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Day: August 25, 2016

Why isn’t there a single Modern Latin language like Modern Greek?

By: | Post date: 2016-08-25 | Comments: No Comments
Posted in categories: Latin, Linguistics

How many months ago did you A2A me this, Zeibura S. Kathau? I’ve been clearing out my backlog. The question really is not why isn’t there a Single Modern Latin, but why is there a Single Modern Greek. Actually, there is not a single Modern Hellenic language. Under no linguistically informed notion of language is […]

Why does the definition of one word recall other n words and m definitions?

By: | Post date: 2016-08-25 | Comments: No Comments
Posted in categories: General Language, Linguistics

The question is somewhat opaque, but OP is getting to the question of, why is the definition of a word such a complex, and potentially circular, graph of links to other definitions. Your original question, OP, was in fact about circularity. The answer is: Dictionary definitions aren’t particularly concerned about rigour or non-circularity: you’re assumed […]

Why are the generic male endings -er and -or accepted as gender neutral but -man isn’t?

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Posted in categories: English, Linguistics

The archaicness of -trix is indeed very very relevant to the topic. I agree with Jason Whyte’s answer, I’ll just elaborate on it. In the past of English, gendering was overt, and feminine actor suffixes were quite marked. –er was masculine and had a –ress counterpart; –or was masculine and had a –trix counterpart; –man […]

What is the Origin of idiolect?

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Posted in categories: General Language, Linguistics

If you’re asking about the etymology of idiolect: idio-: from Greek idios “particular, individual”. Cf. idiosyncrasy, idiot (originally: private citizen, loner), idiom. -lect: back-formation from dia-lect, originally “something conversed about/in”, from dia “through” and lektos “spoken”. See: What are some examples of idiolects? How is an idiolect different from a sociolect? If you’re asking why […]

What is known about the symbols on the Arkalochori Axe (possibly a script)? Are there any attempts to decipher them?

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Posted in categories: Ancient Greek, Writing Systems

This question has been sitting, lonely and neglected, in my inbox for quite a while. I’ll answer it so it can be out of my inbox. I don’t have any special knowledge about it, but: Cretan hieroglyphs is a superset of Arkalochori and Phaistos; it also includes a bunch of seals. The latest published corpus […]

Is the use of the word “niggardly” acceptable and politically correct?

By: | Post date: 2016-08-25 | Comments: 1 Comment
Posted in categories: English, Linguistics

There’s several perspectives one can take on the whole sorry-ass saga of niggardly, on which as always see Controversies about the word “niggardly”. There’s the perspective of the linguist, the language-lover, the activist, and the anti-American. The Anti-American first, so I can get it off my chest: Christ, I’m glad I don’t live in your […]