“#Language is thus a palimpsest of tacit, embodied #sensemaking, and #computer hardware simply cannot mean in the way a human person can.”
“Interacting with #LLMs trains us to expect pre-formed answers from the void rather than endure the #productive effort of #conversation – literally, turning back and forth with another person in pursuit of #truth.”
People in Japan aren’t getting enough sleep. Luckily, everyone from scientists to Shohei Ohtani are offering solutions. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2025/09/02/language/japanese-sleep-day-health/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #life #language #nihongo #vocabulary #sleep #pokemonsleep #health #shoheiohtani
Anke
boosted
Can anyone recommend good online tools, ideally free or affordable, for learning Danish?
A friend has offered to help me learn and I want to take advantage of the opportunity!
*Not Duolingo, obviously. I'm not interested in their AI slop.
**I don't need lectures from language study purists about using online tools. I am asking for what I want for my own reasons. Bullies and scolds will be blocked.
#Danish#Dansk#Language#LanguageStudy#LanguageLearning#LanguageApps.
Can anyone recommend good online tools, ideally free or affordable, for learning Danish?
A friend has offered to help me learn and I want to take advantage of the opportunity!
*Not Duolingo, obviously. I'm not interested in their AI slop.
**I don't need lectures from language study purists about using online tools. I am asking for what I want for my own reasons. Bullies and scolds will be blocked.
#Danish#Dansk#Language#LanguageStudy#LanguageLearning#LanguageApps.
Alex, the Hearth Fire
boosted
The surprisingly connected origins of "helicopter" and "wallet".
#etymology #wordnerd #linguistics#HistoricalLinguistics #language #words #lingcomm #helicopter #wallet #turning
The surprisingly connected origins of "helicopter" and "wallet".
#etymology #wordnerd #linguistics#HistoricalLinguistics #language #words #lingcomm #helicopter #wallet #turning
Alex, the Hearth Fire
boosted
The surprisingly connected origins of "helicopter" and "wallet".
#etymology #wordnerd #linguistics#HistoricalLinguistics #language #words #lingcomm #helicopter #wallet #turning
The surprisingly connected origins of "helicopter" and "wallet".
#etymology #wordnerd #linguistics#HistoricalLinguistics #language #words #lingcomm #helicopter #wallet #turning
@mrundkvist Because in the English language, they can. Etymology-based prescriptivism is incompatible with actual language evolution.
@btuftin
Someone pointed out that "neatly manicured lawn" is a common expression. It does not follow that "neatly manicured eyebrows" is also an accepted expression.
Someone pointed out that "neatly manicured lawn" is a common expression. It does not follow that "neatly manicured eyebrows" is also an accepted expression.
#Language changes constantly. It is meanwhile also true that at every point in time there are many usages (even quite common ones) that makes a speaker look hopelessly ignorant. Try "neatly pedicured lawn".
This young writer thinks that brows can be manicured. sigh
priryo@linernotes.club
boosted
" #Navajo babies . . . typically weren’t given names until they have their first laugh. . . . But why wait until they laugh?
"Navajos are great observers, so when it came to newborns – and this is supported to modern data on infant mortality – the period between birth and the first laugh is most critical. Without prenatal care or modern monitoring technology, the first laugh was the best marker for Navajos to judge survival. When baby laughs, it’s a sign that she has found a very important lifeline – laughter itself.
"Of course, when baby first laughs, a celebration – or ceremony – is held. The one to make baby laughs has the responsibility of making the event happen, because it is said that baby will inherit qualities of that person – and there’s no better trait than generosity."
- from Navajo #WordOfTheDay, awéé' "baby" https://navajowotd.com/word/awee/ #language #indigenous
" #Navajo babies . . . typically weren’t given names until they have their first laugh. . . . But why wait until they laugh?
"Navajos are great observers, so when it came to newborns – and this is supported to modern data on infant mortality – the period between birth and the first laugh is most critical. Without prenatal care or modern monitoring technology, the first laugh was the best marker for Navajos to judge survival. When baby laughs, it’s a sign that she has found a very important lifeline – laughter itself.
"Of course, when baby first laughs, a celebration – or ceremony – is held. The one to make baby laughs has the responsibility of making the event happen, because it is said that baby will inherit qualities of that person – and there’s no better trait than generosity."
- from Navajo #WordOfTheDay, awéé' "baby" https://navajowotd.com/word/awee/ #language #indigenous
Alex Akselrod
boosted
GOSPEL SHOP. A church.
A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)
--
#books #literature #dictionaries #history #society #language #slang @histodons
Alex Akselrod
boosted
FLAYBOTTOMIST. A bum-brusher, or schoolmaster.
A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)
--
#books #literature #dictionaries #history #society #language #slang @histodons
FLAYBOTTOMIST. A bum-brusher, or schoolmaster.
A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)
--
#books #literature #dictionaries #history #society #language #slang @histodons
Group work chats can be helpful when it comes to small things, but at what point do Japanese workers think they step over the line? https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2025/08/22/language/japan-work-harassment-line/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #life #language #nihongo #vocabulary #grammar #jlptn2 #jlptn3 #jlptn4
A government advisory panel on Wednesday suggested revisions to the country's system for romanizing the Japanese language based on the currently widely used Hepburn style. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/08/20/japan/panel-hepburn-style-romanization/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #language
Ika Makimaki
and 1 other
boosted
Fellow language learners, if you have ditched Duolingo because they wedged in AI slop (because you care about how they treat their workers and/or the accuracy of the lessons and/or AI impact on the planet, etc.), what are you using for language study now and for which languages?