Clara Chuan YU, Ph.D.’s Post

For my Anthropology crowd out there, this is a wonderful read on the endangered languages in the world. 96% of all 7000+ languages are spoken by a mere 4% of the world population, with some left to handfuls of people. The book is called, A Myriad of Tongues: How Languages Reveal Differences in How We Think, by Caleb Everett https://lnkd.in/ekyyh6mu

Enduring Legacy of Ancient Languages: Echoes from the Past By GERMAN R. CAYABYAB, JR. Freelance Writer & PR Expert Language is the lifeblood of human civilization, a remarkable tool that not only facilitates communication but also shapes culture, identity, and history. The oldest languages, born thousands of years ago, serve as living artifacts of our shared heritage. While some of these ancient tongues have faded into obscurity, others continue to be spoken, adapting and evolving through time. This article delves into the world's oldest languages that still exist today, highlighting their significance, resilience, and the enduring connections they foster with our distant ancestors. Human history is intricately woven with the development of language, and several ancient languages have played pivotal roles in shaping civilizations. Among the earliest known languages are Sumerian, Egyptian, Akkadian, and Sanskrit—each a testament to the complexity and depth of early human societies. 1.) Sumerian: Often regarded as the world’s oldest written language, Sumerian emerged in Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) around 3100 BCE. Written in cuneiform script, Sumerian was used primarily for administrative and religious purposes. Although it eventually became a "dead language" around the beginning of the Common Era, its influence is profound, laying the foundation for subsequent languages in the region. 2.) Egyptian: The ancient Egyptian language, dating back to around 3000 BCE, is known primarily through hieroglyphics. It evolved through several stages—Old, Middle, and Late Egyptian—before transforming into Coptic, which remains in use today as the liturgical language of the Coptic Orthodox Church. Egyptian culture and religion were deeply intertwined with language, and hieroglyphic texts provide invaluable insights into the civilization’s worldview. 3.) Akkadian: A Semitic language that flourished in Mesopotamia around 2500 BCE, Akkadian was the lingua franca of the ancient Near East for over a millennium. It is preserved in numerous cuneiform tablets that document the history, literature, and law of the time. Akkadian eventually gave way to its descendants, Babylonian and Assyrian, but its legacy endures in the study of ancient Mesopotamian culture. 4.) Sanskrit: Dating back to at least 1500 BCE, Sanskrit is one of the oldest languages still in use today. Originating in the Indian subcontinent, it is the language of the Vedas—the oldest scriptures of Hinduism—and has profoundly influenced many languages in South Asia. Though not spoken colloquially, Sanskrit remains vital in religious rituals, classical literature, and academic studies. Remarkably, some of the world’s oldest languages have not only survived but continue to thrive, connecting modern speakers with their ancient pasts. These languages have evolved, incorporating new elements while retaining their core structure and vocabulary.

This is an article about the peopling of North America. It discusses how Indigenous American languages provide evidence for multiple waves of migration from Siberia. The author argues that there were four distinct waves of migration, each bringing its own languages. The first wave arrived around 24,000 years ago. Later waves brought languages with more complex features. Archaeological and genetic evidence support the linguistic analysis. https://lnkd.in/di--YErs

Linguists have uncovered the origins of the Italo-Celtic and Graeco-Armenian language groups, shedding light on the ancient connections between these Indo-European branches. This groundbreaking discovery offers new insights into how these languages evolved and diverged over millennia, enriching our understanding of linguistic history. https://lnkd.in/d_JYsBUp #italiantechnicaltranslations #planetlanguageservices #Linguistics #HistoricalLanguages #IndoEuropean

European Partitives in Comparison edited by Réka Hajner, Kata Kubínyi, Dóra Pődör and Anne Tamm is out! / Megjelent a European Partitives in Comparison c. kötet Hajner Réka, Kubínyi Kata, Pődör Dóra és Anne Tamm szerkesztésében! #openaccess "European Partitives in Comparison studies structures that express parts, amounts, and proportions typically in relation with wholes, with each other, or with measures. Examples of partitive are some friends, some water, some of my friends, some of this water, or a group of friends and a glass of water. The volume presents four studies on partitives across Europe, from Maltese and its Arabic relatives Gulf and Tunisian Arabic to the Mordvin languages Erzya and Moksha, from Czech to Hungarian Finnishlearners’ language." #partitiveConstructions #comparativeLinguistics #Uralic_languages #European_languages #morphology Co-publisher: Károli Gáspár University (official page) and Editions l'Harmattan https://lnkd.in/drK7CQHC DOI 10.56037/978-2-336-47226-3

The Meaning and Significance of Llaquichan in Quechua Language This article explores the etymology, cultural context, and contemporary relevance of llaquichan. https://lnkd.in/d-6xjhAS #llaquichan #foryou #foryoupage #QuechuaLanguage #LlaquichanQuechuaLanguage #SouthAmerica #language  #Quechuapractices

Kenneth Lee Pike (1912–2000) was an American linguist and anthropologist best known for his work on language structure and use. He introduced the terms "emic" and "etic", which describe cultural analysis from within (emic) or outside (etic) a system. Pike was a pioneer in the study of phonetics and developed the Tagmemics theory, a framework for analyzing both linguistic and non-linguistic systems. He spent much of his career working with the Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL), focusing on minority languages and Bible translation. Pike’s work emphasized the importance of understanding language in its cultural context, making his contributions significant in both linguistics and anthropology.

Imagine discovering an artifact that changes everything—a key to unlocking a language lost for centuries. That’s exactly what the Rosetta Stone did. Found in 1799, this ancient slab contained the same text in three scripts—Greek, Demotic, and Egyptian hieroglyphs—allowing scholars like Jean-François Champollion to crack the code of ancient Egypt by 1822. 📅 A Quick Timeline: 🔒 1799: Discovered by French soldiers near Rosetta (modern-day Rashid) during Napoleon’s campaign in Egypt. 📢 1822: Champollion announces his breakthrough in deciphering hieroglyphs. 🗣️ Today: The Rosetta Stone resides in the British Museum, though debates about its repatriation to Egypt continue. But the Rosetta Stone is more than just a linguistic breakthrough—it’s a defining moment in the history of translation, symbolizing the power of connection and understanding across cultures. It reminds us that, in every field, certain key moments stand out—moments that redefine how we work, think, or create. For translators, the Rosetta Stone is one of those moments: a timeless reminder of how translation builds bridges across worlds. 💡What about your field? What are the defining historical moments that have shaped the way you work today? Let’s discuss in the comments and celebrate the milestones that continue to inspire us! #TranslationHistory #CulturalConnection #Localization #TWISInsights #TWISTranslation

The journal of Research in Western Iranian Languages and Dialects (RWILD) is a peer-reviewed open-access quarterly journal in Persian (with extended English abstracts and bibliographies) devoted to the fields of Iranian languages and dialects, Iranian linguistics, Persian linguistics, Kurdish languages, Kurdish linguistics, Kermanshah, Kurdistan, Iraqi Kurdistan, similarities and differences between Kurdish and Persian, and Western Iranian languages and dialects, published by the Razi University and is scientifically sponsored by the Linguistics Society of Iran (LSI). The journal of Research in Western Iranian Languages and Dialects (RWILD) is indexed by the following databases: EBSCO: Education Source Ultimate, EBSCO: Arab World Research Source: Al Masdar Database, EBSCOhost, BRILL Linguistic Bibliography, ROAD-ISSN, WorldCat, EZB: Electronic Journals Library, ZDB Catalogue: German Union Catalogue of Serials, Sudoc: French University Catalog, etc. https://lnkd.in/dYE-U9p5

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