lɪŋˈgwɪstɪks

Otavio Macedo

11:33

hey, @Alenanno!

Alenanno

11:49

@OtavioMacedo hey!

Have you seen the newly worded Challenge Week question?

Otavio Macedo

Yes, very nice!

GLORY heheh

Alenanno

ahaha

wait brb

@OtavioMacedo back!

Otavio Macedo

I've edited my last question, in response to some comments

1

Q: What caused some IE languages to have consonant inventory sizes different from PIE?

The WALS chapter on consonant inventories shows that the distribution of inventory sizes across languages follows a normal curve, with average size inventories (22 ± 3 consonants) being the most frequent. This is approximately the number of consonants that Proto-Indo-European had. Not surprisingl...

Alenanno

I noticed... It sounds like a "research" question :D

Otavio Macedo

Is this title grammatical?

Alenanno

11:56

Yeah

I think so

Otavio Macedo

:D

Alenanno

:P

Alenanno

12:13

Do you guys sit like this?

Otavio Macedo

I try to heheh

Alenanno

:D

@OtavioMacedo Any info about the API?

Otavio Macedo

I haven't had time yet :(

I'll try to hack something tonight

Alenanno

Sure, no worries. :D

Alenanno

12:49

Gotta go, see you later!

Stack Exchange

16:46

1

Q: Significance of "childish errors" in mainstream language change

Over on ELU the question Is “bettern't” an OK word to use? drew me into debate about how significant "childish errors" are in the development of mainstream language. Hence, the question: Are "childish errors" significant forces of language change? I'll put my cards on the table and say straight...

language-change language-acquisition

Alenanno

17:34

@OtavioMacedo and @Cerberus... When browsing through the questions, I feel like I am so not expert in Linguistics... :D

Otavio Macedo

Alenanno

@OtavioMacedo Can't see it :D

Otavio Macedo

oh, nevermind, just a joke ;-)

Alenanno

Ah I saw the image name lol

What I mean is that

on EL&U if I want to gain rep, I can easily do it... But on here, it's so hard to find references to back up what I think, and sometimes I'm like "what?"

Otavio Macedo

I see that as a good sign

Alenanno

17:43

how?

Cerberus

Hi!

It is the same for me.

But mainly because it is either about some theory that I haven't heard of, or some unknown language, or because the OP is asking "does obscure thing x exist at all, anywhere in the world?".

Alenanno

But sometimes even apparently-basic things, like the question about children mistakes posted by FumbleFingers

I could say something about it, but I lack something. Which may as well be expertise. :D

Otavio Macedo

Linguistics is a very broad field

It's a good sign because it means the site is generating good content

and the bar is high

Alenanno

yeah

but I wish I was over that bar even with the good content

:D

Cerberus

True.

Alenanno

17:51

Plus, Linguistics won't probably be my field, so you can say I won't become more expert in the future, if not from personal input.

@Cerberus LoL

That's you.

Cerberus

Yay!

Si, evvero.

(Is that correct?)

Alenanno

"It's true"?

Cerberus

Yes?

Alenanno

è vero

Cerberus

Ahh.

Alenanno

17:57

but if you read it, you won't understand the difference (apart from the vv)

Cerberus

But pronounced like evvero, right?

Alenanno

:D

Yeah...

Cerberus

OK.

Alenanno

And "sì" has the accent

"si" is the reflexive particle

Cerberus

I guess evvero is slang spelling or something.

Alenanno

17:58

Never saw it... :D

Cerberus

@Alenanno Oh, of course, sì, sì!

Alenanno

but we have "ovvero"

which means something else though

Cerberus

Ohh...

Alenanno

it's like "in other words"

Cerberus

OK.

Alenanno

18:01

Did you commit to the Italian SE?

Cerberus

Nope.

Alenanno

Did I tell you that if you don't do it, I'll suspend you? :D :P

nonchalantly abusing power

Cerberus

You have promised to suspend me so many times I lost count.

Alenanno

:P

Lmao, really?

Cerberus

Yes. But I easily lose count.

Alenanno

18:03

:D

On a more serious note, the Italian SE is really slow... It sucks if we think about other languages.

Otavio Macedo

@Cerberus You have a bad memory even with three heads?

Alenanno

@OtavioMacedo Ahah nice one!

Otavio Macedo

@Alenanno Portuguese SE is quite slow, as well

Cerberus

Yes, alas.

Alenanno

@Cerberus alas?

Cerberus

18:12

Yes.

I wish my memory were better!

Alenanno

What does it mean though?

Cerberus

Oh, sorry.

It means something like purtroppo.

An exclamation of deploration.

Alenanno

Ah I see

:)

Cerberus

"Too bad".

French has hélas.

Don't you have a similar word in Italian?

Alenanno

I think purtroppo might work for it! :)

Cerberus

18:19

Heh.

> ahimè, ohimè

Alenanno

Ahah

Cerberus

Dictionary gives that, and purtroppo.

Alenanno

I see!

That is done with "ahi" + "me"

Ahi is our "ouch"

"me" is "me"

also "ahia"

Cerberus

Ah OK.

Alenanno

"inter. esprime compassione, dolore, rimpianto, pentimento: ahimè, che sciagura!; Ahimè, non ho se non il mio tormento / e il mio canto (D'Annunzio)"

Cerberus

18:24

Oh God, D'Annunzio...

Alenanno

Was that "oh no" or "oh cool"?

Cerberus

Well, he doesn't have a very good reputation, does he?

Alenanno

Why not? He's one of the most famous authors here.

I never studied hm particularly well, so maybe I'm missing something.

Cerberus

He is depicted as a semi-fascist here...

Though perhaps extreme nationalist is better.

Of course that says nothing about his art.

Alenanno

I didn't know about this, honestly... But it seems they celebrated him, but he always refused to get the Party Ticket.

Gabriele D'Annunzio

Soprannominato il Vate cioè "il profeta", occupò una posizione preminente nella letteratura italiana dal 1889 al 1910 circa e nella vita politica dal 1914 al 1924. Come letterato fu «eccezionale e ultimo interprete della più duratura tradizione poetica italiana...» e come politico lasciò un segno sulla sua epoca e una influenza sugli eventi che gli sarebbero succeduti. Biografia La famiglia e gli anni di formazione Gabriele D'Annunzio nacque a Pescara il 12 marzo 1863 da famiglia borghese benestante. Terzo di cinque figli, visse un'infanzia felice, distinguendosi per intelligenza ...

From there

I never particularly got interest in him, honestly... :D

but again, if I have to confess, although I like to read, I never particularly liked studying Literature...

Cerberus

18:30

> D'Annunzio then declared Fiume an independent state, the Italian Regency of Carnaro; the Charter of Carnaro foreshadowed much of the later Italian Fascist system, with himself as "Duce" (leader). Some elements of the Royal Italian Navy, such as the destroyer Espero joined up with D'Annunzio's local forces.[5]

> He attempted to organize an alternative to the League of Nations for (selected) oppressed nations of the world (such as the Italians of Fiume), and sought to make alliances with various separatist groups throughout the Balkans (especially groups of Italians, though also some Slavic groups), although without much success. D'Annunzio ignored the Treaty of Rapallo and declared war on Italy itself, only finally surrendering the city in December 1920 after a bombardment by the Italian navy.

Alenanno

Ah...

Cerberus

@Alenanno Yeah he became more calm and reasonable after the whole Fiume incident.

Alenanno

@Cerberus I suppose a bombardment has the power to change your mind... :P

Cerberus

Hehe yes.

Alenanno

19:08

dinnertime!

see y'all later

Otavio Macedo

buon appetito!

Nikhil Bellarykar

20:28

hi

Otavio Macedo

@NikhilBellarykar Hi!

Nikhil Bellarykar

@OtavioMacedo wassup? what time is it in Brazil?

Otavio Macedo

18:34

daylight saving time

Nikhil Bellarykar

it is 02:00 in India

oh k

was reading abt the really strange language ubykh

Otavio Macedo

have you read this?

languagesoftheworld.info/geolinguistics/…

Nikhil Bellarykar

20:36

I know

the last speaker died in 1992

Otavio Macedo

I've read somewhere that in a hundred years, about 90% of today's languages will be dead

Nikhil Bellarykar

seems highly unlikely

I can vouch at least for Indian languages

Otavio Macedo

how many languages are spoken in India?

Nikhil Bellarykar

well, wiki says around 1652 total, living languages being arnd 415

major are 22-25

Otavio Macedo

and everyone speaks English in India?

Nikhil Bellarykar

20:46

rather say there are many who understand it now a days, but only in big towns can you be sure of it..

although officially english is ubiquitous

Otavio Macedo

here in Brazil, Portuguese is effectively the only language

few people speak English

Nikhil Bellarykar

but many understand english isnt it?

Otavio Macedo

hmm, not so many

Nikhil Bellarykar

so if I come to Brazil it is kind of must to understand basic Portugese then

Otavio Macedo

yes, tourists have a hard time here

Nikhil Bellarykar

20:52

thanks for the tip :)

Otavio Macedo

no problem!

well, gotta go!

nice talking to you

later!

Nikhil Bellarykar

ya, me too

see u later

nice talking to you too

Stack Exchange

22:12

0

Q: evolution of writing systems

I read somewhere that Hebrew has evolved from Egyptian pictographs. If that's the case, have anyone read about records that trace exact evolution from a pictograph to a Hebrew letter, or is this something very hard to research because of the lack of historical data? Thanks in advance

historical-linguistics evolution written-language evolutionary-linguistics

Alenanno

23:03

@mollyocr Are you online?

Alenanno

23:20

I think you're not. Ping me when you come online!

Hey @OtavioMacedo I'm going to bed

:D

Goodnight!

Otavio Macedo

night

Alenanno

By the way, I was asking about the writing system question... I'm no sure if it's off topic (maybe I'm wrong) but I wanted to know why it is, since we have at least another similar question...

Well, see y'all tomorrow.

goes offline

:)

Otavio Macedo

bye, see you tomorrow

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