Questions tagged [language]
Questions on historical use of languages and their development.
249
questions
1
vote
1
answer
318
views
When did the Hudson Bay get its current name in French?
In French, the Hudson Bay is called "La baie d'Hudson". Apparently it was originally called "mer du Nord" (North Sea) in the 1600's, the according to its french wiki page.
Now obviously, Henry Hudson ...
- 17.1k
2
votes
0
answers
263
views
When and how (why) did the idea that gender is not biological start [closed]
In my understanding the gender originally was based on the organs, there was cross dressing but it was considered a man dressing as a woman.
And latter this changed and gender became something ...
- 211
1
vote
1
answer
194
views
In 1700-1900 England, how were 'manners an end in themselves and not merely a means to achieve propriety by conformity'?
What does 1 mean: 'manners were [...] by conformity'? I know little about English history.
How does 1 justify or mitigate 2; because to Anglophones in 2016, 1700-1900 English (e.g. Sheridan's opening ...
user8309
9
votes
2
answers
2k
views
How much Ancient Egyptian survived into modern Coptic & Egyptian Arabic?
The Egyptian spoken language has evolved dramatically due to influences from the many foreign powers who ruled Egypt over the ages. Coptic is an Egyptian language with strong influences from Greek, ...
- 249
105
votes
3
answers
16k
views
Why are Germans referred to so differently in different languages?
I was inspired by the other question "Why are the German and French languages so different?". But while, for me, the answer was obvious (the Romans did not conquer most parts of today's Germany and so ...
- 3,403
2
votes
0
answers
557
views
What was the stand of K Kamaraj about anti-Hindi agitation of 1965?
What was the stand of K Kamaraj in anti Hindi agitation in 1965?
What were his actions to stop the people from riot?
And whether the leaders from Congress in Tamilnadu supported the Hindi imposition?
- 431
61
votes
6
answers
27k
views
Why are the German and French languages so different?
My understanding (which could be wrong) is the following:
During and before the period of the fall of western Rome (roughly 400 AD), the Franks and the Alemanni were tribal people who moved around a ...
- 729
6
votes
2
answers
581
views
Did barbarians capture monks or priest of civilized kingdoms to teach them?
I'm watching the loosely accurate TV show Vikings. When Vikings pillage the Briton monastery of Lindisfarne, they also capture some monks as slaves. Later, one of the monks assimilates pretty well to ...
- 421
4
votes
2
answers
4k
views
How would one refer to/address a Shogun?
In the Bakumatsu era, how would one refer to a shogun (when talking about him with someone else) or address him directly if talking to him? Is it just name + -sama suffix?
I am interest in the answer ...
- 109
3
votes
1
answer
104
views
Is this alphabet from tawantinsuyu or is it a modern invention (from the latter centuries)?
I am asking about tawa. When I studied quichua as language, I was told that quichua was not written. However here, in Ecuador, I found many sources (the main one is a magazine delivered by Amawtay ...
- 361
1
vote
2
answers
911
views
How did the written Polish language survive in eastern Germany during partition (if it survived at all)?
After the partition of poland in the late 18th century, Prussia aquired a large part of Polish territory. Those areas suffered heavy Germanization process through assimilation and suppression of ...
- 5,219
3
votes
1
answer
235
views
Did French ever have any special status in Austria?
Did French ever have any special status in Austria or the Austrian empire, akin to it being the language of royalty in England (and possibly Russia, I'm not sure) (as opposed to it being just another ...
- 2,191
4
votes
0
answers
177
views
What is the origin of language? [closed]
The use of language is one of the most conspicuous and diagnostic traits that distinguish Homo sapiens from other species. Unlike writing, spoken language leaves no trace.Can we get a direct method in ...
11
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Could any Habsburg kings of Hungary speak Hungarian?
From 1526 to 1918, Hungary was ruled by the Habsburgs. Could any of the Habsburg kings speak Hungarian, and if so, to what degree?
I know that Sissi, the consort of Franz Joseph I, was particularly ...
- 2,730
10
votes
4
answers
695
views
Why did Latin take root so deeply in Italy, Gaul, and the Iberian Peninsula, but not Greece or beyond?
I was just reflecting on the fact that Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and French all evolved from Latin, the language spread across that area by the Roman Empire 2000 years ago. (Romanian too, I ...
14
votes
1
answer
951
views
"The signal on the Zibby is dead" - what is the meaning of "Zibby"?
I am line editing a book about World War II and the Battle of the Coral Sea. The action is taking place in the front and rear cockpits of a Devastator torpedo-bomber aircraft. The pilot and gunner ...
- 353
30
votes
8
answers
11k
views
Why does Romanian culture have Latin influences?
Romania is located between Bulgaria, Serbia on one side and Ukraine/many Slavic countries on the other. Romanian is however a Romance (Latin) language, and not Slavic. They don't use the Cyrillic ...
- 495
8
votes
4
answers
555
views
Did the passage from Latin to English, in England, help science flourish?
On a YouTube video about the origins of English, they said that replacing Latin with English in science was beneficial to the field; scientists were thus able to easily discuss and understand the ...
- 505
6
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Did the Byzantine Empire use Roman numerals?
Wikipedia says about Byzantine emperor Heraclius that he was responsible for "introducing Greek as the Eastern Empire's official language".
If so, is it right to assume that Byzantines used Roman ...
- 3,169
8
votes
1
answer
834
views
What does it mean: "French was a lingua franca in the Ottoman caliphal court?"
According to the Economist: The Ottoman caliphate: Straddling two worlds
Ruling from Istanbul, the caliphs kept polyglot courts, reflecting the
multiple religions and races represented there. ...
- 7,042
2
votes
0
answers
242
views
How did French people greet in 1400? [closed]
How did French people greet in 1400?
In particular I'm looking for french expressions that a peasant like Saint Joan of Arc could have used to greet a friend.
- 129
16
votes
4
answers
21k
views
Who was the last English king whose first language was French?
What I remember from my college course is that whenever a delegation of barons came to discuss their grievances in English, the King would hear them out politely without understanding a word, conclude ...
- 3,315
5
votes
3
answers
4k
views
Why is the motto of the Swedish university Chalmers in French: avancez?
Is there a historical reason for the fact that Chalmers university uses a French motto and not a Swedish one?
5
votes
1
answer
463
views
What was the first book translated from Japanese to any of the European languages?
What was the first Japanese book translated and published in one of the European languages?
By "first" I mean the date of translation, not the original.
- 189
19
votes
5
answers
8k
views
How and when was Portugal created?
We all know that the Iberian Peninsula is separated between two major countries Spain and Portugal. When and how was the country now known as Portugal formed?
Portuguese is very similar to the ...
- 1,509
8
votes
2
answers
1k
views
When did English become a major subject in Japanese schools?
I used to think older Japanese people wouldn't have studied English at school, and recently came across someone who thought likewise (link available on request).
A middle-aged Japanese person told me ...
- 2,191
7
votes
1
answer
568
views
When were both minuscule and majuscule letters used for the first time in the same Latin manuscript?
I understand the first minuscule script appeared in the Latin alphabet in the 3rd century - "New Roman cursive".
My question is: when did a script used both minuscule and majuscule letters in the ...
- 235
9
votes
1
answer
357
views
What is the history of the use of word dividers in Greek?
In my understanding, Ancient Greek was usually written with a vertical line or three vertical dots separating words. This was phased out in favor of scriptio continua (continuous script) and ...
- 852
2
votes
1
answer
194
views
Does written language change language more than oral tradition? [closed]
I'm not sure if this is a right forum, but I didn't find better from SE.
I wonder if it is researched how much development of writing systems affects to language compared to languages that are not ...
- 533
4
votes
1
answer
832
views
Oh the humanity!
I notice that during the legendary on-the-spot broadcast (and resulting newsreel) of the Hindenburg disaster in 1937 features the exclamation from the broadcaster "Oh, the humanity!". Is this the ...
- 37.7k
0
votes
1
answer
8k
views
Where can I find a reliable method of translating English to Ancient Egyptian? [closed]
Having no prior knowledge of the language I am working on a project that requires me to name things using languages similar to ancient Egyptian. So far I have been using this website:
http://...
- 3
9
votes
6
answers
5k
views
What does the inscription on this sword mean?
The British Library has a 13th century sword with unknown inscription. They recently started a call to arms to translate the inscription.
The inscription reads:
NDXOXCHWDRGHDXORVI
Its meaning is ...
- 231
9
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Why is German spoken in Upper Valais?
The Swiss region of Upper Valais is a German speaking region which is physically isolated from all other German speaking regions. The dialect spoken there is so different from other Swiss-German ...
- 5,219
13
votes
4
answers
2k
views
What was the northernmost region/city in the Roman Empire that spoke Greek as the native language?
My understanding is that prior to the migrations/invasions of the Goths, Huns and Sklavenoi into the Balkan peninsula, Greek and Latin where the most common native languages, alongside other steadily ...
- 3,865
3
votes
2
answers
460
views
Did ancient peoples apply starch to clothing?
Source: See p 6 of 10 of the PDFs, first leftward para.
Beware that p 6 of the PDF is labelled as p 18 on the document itself.
The English name of starch, as well as its equivalent
in German, Stärke, ...
user8309
3
votes
1
answer
790
views
How do historians decide who to refer to as 'the allies?'
In many major wars one side has been branded collectively as the allies. In WWI and WWII we refer to the American/British coalition as the allies. I have heard Rome both fighting against the 'allies' ...
- 283
7
votes
2
answers
2k
views
How did Napoleon I succeed in France despite his shortcomings in French?
TL;DR. My question: The following sources onfirm that despite Napoleon's industry and perseverance, he never refined his French to the level of a native fluent speaker.
So how did he succeed in France,...
user8309
1
vote
1
answer
316
views
What are the modern names of the nations mentioned in Ystoria Mongalorum?
Giovanni Carpini in his Ystoria Mongalorum lists as factions under the dominion of the Mongol Empire:
Nations that have been subjugated:
Meniti
Colona-Thorati
Sassi
Thoas
Sarthi
...
- 139
16
votes
9
answers
10k
views
Why did English become Lingua Franca of the modern world? [closed]
According to a guy on Quora:
English became the lingua-franca of the world because of the United states and not England. But, throughout the 17th and 18th century, many Europeans (English, french, ...
- 1,099
6
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Historically, how did people living in distant regions communicate?
For example, how did Marco Polo manage to communicate with the Chinese and the Mongolians during his travels?
Did he learn Chinese? Did he manage to find a Chinese translator somehow? Was there a ...
- 4,253
-1
votes
1
answer
173
views
Morse code is a ternary human-optimised code, is there a binary, non-machine optimised code? [closed]
https://cs.stackexchange.com/questions/34067/is-morse-code-without-spaces-uniquely-decipherable
Discusses how Morse code isn't very clear without the third (usually) unseen element, the space.
Is ...
- 117
5
votes
1
answer
5k
views
What's the etymology of the name of the Schengen village?
The Luxembourg village of Schengen is noted for being the site where European leaders signed the historic Schengen Agreement. The village is named for its 1390 castle.
Where does the name "Schengen" ...
- 235
7
votes
3
answers
574
views
State of temporary recklessness of ancient Greeks
It was once explained to me that in ancient Greece when a person was reflecting on their own action that they later recognised as reckless or shameful, they would say that the gods have "blinded" them ...
- 193
8
votes
1
answer
908
views
In a Nazi concentration, labor, or death camp, what was a "'sale' Appel"?
I have listened to 100+ hours of testimonies by Holocaust survivors. Those who were in concentration, labor, or death camps invariably described the brutal roll calls known in German as Appels.
...
- 161
2
votes
0
answers
501
views
How did Helen Keller understand English? [closed]
Helen Keller has fascinated me for quite some time. What she achieved in her life time, being both blind and deaf.
One question though, how did she begin to comprehend the English language being ...
- 958
6
votes
1
answer
426
views
What determined the order of letters in the alphabet
I'm sure that we can trace the order of letters in the modern Latin alphabet to precursors (the Greek alphabet, various Semitic writing systems). But at some point an order had to be chosen for ...
- 467
49
votes
6
answers
20k
views
When did the Greeks stop calling themselves "Roman"?
I've been reading a lot about the Byzantine Empire recently, and one of the things I see pointed out over and over again is that "Byzantine" is a term coined by historians, not by the people ...
- 7,604
2
votes
1
answer
244
views
Technology and status symbols that predate language [closed]
I remember distinctly reading about peoples and cultures - in, I believe, the Caucasus - that used to knap large flakes of flint into spearheads and would use them (instead of actual tools) as status ...
0
votes
5
answers
2k
views
Why some countries have more than one name? [closed]
I know Persian Language, In persian (Farsi) that is an old language we call Netherlands “Holland” , call Germany "Alman", Call Poland "Lahestan", call India "Hend" and etc.
What is the reason and Why ...
- 247
6
votes
2
answers
3k
views
In 1861, few Italians spoke Italian?
The Economist claims
Italy was created by a small elite at a time when more than 90% of the peninsula’s inhabitants did not speak Italian. (Source: Special Report on Italy, June 11th, 2011, p. 3)
...
user3521