Linguistics

General category for the study of written and spoken language across various cultures. This category indicates articles related to the science of linguistics, rather than just to a specific language (which would be indicated by the relevant culture or country name).

Digital project to analyze Middle English grammar

Submitted by Milica on Wed, 2008-10-08 10:50
A team of philologists at the University of Stavanger in Norway are set to begin "the most comprehensive analysis of middle English ever" by studying original manuscripts from the 1300s–1500s. Their focus is to understand Middle English grammar.

German radio station to broadcast in Latin September 26, 2008

Submitted by Milica on Thu, 2008-09-25 06:56
Berlin radio station Kiss FM plans to air its morning show entirely in Latin on September 26, 2008. The show will celebrate the European day of languages.

The demise of the semicolon, alas!

Submitted by Milica on Tue, 2008-07-08 07:52
[PANIC ALERT TO ENGLISH MAJORS!] In an article for Slate, Paul Collins ponders the demise of the semicolon in modern writing and looks at its history from the ancient Greeks, through the Middle Ages, to Edgar Allan Poe's irritation about the lowly mark's overuse.

Celts may trace roots to Spain and Portugal

Submitted by Milica on Sat, 2008-06-21 12:17
Professor John Koch believes the Celtic homeland is more likely Spain or Portugal than northern Europe. Koch, who is a professor at the Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies Centre at the University of Wales, has found evidence of Celtic texts in Spain and Portugal that are 500 years earlier than those from northern Europe.

Practice Latin on the Vatican website

Submitted by Milica on Wed, 2008-05-28 09:58
An ancient tongue gets a modern boost with the creation of Sancta Sedes, a Latin section of the Vatican's website which features papal texts and religious works.

Latin hip-hop highlights Festival of the Classics

Submitted by Milica on Sun, 2008-04-13 15:18
"Odi et amo. Quare id faciam, fortasse requiris/ Nescio, sed fieri sentio et excrucior" ("I hate and I love. Why do I do it, perchance you might ask? I don't know, but I feel it happening to me and I'm burning up.") sings Ista, a German rap group that uses Latin verse in its performances.

Partum vita mottos in Latin

Submitted by Milica on Sun, 2008-03-23 13:47
Latin phrases have traditionally been used for family mottos. Now everyone can have their own Latin motto by using In Rebus, an online motto creator.

"Send me socks and underpants!"

Submitted by Milica on Mon, 2008-02-04 09:36
According to archaeologist Robin Birley, the researcher's life can be pretty bleak until he finds the really big discovery, in this case, letters from Roman soldiers. Harry Mount of the Daily Mail has the story.

Medieval Trivia

Submitted by Shane Blancett on Thu, 2008-01-31 11:35
Medieval Trivia is a list for SCA, other related reenactment groups, and just general folk focusing on but not limited to Medieval Trivia and general "Gee-Whiz" information (not to mention sometimes humor) about both the Middle Ages and Renaissance period.

"As time goes by" Roman style

Submitted by Milica on Wed, 2008-01-30 15:06
Just in time for Valentine's Day, Professor Judith Hallett of the University of Maryland, looks at how love was expressed in ancient Rome.

The sound of medieval English

Submitted by Milica on Tue, 2008-01-29 18:26
The BBC's British History website includes the Ages of English Timeline which allows visitors to hear English the way it would have been spoken throughout the various historical periods.

DNA and linguistic studies show Liverpool's Viking heritage

Submitted by Milica on Sun, 2007-12-16 12:55
Researchers believe that the area around Liverpool, England was a Viking settlement. Their findings are based on original surnames and DNA evidence.

Pop culture breathes life into Latin

Submitted by Sabine Berard on Thu, 2007-12-13 17:12
Popular movies, movie stars, and TV series such as Harry Potter, Angelina Jolie, and Star Trek are mainly entertainment, but they also have helped keep Latin in the public eye when it otherwise would be forgotten outside academia.

An Introduction to Old English Language and Writing

Submitted by Milica on Wed, 2007-12-05 08:48
Professor Edwin Duncan of Towson University has produced a nine-minute flash presentation on the reading and pronunciation of Old English.

University of Melbourne cancels Viking Studies program

Submitted by Milica on Tue, 2007-12-04 09:45
The Medievalist.net blog reports that after more than 60 years, the University of Melbourne has cancelled its Viking Studies program. The program included instruction in Viking history and the Old Norse language.

Medieval Latin tutorial

Submitted by Milica on Tue, 2007-10-30 10:40
The English National Archives has created a website to teach medieval Latin through a series of fun activities and lessons. The tutorial is aimed at teaching the Latin used to create documents written between 1086 and 1733.

Vicipaedia Latina

Submitted by Milica on Tue, 2007-10-23 16:10
Bored with the usual blog gossip sites? Want something with a little more challenge? Try Vicipaedia Latina, the Latin version of Wikipedia, a "labor of love for a small group of Latin buffs and weekend philologists whose motto might well be 'What would Julius do?'"

Ancient Bulgarian inscription found on tomb

Submitted by Milica on Mon, 2007-10-01 16:53
Archaeologist Kazimir Popkonstantikov has discovered an inscription on a tomb from the Middle Ages in high medieval Bulgarian, a rare instance of the language. The inscription chronicled the burial site of a monk in a 10th century monastery.

Latin alive in the modern world

Submitted by Milica on Mon, 2007-09-24 10:19
Kevin Fleming, for CNN's column Mental Floss, looks at the use and meaning of common Latin phrases in everyday life.

Take the Librarian's Challenge

Submitted by Baroness Elfreda on Fri, 2007-09-14 10:37
"Do you know someone named Cooper, or Fletcher, or Chapman, or Wainwright? Do you know how those surnames originated? Have you, at some point in your Society career, acted as a gonfalonier, a cordwainer, or an arkwright?"

Ancient nautical and maritime terms translator

Submitted by Milica on Sun, 2007-05-06 20:00
Julian Dixon has created a website to assist with the understanding of ancient nautical and maritime terms.

Russia's Caucasus "the mountain of tongues"

Submitted by Milica on Sun, 2007-04-22 16:39
A 10th-century geographer, traveling in Russia's Caucasus Mountains, referred to them as the "mountain of tongues" due to the diversity of languages preserved in the isolated villages. This diversity continues today in an area which supports 34 ethnic groups.

Microsoft and Google hope to help save Romansch

Submitted by Milica on Mon, 2007-04-09 12:21
In response to a push by 35,000 speakers of Romansch in Switzerland, techno-giants Google and Microsoft have announced that they will support the language in their software.

Proper Latin pronunciation

Submitted by Milica on Mon, 2007-04-09 08:27
In an article for Great Britain's The Oldie, Peter Jones "gets to the Bottom of How Julius Caesar really spoke", to the ire of some traditionalists.

Study claims "dead languages" detrimental to modern language learning

Submitted by Milica on Sat, 2007-04-07 11:24
A recent "secret report" by the Dearing Languages Review in Great Britain warns that the study of ancient languages may be detrimental to the study of modern languages because they "contribute nothing to 'intercultural understanding'."

Cornish language proposal online

Submitted by Milica on Sat, 2007-03-31 15:39
UdnFormScrefys, a group of Cornish users, has created a proposal for a written form of the Cornish language. They hope to submit it soon to the Cornish Language Commission.

Scholar believes St. Patrick in Ireland earlier than 5th century

Submitted by Milica on Thu, 2007-03-22 11:33
Celtic scholar and linguist Daniel Melia believes that St. patrick may have preached his message to the Irish 50 years earlier than previously believed. The earlier time period would place the saint within provincial Roman society rather than during tribal invasions.

Peculiar aristocratic titles

Submitted by Milica on Sat, 2007-02-24 15:11
Anyone who is in the SCA knows that we have our own peculiar sets of titles for nobility, but a short quiz on masquerademaskarts.com might help you choose a new persona.

"Medieval Lands" offers sources for name and persona research

Submitted by Milica on Sat, 2007-02-17 17:34
A great online source for documenting medieval genealogy is Charles Cawley's Medieval Lands, "the encyclopædia of territories in the medieval western world and the royal and noble families which ruled them."

Electronic version of the Middle English Dictionary online

Submitted by Milica on Thu, 2007-02-08 09:10
An electronic version of the Middle English Dictionary is available online. Hosted by the University of Michigan, the dictionary and quotations are searchable.