Brazil.

Improved page: Shanghainese phrases page

For more Omniglot News, see:
https://www.omniglot.com/news/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/omniglot/
https://www.facebook.com/Omniglot-100430558332117

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• Kwaʼ (Bakwa’), a Bamileke language spoken in the southwest of Cameroon.
• Ndau (ChiNdau), a Bantu language spoken mainly in Mozambique, Zimbabwe and South Africa.
• Ndonga (OshiNdonga), a Bantu language spoken mainly in the north of Namibia, and also in southern Angola.
• Arammba (Aramba), a Tonda language spoken in the Morehead area in the Western Province of Papua New Guinea.

New numbers pages:

• Ndonga (OshiNdonga), a Bantu language spoken in northern Namibia and southern Angola.
• Arammba (Aramba), a Tonda language spoken in the Morehead area in the Western Province of Papua New Guinea.

New Tower of Babel translation: Ndau (ChiNdau)

New constructed script: Enjay, an alternative way to write English invented by Toonmaker.

New adapted script: Thaana-Wayuu (ތާނަ ޥަޔޫ), was devised by Pablo Villa Uhia as a way to write Wayuu, an Arawakan language spoken in Venezuela and Colombia, with the Thaana script, as used for the Maldivian language.

On the Omniglot blog this week there’s a new post entitled A Complete Canard!, which looks at the various meanings of the word canard in French and English, and there’s the usual Language Quiz. See if you can guess what language this is:

Here’s a clue: this language is spoken in the northwest of Brazil.

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Goral (Górolski), a West Slavic language (or dialect) spoken in southern Poland, northern Slovakia and northeastern Czechia.

In this week’s Adventure in Etymology, Burning Focus, we focus on what links the words focus, fuel, focaccia and curfew.

It’s also available on Instagram and TikTok.

On the Celtiadur blog there’s a new post entitled Nettles about words for nettle and related things in Celtic languages.

In other news, I’m going to China in a few days after recording this news. I’ll be staying with friends in Zhaoqing / Shiuhing (肇庆), a city in Guangdong Province in the south of China for nearly two months. In preparation for this trip, I’ve been brushing up my Mandarin and Cantonese, and I’m sure I’ll have plenty of opportunities to use both languages while I’m there. I may visit other parts of China, and maybe nearby countries. I haven’t been to Zhaoqing before, but did spend a few months travelling in southern China back in 1991. It’s probably changed a little since then. I’ll try to keep Omniglot ticking over while I’m away, but may not have as much time as usual for that.

For more Omniglot News, see:
https://www.omniglot.com/news/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/omniglot/
https://www.facebook.com/Omniglot-100430558332117

You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn and Podchaser.

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

Focus [ˈfəʊ.kəs / ˈfoʊ.kəs] as a noun can mean:

• A point at which reflected or refracted rays of light converge.
• The quality of the convergence of light on the photographic medium.
• Something to which activity, attention or interest is primarily directed.

As an verb, focus can mean:

• To cause (rays of light, etc) to converge at a single point.
• To adjust (a lens, an optical instrument) in order to position an image with respect to the focal plane.
• To direct attention, effort, or energy to a particular audience or task.
• To concentrate one’s attention.

It comes from Latin focus (fireplace, hearth, brazier, house, family), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- (to shine), or from PIE *dʰegʷʰ- (to burn) [source].

Words from the same roots include fuoco (fire, torment) in Italian, feu (fire, lighter) in French, fogo (fire, house, family, flame) in Portuguese, φουφού (foufoú – brazier) in Greek, Fokus (focus) in German, and curfew in English [source].

The English word fuel, also comes from the same Latin root, via Middle English fewell (fuel), Old French fouaille (firewood, kindling), and f(o)u / foc (fire), and Late Latin focus (fire) [source].

The Italian flatbread, focaccia, also gets its name from the same roots, via Late Latin focācia, the plural of focācium (bread baked under ash), from (panis) focācius ((bread) of the hearth), as does hogaza (loaf) in Spanish and pogača (cake) in Slovenian [source].

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the Celtiadur blog.

• Kgalagadi (SheKgalagadi), a Southern Bantu language spoken mainly in the Kgalagadi and Gantsi districts in southern Botswana.
• Saluan (Bahasa Saluan), a Celebic language spoken in the east of Sulawesi in Indonesia.
• Humburi Senni (humburi ciini / هُمْبُرِ ٺِينِ‎), a Southern Songhay language spoken mainly in southern Mali, and also in Burkina Faso.

New constructed script: Azkarthelian (Azkarthe’elith), an abjad created by Murray Callahan for his conlang of the same name.

New numbers pages:

• Saluan (Bahasa Saluan), a Celebic language spoken in the east of Sulawesi in Indonesia.
• Wintu (winthu:h), a Wintuan language that was spoken in northern California in the USA, and which is being revived.
• Emilian-Romagnol (emiliân-rumagnol), a Romance language spoken mainly in northern Italy, and also in San Marino.
• Föhr (Fering), a variety of North Frisian spoken on the island of Föhr in the German region of North Frisia.

New family words page: Föhr (Fering), a variety of North Frisian spoken on the island of Föhr in the German region of North Frisia.

On the Omniglot blog this week we look into idioms that mean Better Safe Than Sorry and similar things in various languages, and there’s the usual Language Quiz. See if you can guess what language this is:

Here’s a clue: this language is spoken in Poland, Slovakia and Czechia.

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Bouyei (Haausqyaix), a northern Tai-Kaidai language spoken mainly in southern China, and also in northern Vietnam.

In this week’s Adventure in Etymology, we investigate the origins of the word Cardinal, and find out what it has to do with hinges and a Roman goddess.

It’s also available on Instagram and TikTok.

On the Celtiadur blog there’s a new post entitled What? about words for what? which? who? where? and related things in Celtic languages.

I also made improvements to the North Frisian language page.

For more Omniglot News, see:
https://www.omniglot.com/news/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/omniglot/
https://www.facebook.com/Omniglot-100430558332117

You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn and Podchaser.

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

As an adjective, cardinal [ˈkɑː.dɪ.nəl / ˈkɑɹdɪnəl] can mean:

• Of fundamental importance, e.g. a cardinal rule.
• Of or relating to the cardinal directions (north, south, east and west).
• Describing a “natural” number used to indicate quantity (eg 1, 2, 3, 4, etc), as opposed to an ordinal number indicating relative position (1st, 2nd 3rd, etc).
• Having a bright red colour (from the colour of a Catholic cardinal’s cassock).

As an noun, cardinal can mean:

• One of the officials appointed by the pope in the Roman Catholic Church, ranking only below the pope, equal to the patriarchs, constituting the special college which elects the pope.
• Any of various species of New-World passerine songbird in the genus Cardinalis, so called because of their red plumage.
• A deep red colour, somewhat less vivid than scarlet, the traditional colour of a Catholic cardinal’s cassock.

It comes from Middle French cardinal ([Catholic] cardinal), from Latin cardinālis (pertaining to a door hinge, principal, chief, cardinal), from cardō (hinge, socket, turning point, critical moment of action), possibly from Ancient Greek κράδη (krádē, twig, spray, swing, crane in the drama) or from PIE *(s)kerd- (to move, sway, swing, jump) [source].

Words from the same roots include cardinal (important, paramount, cardinal) and charière (hinge, joint, turning point) in French, cardine (hinge, pivot, support, cornerstone) in Italian, and corddyn (pivot, hinge) and possibly cerdded (to walk) in Welsh [source].

Cardea, the Roman goddess of hinges and families, also got her name from the same roots [source]. She kept evil spirits from crossing the threshold of houses and protected the family and children inside More information about Cardea.

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the Celtiadur blog.