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If I remember correctly from the half year I studied linguistics, there is a sort of official name for the situation or state your brain (or your speech center) is in when a word is at the tip of your tongue but you can't quite think of what it was again. What was that term again?	The term you're looking for is "tip of the tongue" phenomenon. This refers to the experience when a person is unable to retrieve a word from memory, feeling that it is just out of reach. It's a common occurrence and can happen with names, places, or other words.	[ { "from": "human", "value": "If I remember correctly from the half year I studied linguistics, there is a sort of official name for the situation or state your brain (or your speech center) is in when a word is at the tip of your tongue but you can't quite think of what it was again.\nWhat was that term aga...
I'd like to ask some Albanian speakers to say pairs of words which come as close to possible as differing only by one of each pair having "l" and the other having "ll". I'm trying to hear and reproduce the difference. Does Albanian have any such minimal pairs?	Yes, Albanian does have minimal pairs that differ only by the presence of "l" and "ll." Here are a few examples: 1. "bal" (a type of fish) vs. "ball" (ball, as in a sphere) 2. "dal" (to go out) vs. "dall" (to distinguish) 3. "mal" (mountain) vs. "mall" (desire or longing) These pairs should he...	[ { "from": "human", "value": "I'd like to ask some Albanian speakers to say pairs of words which come as close to possible as differing only by one of each pair having \"l\" and the other having \"ll\". I'm trying to hear and reproduce the difference.\nDoes Albanian have any such minimal pairs?\n" }, { ...
In German, calling someone's two-syllable name is tied very strongly to the minor third. In languages that like to have a stressed last syllable, I would expect the last syllable to be higher than the first.	That's an interesting observation! In German, the melody associated with calling someone's name often features a minor third interval, which can evoke a sense of familiarity or affection. This musical pattern is tied to the language's intonation and the way names are often pronounced. In languages with a tendency to s...	[ { "from": "human", "value": "In German, calling someone's two-syllable name is tied very strongly to the minor third.\nIn languages that like to have a stressed last syllable, I would expect the last syllable to be higher than the first.\n" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "That's an interesting obs...
It's easy for me to imagine the difference, but hard for me to conceptualize it. I guess one involves two vowels and the other involves a consonant, right? Am I on the right track, or is there a more precise definition?	It sounds like you're trying to differentiate between two types of sounds or linguistic concepts that involve vowels and consonants. To give a more precise definition, it would be helpful to know the specific terms or concepts you are referring to. For instance, if you are thinking about diphthongs versus single vowels...	[ { "from": "human", "value": "It's easy for me to imagine the difference, but hard for me to conceptualize it. I guess one involves two vowels and the other involves a consonant, right? Am I on the right track, or is there a more precise definition?\n" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It sounds like...
According to the paper cited in this answer, in a "usual case" the paucal denotes between three to six individuals. How common is the limit "three to six"? Is there any reason that those languages agree on the limit three and six?	The concept of a paucal form in linguistics refers to a grammatical number that expresses a quantity that is more than a dual (two) but less than a plural (often more than six or a larger indefinite quantity). The designation of paucal as representing "three to six" individuals is fairly common in some languages that e...	[ { "from": "human", "value": "According to the paper cited in this answer, in a \"usual case\" the paucal denotes between three to six individuals.\nHow common is the limit \"three to six\"? Is there any reason that those languages agree on the limit three and six?\n" }, { "from": "gpt", "value":...
As far as anyone here knows, are there any natural languages in which the apico-labial trill is a phoneme?	As of my last knowledge update in October 2023, the apico-labial trill (produced by vibrating the tongue against the upper lip) is not known to be a phoneme in any natural language. While various languages feature trills, such as the alveolar trill /r/ found in languages like Spanish and Italian, the apico-labial trill...	[ { "from": "human", "value": "As far as anyone here knows, are there any natural languages in which the apico-labial trill is a phoneme? \n" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As of my last knowledge update in October 2023, the apico-labial trill (produced by vibrating the tongue against the upper li...
On German Language & Usage we recently had a question about the English word schmuck, which is a false friend of the German word Schmuck. Out of curiosity I tried the capitalized form vs the non capitalized form in Google ngram. Being astonished by the high number of hits for the Capitalized form I retried this with th...	Google Ngram Viewer indeed does not provide a case-insensitive search option, which can lead to some seemingly arbitrary results when comparing capitalized and non-capitalized forms of words. This behavior is consistent across many text analysis tools that rely on case-sensitive searches. In English, the capitalized f...	[ { "from": "human", "value": "On German Language & Usage we recently had a question about the English word schmuck,\nwhich is a false friend of the German word Schmuck.\nOut of curiosity I tried the capitalized form vs the non capitalized form in Google ngram.\nBeing astonished by the high number of hits for...
As indicated in the answers to "Is it common to use the minor third for calling someone?", "many European languages" use this type of chanted falling contour, but the examples all come from English, German and French. Working on Romance Languages, I am interested in any information about the usage of this contour in It...	In Italian, the use of a falling contour, particularly a minor third interval, for calling someone is present, though it might not be as explicitly documented as in English or German. The characteristic of using a musical pitch pattern when calling someone can vary by region and context. In many Italian-speaking commu...	[ { "from": "human", "value": "As indicated in the answers to \"Is it common to use the minor third for calling someone?\", \"many European languages\" use this type of chanted falling contour, but the examples all come from English, German and French. Working on Romance Languages, I am interested in any info...
I had trouble phrasing a recent question because I couldn't find simple wording to convey the difference between languages like English where all kinds of numbers are expressible, such as "nineteen thousand four hundred and sixty two" and other languages like most Australian Aboriginal languages with only a very basic ...	To succinctly describe the differences between languages with elaborate numeral systems, like English, and those with minimal or basic number systems, such as many Australian Aboriginal languages, you could use the following phrasing: "There are two distinct approaches to expressing numbers in languages: 1. **Comple...	[ { "from": "human", "value": "I had trouble phrasing a recent question because I couldn't find simple wording to convey the difference between languages like English where all kinds of numbers are expressible, such as \"nineteen thousand four hundred and sixty two\" and other languages like most Australian A...
I have heard that the Spanish name Álvaro is of Germanic origin. So I began wondering where it might be preserved in the Germanic languages. After some thought I came up with the Scandinavian name Ivar, which looked somehow similar. Are the Spanish name Álvaro and the Scandinavian name Ivar etymologically related?	The Spanish name Álvaro and the Scandinavian name Ivar are not etymologically related, despite their superficial similarities. The name Álvaro is of Germanic origin, derived from the elements all (meaning "all") and wer (meaning "man"). This name is thought to have entered the Spanish language through Gothic influ...	[ { "from": "human", "value": "I have heard that the Spanish name Álvaro is of Germanic origin. So I began wondering where it might be preserved in the Germanic languages. After some thought I came up with the Scandinavian name Ivar, which looked somehow similar.\nAre the Spanish name Álvaro and the Scandinav...
What is an example of a modern English clause that does not follow the verb-second (V2) word order?	In modern English, the typical word order for main clauses follows a subject-verb-object structure (SVO). However, there are instances where the V2 (verb-second) structure is not observed, particularly in certain types of subordinate clauses or when using certain constructions. An example of a clause that does not fo...	[ { "from": "human", "value": "What is an example of a modern English clause that does not follow the verb-second (V2) word order?\n" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In modern English, the typical word order for main clauses follows a subject-verb-object structure (SVO). However, there are instances...
Czech has special sound which to me seems to be a voiced trilled r. It is written as "ř". Wikipedia describes it a different way: A raised alveolar trill, and uses the IPA notation [r̝]. Czech speakers always seem to tell me that it's unique and that foreigners can never pronounce it. I actually can pronounce it though...	The sound represented by "ř" in Czech, which is often described as a raised alveolar trill [r̝] in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), is indeed quite unique and is considered one of the distinctive features of the Czech language. While some languages have similar sounds, none have exactly the same phonetic qual...	[ { "from": "human", "value": "Czech has special sound which to me seems to be a voiced trilled r. It is written as \"ř\".\nWikipedia describes it a different way: A raised alveolar trill, and uses the IPA notation [r̝].\nCzech speakers always seem to tell me that it's unique and that foreigners can never pro...
Many readability statistics ask that numbers in the text be pronounced to determine the number of syllables. What I'm struggling with is if longer numbers are considered one or more than one word. As an example is: 23,578 treated as... twenty three thousand five hundred seventy eight or twentythreethousandfivehundred...	In readability statistics and formulas like the SMOG index, numeric values are typically converted to their written-out forms for consistency. In this case, when the number "23,578" is converted into words, it should be treated as "twenty three thousand five hundred seventy eight." Each of these components is considere...	[ { "from": "human", "value": "Many readability statistics ask that numbers in the text be pronounced to determine the number of syllables. What I'm struggling with is if longer numbers are considered one or more than one word. As an example is:\n23,578\ntreated as...\ntwenty three thousand five hundred seve...
Since my 9 months old son started pointing to things and saying 'Ahh?' with a proper question intonation, I was wondering if all other languages have the same intonation for questions as in English (as in stressing the last word in the sentence). I am interested if it just comes naturally to human beings or is an acqui...	The intonation of questions can vary widely across different languages. While English typically uses a rising intonation at the end of yes/no questions (e.g., "You're coming, right?"), other languages may have different patterns. For example: - In Mandarin Chinese, questions can have a similar rising intonation,...	[ { "from": "human", "value": "Since my 9 months old son started pointing to things and saying 'Ahh?' with a proper question intonation, I was wondering if all other languages have the same intonation for questions as in English (as in stressing the last word in the sentence). I am interested if it just comes...
In phones, you now can use speech to do VAD (Voice Activated Dialing). As in, "Call Bob". This works fine in isolating languages. I was told that in Polish (pl-PL), it is more natural to say "Call Dawida" when the name is Dawid. In languages that decline given names, how strange is it to say "Call Dawid" when talking t...	In languages with declension, such as Polish, using the appropriate grammatical case is important for naturalness and clarity. In the case of the name "Dawid," the vocative form is "Dawidzie," which is often used when directly addressing someone. Therefore, when using voice-activated dialing, saying "Call Dawida" would...	[ { "from": "human", "value": "In phones, you now can use speech to do VAD (Voice Activated Dialing). As in, \"Call Bob\". This works fine in isolating languages.\nI was told that in Polish (pl-PL), it is more natural to say \"Call Dawida\" when the name is Dawid.\nIn languages that decline given names, how s...
In many spoken languages, the words for "mother" and "father" are composed of sounds that babies make very early. Is there a similar trend for early words that babies babble across signed languages?	Yes, there are similar trends in signed languages regarding the early signs that children tend to produce. Just as many spoken languages have words for "mother" and "father" that are phonologically simple and resemble early babbling sounds, certain signs in signed languages also exhibit characteristics that make them e...	[ { "from": "human", "value": "In many spoken languages, the words for \"mother\" and \"father\" are composed of sounds that babies make very early. Is there a similar trend for early words that babies babble across signed languages?\n" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Yes, there are similar trends ...
There are many kinds of participles. English has two kinds, past participles (eaten) and present participles (eating). The Wikipedia article on the Albanian language doesn't cover as much as many other language articles. I have seen mention on Wiktionary of Albanian participles but not what kind or if the language has ...	Albanian has several types of participles that can be classified similarly to English. The main kinds of participles in Albanian include: 1. Present Participles (Participi i Tanishëm): These are typically formed from the present tense of verbs and express ongoing actions. They are often used in conjunction with au...	[ { "from": "human", "value": "There are many kinds of participles. English has two kinds, past participles (eaten) and present participles (eating).\nThe Wikipedia article on the Albanian language doesn't cover as much as many other language articles. I have seen mention on Wiktionary of Albanian participles...
At what age, approximately, is the end of the critical period for native language acquisition? Of course, I understand that many details surrounding the critical period are up for debate. I want to know after what age is it a pretty safe bet that a second language could not be acquired with native fluency. Any referen...	The concept of a "critical period" for language acquisition suggests that there is a window of time during which language learning occurs most easily and effectively, particularly for native-like proficiency. While the exact age marking the end of this critical period is debated, many researchers suggest that it genera...	[ { "from": "human", "value": "At what age, approximately, is the end of the critical period for native language acquisition? \nOf course, I understand that many details surrounding the critical period are up for debate. I want to know after what age is it a pretty safe bet that a second language could not be...
It seems that all the things which reflect grammatical gender in languages have to do with inflectional (presumably also agglutinative) morphology, such as agreement. But is that just coincidence, it seems the same kind of thing could be reflected in particles in an isolating language. But does it ever happen? Are ther...	Grammatical gender is indeed often associated with inflectional and agglutinative languages, where gender typically influences noun inflections and agreement patterns with adjectives, verbs, and articles. However, it is possible for isolating or analytic languages to exhibit features that resemble grammatical gender, t...	[ { "from": "human", "value": "It seems that all the things which reflect grammatical gender in languages have to do with inflectional (presumably also agglutinative) morphology, such as agreement.\nBut is that just coincidence, it seems the same kind of thing could be reflected in particles in an isolating l...
Both Japanese and Korean are "topic-comment" languages and both have an explicit topic particle. (I believe Chinese might be an example of a topic-comment language without a topic particle but I may be wrong.) Which other languages have topic particles? Any well-known languages?	Yes, you are correct that both Japanese and Korean are topic-comment languages and utilize explicit topic particles (e.g., "は" in Japanese and "은/는" in Korean). Other languages that have topic particles or markers include: 1. Mongolian: The particle "нь" serves as a topic marker in Mongolian, similar to how topics...	[ { "from": "human", "value": "Both Japanese and Korean are \"topic-comment\" languages and both have an explicit topic particle.\n(I believe Chinese might be an example of a topic-comment language without a topic particle but I may be wrong.)\nWhich other languages have topic particles? Any well-known langua...
In English, many adjectives support the -er ending to express a notion of exceeding: John is taller than Mary (is). Mary is smarter than John (is). Of course, you can also have the more analytic construction: Mary is more intelligent than John (is). But with the notion of "does not exceed", less, only the analytic...	Yes, some languages express the concept of "less" using bound morphology. For example, in some Slavic languages, there are morphological forms that convey the idea of "less" or "not as" through prefixes or suffixes added to adjectives. One notable example can be found in Russian. The comparative form for "good" is "лу...	[ { "from": "human", "value": "In English, many adjectives support the -er ending to express a notion of exceeding: \n\nJohn is taller than Mary (is).\nMary is smarter than John (is).\n\nOf course, you can also have the more analytic construction:\n\nMary is more intelligent than John (is).\n\nBut with the no...
Is the 12th Basic Color Term (BCT) always light blue as in Russian “голубой” (goluboy) and Italian “azzurro” or are there languages in which the 12th BCT is different? Which languages have a 12th BCT?	The concept of Basic Color Terms (BCTs) was introduced by linguist Berlin and Kay in their seminal work on color categorization. According to their framework, languages can be classified based on the number of BCTs they possess. In their model, the 12th color term typically corresponds to a category that encompasses wh...	[ { "from": "human", "value": "Is the 12th Basic Color Term (BCT) always light blue as in Russian “голубой” (goluboy) and Italian “azzurro” or are there languages in which the 12th BCT is different? Which languages have a 12th BCT?\n" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The concept of Basic Color Terms ...
Martha's Vineyard had a large deaf population and a native sign language. I read that this had been partially reconstructed by looking at the differences between ASL and LSF, as modern ASL is basically LSF with a strong MVSL influence.	Martha's Vineyard, a small island off the coast of Massachusetts, indeed had a unique deaf community and its own native sign language known as Martha's Vineyard Sign Language (MVSL). This language developed in the 18th and 19th centuries, arising from a high incidence of hereditary deafness among the island's populatio...	[ { "from": "human", "value": "Martha's Vineyard had a large deaf population and a native sign language. I read that this had been partially reconstructed by looking at the differences between ASL and LSF, as modern ASL is basically LSF with a strong MVSL influence.\n" }, { "from": "gpt", "value":...
There are some small pockets in India where people actually speak Sanskrit as a native language. From Wikipedia: In these Indian villages, inhabitants of all castes speak Sanskrit natively since childhood: Mattur in Karnataka Jhiri, District: Rajgadh, Madhya Pradesh Ganoda, District: Banswada, Rajasthan Bawali, Distr...	Yes, the communities that speak Sanskrit as a native language have been the subject of various studies, and they present a unique case of language preservation and evolution. In these villages, such as Mattur in Karnataka and others you mentioned, Sanskrit is not merely a liturgical or scholarly language; it is used in...	[ { "from": "human", "value": "There are some small pockets in India where people actually speak Sanskrit as a native language. From Wikipedia:\n\nIn these Indian villages, inhabitants of all castes speak Sanskrit natively since childhood:\n\nMattur in Karnataka\nJhiri, District: Rajgadh, Madhya Pradesh\nGano...
I'm having a great deal of difficulty finding an adequate definition of "permansive aspect" on the web. I know what aspect is, more or less, but the meaning of the term "permansive" eludes me.	The term "permansive aspect" is not a widely recognized term in linguistic literature, so it might not yield straightforward definitions online. However, we can break down the components to clarify the concept. In linguistics, aspect refers to the way in which the temporal structure of an action or event is expres...	[ { "from": "human", "value": "I'm having a great deal of difficulty finding an adequate definition of \"permansive aspect\" on the web. I know what aspect is, more or less, but the meaning of the term \"permansive\" eludes me. \n" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The term \"permansive aspect\" is...
This question is influenced by another one I found on the German SE, "Warum nennt man in Deutsch die Zahlen 0, 2, 4 … “gerade” Zahlen?". It asks "Why call Germans the numbers 0, 2, 2 "even". The following languages have these pairs: German: gerade — ungerade; Italian: pari — dispari; Portuguese: par — Ímpar; Spanish: ...	Yes, there are languages where the word for "odd" is expressed by a basic term, and "even" is derived from that term. One example is the Turkish language: - Odd: "tek" (meaning "one" or "single") - Even: "çift" (derived from a different root, but can be understood in some contexts as a term that indicates pair...	[ { "from": "human", "value": "This question is influenced by another one I found on the German SE, \"Warum nennt man in Deutsch die Zahlen 0, 2, 4 … “gerade” Zahlen?\". It asks \"Why call Germans the numbers 0, 2, 2 \"even\".\nThe following languages have these pairs:\n\nGerman: gerade — ungerade;\nItalian: ...
While I was studying an infant's transcript, I realized that he deleted the [l] sound in "alma" [alma], a word in Turkish meaning "do not take". When he deleted the sound, the word became [a:ma]. There is another word; "ama" [ama] in Turkish meaning "but". These two words become similar unless he changes any sound. How...	It's fascinating to observe how infants navigate language and sound production. In the case you described, it’s possible that the infant is exhibiting an early understanding of the distinctions between words, even if their phonetic production isn't fully accurate yet. When the infant produces "alma" as [a:ma], it crea...	[ { "from": "human", "value": "While I was studying an infant's transcript, I realized that he deleted the [l] sound in \"alma\" [alma], a word in Turkish meaning \"do not take\". When he deleted the sound, the word became [a:ma]. There is another word; \"ama\" [ama] in Turkish meaning \"but\". These two word...
Most languages have a fully developed concept of numbers but many do not, for instance most Australian Aboriginal languages lack numbers and counting beyond a few such as 1, 2, and 3. Many languages have indefinite articles like "a" and "an" of English but even many major world languages lack them. In all the languages...	The relationship between indefinite articles and numerical systems in languages is indeed a fascinating area of linguistic study. While many languages with an indefinite article, such as "a" or "an" in English, also have a basic number system that includes at least the concept of "one," this is not universally the case...	[ { "from": "human", "value": "Most languages have a fully developed concept of numbers but many do not, for instance most Australian Aboriginal languages lack numbers and counting beyond a few such as 1, 2, and 3.\nMany languages have indefinite articles like \"a\" and \"an\" of English but even many major w...
I just noted that there exists a whole literature on Sign Language. I didn't even know there existed more than one... It's very interesting now. :) I then found computers can already interpret some sign language. Do these languages have the property to have ambiguity in them? That is, exists there a chain of signs (or ...	Yes, sign languages, like spoken languages, can indeed have ambiguity in them. This ambiguity can arise from several factors, including: 1. Polysemy: Some signs can have multiple meanings depending on the context in which they are used. For example, a single sign might convey different ideas in different situation...	[ { "from": "human", "value": "I just noted that there exists a whole literature on Sign Language. I didn't even know there existed more than one... It's very interesting now. :)\nI then found computers can already interpret some sign language. Do these languages have the property to have ambiguity in them? T...
Are there any groups of active Classical Latin users nowadays? By active I mean they meet regularly and speak in classical Latin, or make some videos/vlogs/podcasts or present lectures.	Yes, there are indeed groups and communities of active Classical Latin users today. These groups often meet to practice speaking Latin, engage in discussions, or share resources related to the language. Here are a few notable examples: 1. Latinitium: An online platform that produces videos, podcasts, and other mat...	[ { "from": "human", "value": "Are there any groups of active Classical Latin users nowadays?\nBy active I mean they meet regularly and speak in classical Latin, or make some videos/vlogs/podcasts or present lectures.\n" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Yes, there are indeed groups and communities of...
Suppose that, in some hypothetical language, there were two different words: /tump/ /tump/ What's the difference?, you might ask. In the first one, the word is one syllable long. In the second one, the word is two syllables long because the /m/ is syllabic. How do you express this difference with IPA?	In the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), you can represent the difference between the one-syllable word /tump/ and the two-syllable word where /m/ is syllabic as follows: - The one-syllable word can be represented as /tʌmp/ or /tʌmp/, with the vowels indicated according to the desired phonetic quality. - The two-...	[ { "from": "human", "value": "Suppose that, in some hypothetical language, there were two different words:\n\n/tump/\n/tump/\n\nWhat's the difference?, you might ask. In the first one, the word is one syllable long. In the second one, the word is two syllables long because the /m/ is syllabic.\nHow do you ex...
For one to find out about the definitions of "generative grammar", "sandhi phenomenon", "agglutinative morphology", etc.	Sure! Here are definitions for the terms you've mentioned: 1. Generative Grammar: This is a theory of grammar that aims to describe the implicit knowledge that speakers of a language have about their language. It was primarily developed by Noam Chomsky in the 1950s and suggests that there is a set of rules or prin...	[ { "from": "human", "value": "For one to find out about the definitions of \"generative grammar\", \"sandhi phenomenon\", \"agglutinative morphology\", etc.\n" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sure! Here are definitions for the terms you've mentioned:\n\n1. Generative Grammar: This is a theory o...
This is part of a set of three related questions but note they are each specific and distinct, they are not duplicates. In all the languages I'm familiar with that have an indefinite article, the word is related to the word for "one". In fact in English it's more opaque than for most languages I know: "a" / "an" vs "on...	Yes, there are languages where the indefinite article is not etymologically related to the word for "one." While many languages do have an indefinite article that is derived from or closely related to the word for "one," there are exceptions. One example can be found in some languages of the Berber family, such as Tam...	[ { "from": "human", "value": "This is part of a set of three related questions but note they are each specific and distinct, they are not duplicates.\nIn all the languages I'm familiar with that have an indefinite article, the word is related to the word for \"one\". In fact in English it's more opaque than ...
Etymology is the study of the origins and history or development of words and phrases. Is it considered though to be part of the study of linguistics or is it considered to a separate field like we might consider say style guides to not be part of linguistics? Is etymology perhaps considered part of lexicography which ...	Etymology is indeed considered a branch of linguistics, specifically within the subfield that deals with the history and development of words. Linguistics itself is the scientific study of language and its structure, and it encompasses various subfields, including phonetics, syntax, semantics, pragmatics, sociolinguist...	[ { "from": "human", "value": "Etymology is the study of the origins and history or development of words and phrases.\nIs it considered though to be part of the study of linguistics or is it considered to a separate field like we might consider say style guides to not be part of linguistics? Is etymology perh...
In French if I write the sentence Je mange le déjeuner it would/could be the same as if I am saying I am eating lunch. What is going on in French goes on in a number of the other Romance languages. How is it that it came to be in the English language that "I eat lunch" cannot represent something I am doing right no...	The difference in how tense and aspect are expressed in English compared to French and other Romance languages can be traced back to historical developments in the languages. In French, "Je mange le déjeuner" translates to "I am eating lunch" in English, but it is also accepted as "I eat lunch." This is because Frenc...	[ { "from": "human", "value": "In French if I write the sentence \n\nJe mange le déjeuner\n\nit would/could be the same as if I am saying I am eating lunch. What is going on in French goes on in a number of the other Romance languages.\nHow is it that it came to be in the English language that \"I eat lunch\...
As far as I know, linguists determine grammaticality by judgement tests. Native speakers are presented with several types of utterances and, based on their intuition, they can judge each of these utterances as being grammatical or ungrammatical. But languages like Latin and Gothic, for example, are not spoken natively ...	Yes, it does make sense to talk about grammaticality in the context of dead languages like Latin and Gothic, but the approach to determining grammaticality differs somewhat from that for living languages. 1. Historical Texts: Linguists rely on written texts, inscriptions, and other historical sources to analyze th...	[ { "from": "human", "value": "As far as I know, linguists determine grammaticality by judgement tests. Native speakers are presented with several types of utterances and, based on their intuition, they can judge each of these utterances as being grammatical or ungrammatical.\nBut languages like Latin and Got...
The 22 categories of words used in Carl Darling Buck's "A Dictionary of Selected Synonyms in the Principal Indo-European Languages" (1949) are quite different from for instance the categories in Roget's thesaurus as of 1911. There is no background in the book itself on how the 22 categories where chosen. Did Buck make ...	Carl Darling Buck's "A Dictionary of Selected Synonyms in the Principal Indo-European Languages" indeed presents a unique categorization of words that differs from traditional thesauri such as Roget's. While Buck does not explicitly document the rationale behind his choice of the 22 categories, it is widely believed th...	[ { "from": "human", "value": "The 22 categories of words used in Carl Darling Buck's \"A Dictionary of Selected Synonyms in the Principal Indo-European Languages\" (1949) are quite different from for instance the categories in Roget's thesaurus as of 1911. There is no background in the book itself on how the...
This question is an extension of this one: How did Chinese recursion evolve? . In the comments, Mark Beadles helpfully pointed out that center-embedding is absent from Sanskrit in the early Vedic period, but you see some embedding in the later Vedic period. The interesting thing about this is that the later Vedic perio...	The earliest examples of center-embedding in Vedic Sanskrit are difficult to pinpoint precisely due to the nature of the texts and their transmission. However, it is generally accepted that the later Vedic texts, composed between approximately 1000 BCE and 500 BCE, exhibit more complex syntactic structures, including i...	[ { "from": "human", "value": "This question is an extension of this one: How did Chinese recursion evolve? . In the comments, Mark Beadles helpfully pointed out that center-embedding is absent from Sanskrit in the early Vedic period, but you see some embedding in the later Vedic period.\nThe interesting thin...
The "male/female" terminology used to identify the two halves of many, if not all, connectors and fasteners seems universal in the Western Indo-European speaking world. Do other language families use this same analogy to sexual intercourse as the IE languages do? If not, how do they describe connectors?	The terminology of "male" and "female" for connectors and fasteners is indeed prevalent in many Western Indo-European languages. However, the usage of these terms is not universal across all language families. In some languages, the terminology may differ or not have the same connotations related to sexual intercours...	[ { "from": "human", "value": "The \"male/female\" terminology used to identify the two halves of many, if not all, connectors and fasteners seems universal in the Western Indo-European speaking world. \nDo other language families use this same analogy to sexual intercourse as the IE languages do? If not, how...
I've been reading about the Native American language isolate Washo, and looking at the Universals Archive. If an ergative language is SOV, the object and subject affixes will be prefixes and the main or only alternative order will be OSV. But why is the prefix order osV rather than soV? If the subject and object prefix...	The question you've raised touches on some interesting aspects of syntactic structure in ergative languages, particularly with respect to how they encode grammatical relationships through prefixes. In an ergative-absolutive language like Washo, the subject of an intransitive verb and the subject of a transitive verb a...	[ { "from": "human", "value": "I've been reading about the Native American language isolate Washo, and looking at the Universals Archive. If an ergative language is SOV, the object and subject affixes will be prefixes and the main or only alternative order will be OSV. But why is the prefix order osV rather t...