bonjour!
i am leo, welcome to my blog!
my main blog is @butchdazai
spanish native, english fluent, french B2, german beginner, japanese beginner
future target languages -> LSQ, nahuatl, kanienʼkéha, toki pona, hebrew, arabic, korean
my hebrew class is starting next week :3
if I wrote my own language learning textbook or app all grammar explanations would have several levels to choose from ranging from “explain it in linguistic terminology” to “explain it like I’m a child and never learned a language before”
Like imagine you’re learning German and cases are introduced but you’re a linguist or you speak another language with cases. You could simply select the expert option that gives you some more in-depth nuances. Or perhaps you don’t even know what cases are, so you select the introductory option. And then there’s a middle option for everything as well. And then you can always go back and work yourself up to the expert option if you gain more knowledge or if expert is too complex after all you can go down a level to check you got it.
That way, even as a beginning learner, you could individualise your learning experience based on what other background knowledge you have.
linguistics study: genderqueer / nonbinary Arabic speakers wanted!
Do you speak Arabic? Are you trans, nonbinary, genderqueer, gender fluid, or otherwise gender non-conforming?
Please consider taking this 9-question survey to help us create free materials for teaching Arabic.
Please share widely 💜
(Note from synticity: I’m sharing this survey from Kris Knisely on bsky!)official linguistics research! please consider participating if you meet the eligibility requirements.
the ladies call me the subjunctive mood the way I express desire, wishes, uncertainty, doubt and fear
the problem with reading and writing leading to a strong vocabulary is that you tend to know the vibe of words instead of their meanings.
if I used this word in a sentence, would it make sense? absolutely. if you asked me what it meant, could I tell you? absolutely not.
(via pawprintedpages)
Here’s how to tell if a language is easy to learn
- None of them are easy
- They’re all stupid and terrible and will kick you in the nuts
- That being said
- Languages similar to ones you already speak
- Languages you have a lot of motivation to learn
- Languages that have a lot of resources and media to watch and/or listen to and/or read
- So, if you’re reading this with relative ease (aka you speak English fluently) probably French or Spanish
- Do whatever you want though idk
- Don’t just choose a language based on how easy it is
- Unless that’s what it takes to keep you motivated idk
- Go learn Frisian or something
- medieval monks and accountants start using Italian millione (“one thousand” + augmentative suffix) to mean 10^6 by the 1200s; this spreads to other languages
- Jehan Adam coins bymillion and trimillion to mean 10^12 and 10^18 in 1475
- Nicolas Chuquet extends this scale up to nonyllion (10^54), with every step being another six orders of magnitude (million, byllion, tryllion, quadrillion, quyllion, sixlion, septyllion, ottylion, nonyllion) in 1484. Note that in this period, it was common to put the digit separator every six digits instead of every three.
- Guillaume Budé refers to 10^9 as milliart in 1516, in a Latin text
- But in 1549, Jacques Pelletier du Mans uses milliard to mean 10^12, citing Budé as a source
- In the 1600s, people start putting digit separators every three digits. But some scientists and mathematicians define the numerical scale according to how digits are grouped, rather than the actual order of magnitude: thus, one billion becomes 10^9, one trillion becomes 10^12, etc, creating the short scale.
- “Milliard” is eventually added to the long scale, meaning 10^9 (in keeping with Budé’s usage); the first published example is from 1676
- By 1729, the short-scale meaning of “billion” (10^9) has already crept into American usage
- This is in keeping with French usage at the time: in 1762, the Académie Française dictionary cites billion as meaning 10^9.
- By the early 19th century, France has almost completely converted to the short scale, and U.S. usage follows France; the long scale is referred to in some sources as “obsolete.” But Britain is still using the long scale (and I assume Germany and most other European countries)
- Over the course of the 20th century, the long scale begins to become more influential in France, presumably due to the influence of continental usage; while the short scale becomes more influential in Britain, presumably due to the influence of American English. Notably the SI system very specifically uses unique prefixes that are the same across languages, to prevent confusion!
- In 1961, the French Government confirms that they’re going to officially use the long scale from now on; in 1974, Britain officially switches over to the short scale, and many other English-speaking countries follow.
- In 1975, the terms “short scale” and “long scale” are actually coined, by mathematician Geneviève Guitel.
One reason large number names could be so unstable for so long is, of course, that outside specialized usage they are rare, and were even more rare before modern science and large modern monetary amounts became commonplace points of discussion. Wikipedia says “milliard” wasn’t common in German until 1923, when bank notes had to be overstamped during Weimar-era hyperinflation.
As it currently stands, English, Indonesian, Hebrew, Russian, Turkish, and most varieties of Arabic use the short scale; continental Europe and most varieties of Spanish outside Europe use the long scale. A few countries use both, usually in different languages, like South African English (short scale) and Afrikaans (long scale) or Canadian English (short scale) and Canadian French (long scale) . Puerto Rico uses the short scale in economic and technical usage, but the long scale in publications aimed at export.
Notably some languages use neither, having their own names for large numbers–South Asian languages have the Indian numbering system, and Bhutan, Cambodia, and various East Asian languages also have their own numbering systems. Greek, exceptionally, uses a native calque of the short scale rather than a borrowing.
official linguistics post
(via vaguelycanine)
mistranslatingpostsintogerman:
when you get mad at me this is who you’re getting mad at (pic of disgusting repulsive charmless smear of unknown oily substance)
jessaievraimentvraimentvraiment
quand tu t'énerves contre moi voilà contre qui tu t'énerves (image d'une tache dégoûtante repoussante sans charme d'une substance huileuse inconnue)
🛑wirklichwirklichwirklichversuchend
wenn Sie auf mich sauer sind, sind Sie auch hierauf sauer (Abbildung einer ekelhaften, widerlichen, wenig reizvollen, öligen Schmierspur von unbekannter Zusammensetzung)
(via spyld)
French Youtube Channels Rec 2025
Here are some French Youtube channels that were recommended by the lovely people that answered this post.
I’ve tried to make some vague categories, based on the titles of the first videos I could find - don’t quote me on any of that - I actually don’t know the majority of these channels)
(a special thanks to @myrmecomorphisme and @insertusernameici who listed quite a few and gave some extra descriptions, you can find their posts, in French : here and here )
@fillioxalyn was faster than me and made a great post in French with some recommendations : here
Travel :
- Bruno MaltorFood/Cooking :
- WhoogysNews/Politics/Sociology :
- HugoDécrypte-Actus du jour,
- HugoDécrypte - Grands formats ;
- Clémovitch
- Dave Sheik [history / geopolitics]
- Grégoire Simpson [sociology] (FRENCH SUB AVAILABLE)History/ Archeology :
- NotaBene (FRENCH SUB AVAILABLE)
- Bonelessarcheologie8221 [Prehistory and archaeology]
- Histoires crépues [colonial history]
- Histoire Appliquée
- C'est une autre histoire (FRENCH SUB AVAILABLE)
- Les revues du mondeLinguistics :
- LinguisticaeEntertainment :
- Squeezie
- theobabacLifestyle / Vlog / Make-up :
- Lena situation
- Gaelle Garcia Diaz
- Marion ChameleonStorytelling :
- Thegreatreview (ENGLISH/FRENCH SUB AVAILABLE)
- Babor Lelefan
- Poisson FécondScience / Tech / Medicine / Biology :
- GMilgram
- Fantine et Hippocrate
- Astronogeek
- La Tronche en Biais
- BaladeMentale
- CedrikJurassik [Paleontology]
- Faune cool [animals]
- EGO [AI , computer science] (ENGLISH/FRENCH SUB AVAILABLE)
- ici Amy Plant [computer science, hacking]
- FouloscopieCulture / Movies / Dub / Music / Fantasy / SF :
- Misterfox
- Chronik Fiction
- Durendal (FRENCH SUB AVAILABLE)
- LinksTheSun
- LaSuitedeTrop
- Notserious_s (FRENCH SUB AVAILABLE)
- SEB [Music industry]
- misterjday
- Ratelrock [reviews of horror films/franchises]
- Nexus VI [SF]
- Alt 236
- Occulture [occultism/fantasy]
- CalmosLitterature/Book review :
- jeannot se livre
- Qu'est ce qu'on lit ?Video Games :
- Joueur du Grenier,
- Pseudoless1 [recent games /game design] (FRENCH SUB AVAILABLE)
- Ache [criticism, feminism and trans-identity in video games] (FRENCH SUB AVAILABLE)
- Feldup
(via gwendolynlerman)