Only a few hundred kilometres from Iceland and the Faroe Islands lie the islands of Orkney and Shetland – the northernmost points of the United Kingdom, and home to the now-extinct language Norn. The Shetland islands were originally a Celtic settlement, until they were invaded by Vikings (the Norse people) during the 9th century AD. …
Tag Archives: languages
Where does Russia become Alaska?
The answer is: halfway between Tomorrow Island and Yesterday Island. Out in the Bering Strait, off the eastern coast of Siberia and the westernmost point of Alaska, lie the Diomede Islands: Big Diomede and Little Diomede. At their closest points, the two islands are less than 4 kilometres apart – a small stretch of water …
Patuá: linguistic relic of Macau’s colonial past
Macau is a ‘special administrative region’ of China, much like Hong Kong, with its own government and economic system. Despite its tiny size of 33km2, it enjoys global renown as the world’s biggest gambling hub, an industry which represents 80% of its economy. Its strategic position on the southern coast of China led to its …
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Kalaallisut oqalussinnaanngilanga
If you have ever wanted to break the news to a Greenlander that you don’t speak their language, the above will be a very useful phrase for you. But what language would that be, exactly? The short answer is Greenlandic. Greenlandic is divided into four main dialects, of which Kalaallisut – West Greenlandic – is …
Excuse me, do you speak Anglish?
Have a look at this well-known text below. Prizes go to anyone who can identify the language, with the top prize for anyone who can recognise what the text is. That’s right, it’s the Lord’s prayer, in English! Not modern English of course, but Old English, from c.800 AD. Didn’t recognise it? Have another look …
What language do they speak in the Maldives?
The answer is Dhivehi, an offshoot of the Indo-Aryan language family (which contains over 200 languages spread over India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, among others). Dhivehi bears some resemblance to Sinhalese (the language of Sri Lanka), the two being quite separate from their continental relatives. This said, they are by no means the …
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Jèrriais, the hidden language of the Channel Islands
Jèrriais is a language spoken on the island of Jersey (Jèrri), one of the Channel Islands, lying between England and France. Jersey is a British Crown Dependency (like Guernsey, and the Isle of Man), and is not a part of the United Kingdom, however subscribes to many aspects of British culture. Most notably, English is its …
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Barossa German
Barossadeutsch, as it is known in German, is a German dialect with only a handful of modern-day speakers, spoken in the Barossa Valley in the Australian state of South Australia. How did this come about? German was first spoken in the Barossa Valley in the 1840s, as a result of the mass migration of German …
Unusual Languages of the World 