The CBB

I've been slowly drafting the opening post for a thread on natural sign languages, trying to summarize everything I've learned so far, as well as listing some resources and such things. But it's already six pages - over 3000 words long. Is that too much? Not at all. As long you can keep things stra...

https://i.imgur.com/wOhuuyx.png Silvish L' est raro k' on boutta la kestyon : Nos̄tro-z enfan apren ? [lɛˈtʁɑːʁ kɔ̃ˈbu.ta lɑkˈstjɔ̃ŋ | nɔt.tʁo.zɛ̃ˈfɑ̃ŋ aˈpʁɛ̃ŋ] 3S be.3S rare SBRD PRO pose-3S DEF-ACC.F.C question | 1P.POS-M.C=PL child learn.3S :fra: French Il est rare qu'on pose la question : Nos e...

There's been some talk on the ZBB about turning the Index into a more comprehensive, complete, and accurate database via a custom web site. Figured I'd mention it here too and gauge the interest, if any, in this endeavor. Yes, please! I use the Index all the time, so I’d certainly appreciate any im...

These are all very good responses! I was frustrated how lots of my conlangs had combinations of features found in the real world and I wanted to have something a bit more diverse. What I didn’t want to do was stretch credulity past the breaking point Besides what everyone else has said, it’s helpfu...

Interestingly, Dua Lipa is British, yet she sings "dance my ass off" instead of "dance my arse off". Anyone else notice that? I’ve always taken it as /ɑːs/, which is what “arse” is supposed to represent for nonrhotic speakers. Also, a sad Bastille video called " Happier &qu...

https://www.facebook.com/Tyrannowhale/p ... 855328083/

— How do you tell the difference between a chemist and a plumber?
— Ask them to pronounce “unionized”.

The single palatal consonant will probably get a history added to explain it now that you've pointed that out. Would you think it would be more likely for it to be the only survivor of a sound change where the other palatals were lost, or picked up from another language? The first thing I'd ask is ...

However, the title translation is different from what is described in the first post. Isn't "Be my guest" an idiom for saying more or less like that? I'm looking for idioms for saying "OK, you can do it". Hmm, it's possible people's interpretations were colored by Fais comme che...

No One by Aly & AJ So I just noticed that this Disney movie tie-in song has a Plato reference in the bridge ("Your life plays out on the shadows of the wall/You turn the light on to erase it all/You wonder what it's like to not feel worthless/So open all the blinds and all the curtains&quo...

Did you ever do an in-depth post on the new orthography? I am stumbling across Silvish on here from time to time but the current orthography is still a mystery to me, no clue of what's going on [:P] So I'd kinda like to learn more about that I haven’t done a post yet. There are parts that are still...

Þë Geirischtüne dennen Geigeabanes (Día de los Muertos + Estreghthefght)! DEF.F.OBJ.SG <COLL>rise<PST.PTCP><NMLZ>OBJ.SG. DEF.M.GEN.PL <COLL>go<PTCP><PL>GEN Resurrection of the Dead (Día de los Muertos + Easter)! Se seulamen k' lo jhoù komencï avek un çhacï aûs kranyo en çoukkro ! [se.sø.laˈmɛ̃ŋ klə...

https://i.imgur.com/wOhuuyx.png Silvish Rapelesvou de çileu k' on a pardu. Boutê fin l' opresyon ! [ʁɑpˈlɛv.vu de.ʃiˈlø ko.ŋa.pɑˈdy | buˈtɛː ˈfɛ̃ŋ a.lo.pʁəˈsɔ̃ŋ] remember-IMP.2P-REFL.2P of DEM.PRO.PL REL PRO have.3S lose-PSTP.ACC.M.N | put-IMP.2P end to DEF oppression Remember those who we have los...

https://i.imgur.com/wOhuuyx.png Silvish Enfan : Kin k’ lo vyolo ? Pare : L’ es kan k’ una jhen, un ome d’ abetude, kuixisse on’ aûtra, una femella d’ abetude, k’ e d’ relasyon seksuala avek. Enfan : Kin k’ las relasyon seksuala ? Pare : L’ es kan k’ un ome boutasse son peniso dyen lui vajin d’ una ...

https://i.imgur.com/wOhuuyx.png Silvish speakers in the know would likely use the English acronym GIGO , approximating the English pronunciation with [ga.iˈgo]. For a more broadly understandable equivalent, there's this option: Ereu a l' entrava, ereu a la sortuva. [ʔəˈʁø ʔa.lɛ̃ˈtʁa.va | ʔəˈʁø ʔa.l...

Adapted liberally from this sign . How does your 'lang communicate closing for the night versus closing permanently? https://i.imgur.com/wOhuuyx.png Silvish Lo muzé euvre kan ke jho m' levesso y î fréma kan ke jho me dus koûçhé. Kan ke jh' en éyo pa desû li tes̄te, î fremarà pa de bon. [lo.myˈze ˈʔø...

A manuscript, of course! Jho pensavo la ves̄ma çhoza ! [ʒo.pɛ̃ˈsɑːv la.vɛm.maˈxo.za] I was thinking the same thing! [xD] Jh' e reçi un rapello de kalendré ki me di k' lo silvoi fes̄ta sous di-z an mezui. [ʒɛʁˈʃi y.ŋʁaˈpɛːl de.ka.lɛ̃ˈdʁe kimˈdi klo.siˈvu ˈfɛt.ta sud.diˈzɑ̃ŋ məˈzjy] I got a calendar ...

Kint ofri ona konlenga pa son dixes̄m' aniverséryo ?
[kɛ̃n.təˈfʁi o.ŋɑ.kŋ̩ˈlɛ̃ŋ.ɡa pa.sɔ̃n.di.ʒɛm.ma.ni.vɛˈse.ʁjə]
What do you get a conlang for its 10th birthday?

Just a little hypothetical I thought of this morning: The Romance languages derive their words for "liver" from Latin ficatum , meaning "fig-stuffed". Evidently there was some kind of medieval dish called iecur ficatum "fig-stuffed liver". The actual word for liver, ie...

In the vein of arbor:

scissors
scissor

The English word comes from Late Latin cisoria/cisorium via French, but it was respelled to resemble scissor. That explains the incongruous <ss> /z/ sound correspondence.