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Category: Linguistics
What is the etymology of Limassol, the English version of the Cypriot city ‘Lemesos’?
I don’t know. I’ll build on Sid Kemp’s answer, and to use what online resources tell me. Nemesos is used by Sophronius of Jerusalem (7th century), Anna Komnene (11th century), and the Byzantine lists of bishops. Lemesos is used by Leontios Machairas (15th century), and the vernacular Byzantine chronicles (15th century). The Turkish forms are […]
What are some signs of Venetian and Genovese influence in the Greek islands (and Cyprus)?
Not aware of any Russian influence; 7 years was short, and I’m not aware that the Russian presence was substantial. The British did leave behind ginger beer and cricket. Venetian and Genoese influence that I know of includes: Substantial Italian, Venetian and Genoese lexicon in the dialects of the Greek islands. When my grandmother told […]
Why is the Ancient Greek verb ὀράω so horribly irregular?
https://www.quora.com/How-irregular-is-Ancient-Greek/answer/Joachim-Pense/comment/19063952: The question comes from an exchange Joachim Pense and I had about irregular verbs. My argument to him was that, if you know something about the history of Greek phonology, and factor in suppletion, the verbs do at least start to make some sense. Warning: if you don’t already know Ancient Greek, don’t bother […]
How do you say the word “owl” in Greek?
As Sokratis Di said, κουκουβάγια [kukuvaʝa] in Modern Greek. The proposed etymology is that it’s onomatopoeic, with kukuvau! the Modern Greek for “hoot! hoot!”, and Aristophanes’ ancient equivalent being kikkabaû! (“cry in imitation of the screech-owl’s note”). The Ancient Greek is γλαύξ, /glaúks/. The ancients guessed that it was derived from glaukos, “blue”, because of […]
What are some weird expressions?
Ahah. Let’s not bugger flies, you say? Follow me, Quorans, into the scatological riches of Greek adages, and some rather disturbing insights into traditional Greek notions of sex, power, and bodily functions. You’ve been warned. Έκανε η μύγα κώλο, κι έχεσε τον κόσμο όλο. “The fly has produced an arse, and has shat on the […]
What is the etymology of Istanbul?
Uncontroversially: from the Greek εις την Πόλιν [is tim polin], “to the City”—The City being the informal name of Constantinople in Greek, to this day. There is at least one similar Turkish placename: İstanköy is the Turkish for Kos (εις την Κω /is tin ko/). There are some uncertainties about why it ended up as […]
Why are deixis and seismic pronounced like that?
I referred to my wrong answer in Nick Nicholas’ answer to What is it like to be able to fluently speak Klingon?. The oddity is also commented on in Pedro Alvarez’s answer to What English word is pronounced the most differently from the way it is spelled? Here’s the deal, from the appendix to Vox […]
I want to be a linguist focusing on conserving languages. Should I do it?
What my betters have said, with both the pros and cons from Don Grushkin’s answer. Be aware of the following constraints: Don’t get too caught up in what language you work on. A friend of mine came to Australia to write a grammar of an Aboriginal language, any Aboriginal language. There’s 20 healthy languages left, […]
In Greek, how do you say “tasty”?
νόστιμος, /nostimos/. The etymology (yes, that’s what I do) is odd. The primary meaning of nostos, the word that nostimos is derived from, is “return”: it’s the word for Odysseus’ return to Ithaca. Wheat gives a rich return on investment, so nostos also means the yield of ground grain. Hence the adjective means “abundant”, referring […]
What is the correct pronunciation of “Chobani”?
The founder of Chobani is Turkish, and çoban is Turkish for “shepherd”. The final <i> is either decorative, or a link to Greek—which has borrowed the Turkish word as nominative tsopanis, oblique tsopani. Given çoban and tsopani, the intended pronunciation is presumably [tʃoˈbani], “choh-BAH-nee”. Answered 2016-04-29 [Originally posted on http://quora.com/What-is-the-correct-pronunciation-of-Chobani/answer/Nick-Nicholas-5]