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Day: January 9, 2016

Will artificial languages help me with anything?

By: | Post date: 2016-01-09 | Comments: No Comments
Posted in categories: Artificial Languages

Will they improve my thinking, logic, though process or my communication skills or understanding? All language learning does, and so do artificial languages. I’d argue that you get to some of the interesting aspects of language learning—such as different approaches to semantics—quicker than you would learning natural languages. OTOH, there are some aspects of natural […]

Why does the Old Testament (in the English versions) use Greek names instead of Hebrew names?

By: | Post date: 2016-01-09 | Comments: No Comments
Posted in categories: Ancient Greek, English, Linguistics

Well, this won’t sound pleasant, but: The normative version(s) of English, as with most European languages, are culturally influenced by Christianity more than other religions. (Jewish Englishes will in fact use Hebrew names, just as Yiddish does. But standard English unsurprisingly uses Christian forms.) Christian knowledge of the Hebrew Scriptures was mediated through the Septuagint, […]

What is a feminine diminutive?

By: | Post date: 2016-01-09 | Comments: 2 Comments
Posted in categories: English, Linguistics

A diminutive is “a word which has been modified to convey a slighter degree of its root meaning, to convey the smallness of the object or quality named, or to convey a sense of intimacy or endearment”: Diminutive . Well done there, Wikipedia. So not so much an element of speech, but a modification of […]