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こんにちは！　マリアさん　です。　日本語の学生　です。前学期に　これ　を　使いました。　二週間後に　また　授業　を　始める。

#studyblr #japanese langblr

日本語版のホムスタクを読んでいます

語彙をたくさん学ぶ。一番気に入っている違いは、ユーザー名です。

"turntechgodhead" = 機械仕掛けの神性 = "clockwork divinity"

それはすごいですね!

#homestuck #studyblr #japanese #japanese langblr #日本語

japanwords

水無月 (mi-na-tsuki) "The month of water"

Like many countries, Japan uses a 12-month calendar. The names are very simple. January is 一月 (ichi-gatsu, literally "Month one"), February is 二月 (ni-gatsu, "Month two"), etc.

However, before the Meiji Restoration (mid-1800s) it was common to use an older 12-month system. These months’ names referenced the weather and the seasons (similar to the French Revolutionary calendar).

June is “Minatsuki” in this old Japanese calendar.

水 = water

無 = none / not any

月 = month

無 means "not any", not "of".

So why doesn't this mean "the month with no water"?

According to wikipedia, this 無 is used purely as an ateji, which is a kanji used for its pronunciation rather than its meaning. 無 is pronounced "na", which sometimes has the same meaning as the possessive particle の ("no"), thus rendering the meaning something like "water's month".

Which makes sense, given that June is usually the time of the Japanese rainy season!

the-last-teabender

A little something for Linguistics Tumblr.

So the Crunchyroll newsroom isn't a "room" so much as a Slack channel. We have news writers all over the US, in Australia, and in Japan. This means we have something akin to 'round-the-clock coverage, but it also means that our schedules respective to each other are skewed. For example, when the East Coast contingent is starting their day, the Japan contingent is shutting down for the evening.

Because of that, we started experimenting with greetings that could apply when Party A was coming in for the morning and Party B was leaving for the night. One person came up with "konbarning": a combination of "good morning" and "konban wa" ("good evening" in Japanese). It stuck.

Over the following months, "konbarning" got shortened to "barning" and other permutations. Now, a year or some later, this is how we announce our arrival:

TIL about Tutnese

Tutnese was an African American cipher used by slaves to communicate covertly, an oral tradition in which unique sounds stood for letters of alphabet.

The following is what is known of the cipher although spellings varied because it was an OT:

A = ack B = bub C = cash D = dud E = a F = fuf G = gug H = hash I = ick J = jug K = kuck L = lul M = mum N = nun O = ock P = pup Q = quack R = rur S = sus T = tut U = uck V = vuv W = wack X = xux Y = yuck Z = zuz

So to say "Hello" you would say "Hash a lul lul ock."

#studyblr #langblr #black lives matter #aave #linguistics

classicjdiesandgoestohell

i study 2 languages, norwegian and swahili, and the differences between their resources kind of drives me insane.

norwegian has 5 million speakers. it has courses on any language learning platform you can think of. the norwegian learning subreddit has 58k members - a bunch of passionate learners and natives who answer questions. in the last year ive managed to find 12 books in norwegian at thrift stores, book warehouses, etc. never even bothered to get some online because of this! you can watch basically any show you want in it, or at least with subtitles.

what does swahili have? swahili has around 100~ million speakers, making it the most spoken language in africa (excluding colonizer languages like french and arabic). most platforms dont have a course for it, but the few that do are incredibly poorly made and almost impossible to use to learn with. the swahili learning subreddit has only 6.7k members (and most of these people have personal ties like family, as opposed to norwegian where people just learn it randomly for fun). i have never found ANY books IN swahili. ive found two dictionaries, and they were both at speciality stores (unlike norwegian which ive found at my usual medium sized town thrift store). virtually nothing is translated to swahili. not even the fucking Lion King, which uses words from the swahili language (hakuna matata, simba, rafiki, mufasa).

im not expecting tanzania and kenya to translate every western movie ever, they have their own stories to tell (as well as some government censorship), but thats not the whole story. the west has no interest in giving their stories to africa and they have no interest in translating african stories to english.

and like. I understand Why these disparities exist. due to colonization and therefore lower education levels, there are less books in swahili in the first place. people would rather learn a language with grammar and vocabulary similarities to their own, like an indo european language. but the difference is actually fucking absurd. a language with 100 million speakers should not have this few resources. with norwegian, i could always google any niche grammar question i had and find someone online asking the same question. with swahili, i have to search through decades old grammar guides in search of an answer on my own.

swahili is a beautiful language. it has the most consistent grammar of any language ive studied. i wish more people were interested in it, in ANY african language. i cannot imagine what resources are like for literally any other african language! i want people to care to learn these languages the way that people randomly decide to learn lithuanian, estonian, and other smaller european languages. i want their resources to be greater, more courses to be created, more books to be written, more translations to bridge the gaps between cultures.

Taking American Sign Language this summer 👍🏽

Going in with zero previous knowledge besides knowing that like spoken languages, signed languages come in thousands of different varieties depending on culture and are not lesser than the major spoken languages just because fewer people use them

I have a B.A. in English and often wish I'd challenged myself to become fluent in another language at that time when my autistic burnout wasn't so great and I didn't have fibromyalgia brain fog, but I've been taking Japanese on my own for 3 years (one semester of actual class so far). I still struggle a lot with Kanji but I try not to be hard on myself too much, because according to the Foreign Service Institute, Japanese is one of the hardest languages an English speaker could choose, up there with Arabic and Mandarin

I'm not aware where American Sign Language ranks with the FSI but I'm assuming my American heritage and my (hear me out) autism will help me succeed here, I'm not nonverbal or high needs but I often have verbal shut downs when I get overwhelmed and often prefer to move in silence in general

Also a few years ago I became aware that like African American Vernacular English there is also a Black Sign Language and comparative linguistics is my gig

#studyblr #linguistics #langblr #asl #american sign language

midnights-dragon

In case anyone is having a bad night

(The best of this post and its reblogs, but with links that work)

Here is a website where you can scroll down to all the different levels of the ocean

Here is a website where you can see the future of the universe

Here is a website where you can press a ‘make everything okay’ button, over and over, until things really are okay

Here is a website that you can read if you feel like a burden

Here is a website where you can look at strobe illusions (TW strobe/flashing)

Here is a website where you can cut stuff up (TW blood/sh)

Here and here are websites where you can play with sand

Here is a website where you can draw with macaroni and other fun foods

Here is a website where you can paint someone’s nails

Here is a website where you can grow a garden with emojis

Here is a website with hundreds of videos of people hugging you (rightfully dubbed ‘the nicest place on the internet’ because it really is, y’all, it made me cry)

Here is a website that will take you to other useless websites

Here is a website where you can make a tiny cat play bongo drums (and other instruments!)

Here is a website to help give you gentle reminders <3

Here is a website where you can grow a tiny farm

Here is a website where you can take a bunch of scientific personality tests

Here is a website of calm rain noise

Take a breath. It’s going to be okay, I promise.

AAVE & Stress Shifts

Stress shift in AAVE refers to a pattern in which

First syllables are stressed more often than in Mainstream English (UMbrella vs. umBRELLA)

Stress placement can distinguish entirely different meanings

The shift often aligns the word with a more syllable-timed rhythm rather than the stress-timed rhythm of standard English

Syllable-timed languages give roughly equal time to each syllable instead of giving roughly equal time to the intervals between stressed syllables as in English (Japanese which I am learning now is also syllable timed!)

Many West African languages such as Igbo and Yoruba are not only syllable timed but tonal. When speakers were forced to use English during the transatlantic slave trade, they applied their own rhythmic template to their new language

AAVE is not a tonal language but it repurposes pitch and stress to do grammatical work and change words in ways that mainstream English can't, for example

In Yoruba: ó bẹ̀ (he pleaded) vs. ò bẹ́ (it is sharp).

In AAVE: he BEEN finished (he finished that a long time ago) vs. he been FINISHED (neutral statement of fact)

#studyblr #langblr #linguistics #english #black lives matter

z0ruas

Read Pokemon Iron: Karkat Chases Kanto on AO3 ♥♦♣♠

#from my main blog #I write fan fiction when I'm not studying or gaming #if you know a lot about Pokemon I think itll be fun

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Common Words & Phrases from AAVE

Gullah & Early AAVE

Gumbo – From Bantu kingombo (okra), brought by enslaved Africans and became the name of the Creole stew thickened with okra.

Goober – From Kikongo nguba, the Bantu word for peanut that entered American English via enslaved Africans.

Yam – From West African languages (e.g., Wolof nyami, "to eat"), brought over during the slave trade and adopted into Southern cuisine.

Banjo – From a Bantu root (mbanza), the instrument was crafted by enslaved Africans based on West African string instruments.

Bogus – Likely from Hausa boko-boko (deceitful, fraudulent), entering American English through African American speech in the 19th century.

Juke (box/joint) – From Gullah juke (rowdy, disorderly), derived from Wolof dzug (to live wickedly), later attached to roadside bars.

Tote (to carry) – From West African languages (e.g., Kikongo tota, "to pick up"), recorded in Gullah before spreading to mainstream English.

Dig (to understand) – From Wolof degg (to understand), popularized by jazz musicians in the 1930s after entering English through AAVE.

Jazz – Possibly from West African or Creole slang for energy/sex, first documented in AAVE in Chicago around 1912.

Okay (OK) – Though its origin is debated, strong evidence traces it to West African languages (e.g., Wolof waw kay) via enslaved Gullah speakers.

Hip/Hep – From Wolof hipi (to open one's eyes, to be aware), entering jazz slang in the early 1900s before going mainstream.

Hepcat – A compound of "hep" + "cat" (jazz slang for a person), literally meaning "one who has his eyes open" in West African-influenced jazz culture.

Jazz, Blues & 1940s–60s Era

Cool (as in fashionable/calm) – Originated in jazz circles, likely from saxophonist Lester Young, and entered mainstream via West African aesthetic concepts of composure.

Cat – A jazz-era term for a skilled musician or cool person, derived from West African-influenced jive talk.

Crib – Jazz slang for a house or apartment, popularized in the 1940s before becoming mainstream in the 1990s.

Hokum – AAVE slang for nonsense or BS, used in blues and jazz before being adopted more widely.

Diss – Short for "disrespect," coined in AAVE and popularized through hip-hop in the 1980s and 1990s.

Bad (meaning good) – From AAVE, where inversion of meaning creates emphasis (something so "bad" it's actually good), used since early jazz era.

Jive – AAVE slang for deceptive talk or a style of jazz dancing, used by Cab Calloway in his 1930s Hepster Dictionary.

1970s–90s (Hip-Hop & Pre-Internet Era)

Homeboy/Homegirl – AAVE for a close friend from one's neighborhood, popularized in hip-hop and later shortened to "homes" in casual speech.

Dope (meaning great) – Shifted from "stupid" in standard English to "excellent" in AAVE during the 1980s hip-hop era.

Props – Short for "proper respects" in AAVE, used in hip-hop to acknowledge skill or achievement before entering mainstream slang.

Word (as in "I agree") – AAVE interjection ("Word!" or "Word is bond") meaning "I'm telling the truth," derived from Nation of Islam teachings.

Phat (meaning cool/great) – AAVE acronym believed to stand for "Pretty Hot And Tempting," though likely an invented backronym; popularized in 90s hip-hop.

The Bomb – AAVE phrase for something excellent or top-quality, widely used in hip-hop lyrics before mainstream adoption.

Def – AAVE slang for "excellent," popularized by Run-DMC's "King of Rock" and 80s hip-hop culture.

Fresh – AAVE for stylish or excellent, used in early hip-hop and 80s pop culture before spreading globally.

Wack – AAVE for "bad, inferior, uncool," popularized in hip-hop and later mainstream youth speech as the opposite of "cool."

Hella – AAVE intensifier meaning "very" or "a lot of," originating in Oakland/Bay Area AAVE in the 1970s-80s.

Cap / No Cap – AAVE meaning "lie" and "no lie," popularized by Bay Area rap in the 2010s, derived from "capping" (exaggerating).

1990s–2000s (Internet Adoption & Ballroom Culture)

Slay – From AAVE and Black ballroom culture (Paris is Burning, 1990), meaning to do something extremely well, now mainstream via social media.

Spill the Tea – From AAVE (originally "spill the T," with "T" meaning truth), popularized by drag culture and Black queer communities.

Shade (as in insult) – From Black ballroom culture (documented in Paris is Burning), meaning a subtle insult, now used broadly in pop culture.

Reading (as in insulting) – From ballroom culture ("reading" someone), meaning to publicly insult with wit, immortalized in Paris is Burning.

Kiki – AAVE from ballroom culture meaning a casual gathering for gossip or chatting, later mainstreamed through pop music (e.g., Kesha).

Fierce – AAVE and ballroom term meaning exceptionally good or intense, applied to fashion, performance, or attitude.

Woke – From AAVE meaning socially and politically aware, first used in 1940s Black activism before resurging with Black Lives Matter.

Shook – AAVE meaning startled or upset, used in 1990s New York hip-hop (e.g., Mobb Deep) before mainstream adoption in the 2010s.

On Fleek – AAVE phrase meaning perfectly executed, coined in a 2014 Vine by Peaches Monroee, one of the last pre-AI viral AAVE innovations.

Finna – From AAVE contraction of "fixing to" (preparing to), documented in Southern AAVE for decades before wider use and dictionary recognition.

Chile – A phonetic spelling of "child" in Southern AAVE, used as a term of endearment or exclamation since at least the 1970s (The Wiz, 1978).

2010s–Present (Social Media & Gen Z Slang Pipeline)

Lit – AAVE meaning exciting or excellent (originally "intoxicated" or "on fire"), popularized in hip-hop before becoming a Gen Z staple.

Bae – AAVE term of endearment meaning "before anyone else" or just a shortened form of "babe/baby," mainstreamed in the 2010s.

Ratchet – AAVE originally meaning a rowdy, aggressive woman (from "wretched"), later used to describe anything wild or out of control.

Turnt – AAVE meaning excited or intoxicated, from "turned up" in hip-hop lyrics, mainstreamed in early 2010s party slang.

Clap Back – AAVE for a sharp, witty comeback or retaliation, popularized in hip-hop (e.g., Ja Rule's 2003 song "Clap Back") before internet slang.

Bussin' – AAVE meaning delicious or excellent, applied to food or anything great, popularized on TikTok in the 2020s.

Sus – AAVE shortening of "suspicious" or "shady," used for decades before Among Us made it a global meme in 2020.

Snatched – AAVE originally describing flawless hair/makeup or a tight waist, now used to praise anything perfectly executed.

Periodt – AAVE emphatic form of "period" (meaning "end of discussion"), with a hard "t" for emphasis, popularized on Black Twitter before global use.

Bonus: My personal favorite AAVE term that I see used online religiously is receipts! AAVE meaning the proof shown to back up an accustation

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My bad for not linking the book I got all this from

💬 0 🔁 2 ❤️ 4 · Juba to jive the dictionary of African-American slang (Major, Clarence, Major etc.) (z-library.sk, 1lib.sk, z-lib.sk).pdf

More AAVE

Most of these come from the book from Juba to the Jive

Gullah & Early AAVE (Enslaved & Post-Emancipation)

Afeared – (1650s-1890s) Scared; afraid. A retention of Old English, preserved in Gullah and coastal AAVE.

Bimeby – (1700s-1920s) Before long; soon. A corruption of "by and by," originating in pidgin and Creole.

Cootie – (1650s-1990s) A body louse. From West African kuta (turtle) or nkuda (Kongo), applied to the insect's shape.

Cudjo / Cuffee / Cuffy – (1620s-1890s) Day names for African males (e.g., Kofi for Friday). Used as forms of address among the enslaved.

Hag – (1620s-1890s) An evil spirit or skinless ghost from Gullah lore, said to ride sleeping people.

Haint – (1690s-1940s) A ghost, spirit, or disembodied presence. A corruption of "haunt."

Juba – (1790s-1900s) A plantation dance rhythmically slapping hands, knees, and thighs. Also a day name for a girl born on Monday.

Massa – (1650s-1860s) Enslaved person's term for the white slaveholder. From Mandingo mande, masa ("chief").

Plat-eye – (1760s-1940s) A terrifying female ghost, strong as an animal, that scratches at doors. From Bantu platatayi.

Patteroller – (1700s-1860s) A slave-catcher or patroller who hunted runaways; a predecessor to the Klan.

Jazz, Blues & Mid-Century (1920s–1960s)

Ace – (1940s-1990s) One's best friend. Short for "ace boon coon," from card-playing.

Apple – (1930s-1960s) New York City. "Big Apple" was first used by jazz musicians; Harlem was the "stem."

Blow – (1920s-1950s) To play an instrument with skill; to speak well; to leave. Extended to "blow a typewriter" (to write).

Bone – (1900s-1930s) A trombone. Later (1960s-1990s) shifted to mean the penis.

Bread – (1930s-1960s) Money, as a basic survival necessity.

Break It Up – (1930s-1940s) To earn great applause; to stop the show. Also, to explode with laughter.

Chicken Shack – (1940s-1960s) A low-priced restaurant or diner serving soul food.

Chill / Chilling – (1980s-1990s) Relaxing, cooling it. "Chill out" means to desist or be calm.

Chopper – (1940s-1990s) A machine gun or automatic weapon; later, a helicopter.

Chump – (1950s-1960s) A square, victim, or dupe. "Chump change" is a small amount of money.

Down – (1950s-1970s) A word of approval; excellent; brave; hip. "Down with" means in agreement.

Drag – (1930s-1980s) A bore; a dull person. Also, feminine attire worn by a male (from the 1940s).

Gig – (1700s-1960s) A jazzman's job; later, any job. Also a trick, tease, or child's pacifier.

Gravy – (1940s-1990s) Money or the power it generates. In the 1980s, shifted to mean heroin.

Hawk – (1930s-1990s) The biting, cold winter wind, especially in Chicago. Extended to mean to sell goods aggressively.

Hipster – (1930s-1940s) A hip, knowledgeable person. Dropped by black speakers by the late 1940s, adopted by white beatniks.

Homeboy – (1930s-1990s) A male from one's own town or neighborhood, especially the South.

Hoochie – (1880s-1930s) A very erotic dance; a conjure "doctor." Later revived as "hoochie mama."

Hump – (1950s-1990s) A difficulty; to perform sexual intercourse.

Mack / Macking – (1900s-1990s) Pimping; to use slick, flirtatious talk. "Mack on" means aggressive seduction.

Mellow – (1930s-1970s) Gentle, sincere, satisfying; cool. Also, a best or closest friend.

Mug – (1940s) The human face. Extended to "mug shot" and "mugging" (making faces).

Nod – (1930s-1990s) The stupor of a person high on heroin. "On the nod" means drifting in and out.

Pad – (1800s-1990s) One's home, room, or bed.

Rag – (1800s-1990s) A sanitary napkin. "On the rag" means menstruating. Also, a newspaper.

Roach – (1930s-1960s) The butt end of a marijuana cigarette. "Roach clip" holds it.

Satch / Satchel-mouth – (1900s-1940s) A person with a very large mouth. "Satchmo" (Louis Armstrong) is a corruption.

Scrub – (1580s-1990s) A contemptible, mediocre, or untalented person.

Shade – (1850s-1900s) A Black person (from derogatory white use, used ironically). Later, in ballroom, a subtle insult.

Skins – (1930s-1970s) Drums or drumheads. "Skin-beater" is a drummer.

Square – (1900s-1990s) A conventional, unenlightened person; not "hip."

Stash – (1920s-1990s) To hide something (especially drugs); also, the hidden supply itself.

Stud – (1900s-1970s) Any hip male. Also, a lesbian (1940s-1950s).

Trip / Tripping – (1960s-1990s) To be passionately involved; high on drugs; saying inappropriate things.

Uptight – (1950s-1970s) In early jazz, a good feeling or good sex. Later, short on cash, then mentally anxious.

Viper – (1930s-1940s) A marijuana smoker or dealer, from the hissing sound of inhaling.

Wail – (1950s-1970s) A beautiful musical performance. "Wail on" means to fight someone.

Wig – (1930s-1960s) Natural hair that has been processed; also, one's mentality. "Blow your wig" means to get excited.

Woodshed – (1930s-1970s) To practice an instrument in private (literally or figuratively).

Yardbird – (1930s-1940s) An unpolished musician; later, Charlie Parker's nickname.

1970s–1990s (Pre-Internet & Early Hip-Hop)

B-girl / B-boy – (1980s-1990s) A breakdancer or hip-hop head. The "B" stands for "break" (breakbeat).

Crew – (1980s-1990s) A group of young people forming a loosely knit gang or social unit.

Dope – (1900s-1990s) Heroin or any narcotic. The positive meaning ("that's dope!") came later.

Duckets / Ducats – (1990s) Money; a ticket or admission. From Italian ducato (a coin), via theater slang.

Fade – (1940s-1990s) A haircut that gradually becomes shorter; also, to leave quietly or disappear.

Gangsta – (1950s-1990s) A gang member; a criminal. "Gangsta rap" emerged in the late 1980s.

Gat – (1900s-1990s) A handgun. Short for "Gatling gun."

Hype – (1960s-1990s) Deception; a phony scheme; an addict (from "hypodermic"). Also, extravagant promotion.

Ice – (1950s-1990s) Diamonds or expensive jewelry.

Ill – (1980s-1990s) Excellent, cool, or extreme. "Illin'" means suffering from severe stress.

Kick it – (1900s-1990s) To play music; to relax; to hang out.

Knowledge / Acknowledge – (1920s) "He's got the acknowledge" means he has the info or skills.

Loot – (1930s-1940s) Money or cash.

Main squeeze – (1960s) One's favorite lover or girlfriend.

Man – (1900s-1990s) A form of address carrying respect, counteracting whites calling Black males "boy."

Mobb / Mobbed up – (1990s) A group of friends or a crew. "Mobb Deep."

Murphy – (1940s-1960s) A confidence game where the victim is promised sex and is robbed.

Ofay – (1800s-1950s) A white person. Possibly from West African bama fe or Pig Latin for "foe."

Phat – (1990s) Cool, excellent. A backronym ("Pretty Hot And Tempting") on the AAVE word "fat" (wealthy).

Piece – (1900s-1980s) A pistol or handgun. Also, a musical instrument or an ounce of heroin.

Pump – (1970s-1990s) A machine gun or shotgun requiring a pumping action.

Punk – (1940s-1990s) A weak, cowardly, or effeminate male; a prison submissive.

Rap – (1730s-1990s) To converse; a lyrical, rhyming monologue. The musical form emerged in the 1970s Bronx.

Rep / Reps – (1950s-1990s) One's reputation. Also, repetitions in exercise.

Ride – (1950s-1990s) A car. "That's a bad ride." Also, to drive.

Rollin' / On a roll – (1900s-1990s) Having a streak of success; moving with confidence.

Shorty – (1930s-1990s) A young person, especially a girl. Also, an automobile.

Sista – (1940s-1990s) A term of address for a Black woman, expressing cultural solidarity.

Soul – (1930s-1990s) Black authenticity; deep racial feeling; the essence of Black culture.

Stone – (1940s-1990s) An intensifier: "stone fox," "stone cold."

Tight – (1920s-1990s) Close friends. Also, well-dressed, attractive, or excellent.

Trick – (1900s-1990s) A prostitute's customer; a "John." "Turn a trick" means to perform sex work.

Twenty-four-seven – (1980s-1990s) All the time; constantly. From 24-hour convenience stores.

Word is bond – (1980s-1990s) "I'm telling the truth." From Nation of Islam teachings.

2000s–Present (Internet, Ballroom, & Social Media)

Beat – (1960s-1990s) Ugly ("beat with an ugly stick"). In ballroom/drag, inverted to mean makeup applied flawlessly.

Bougie – (1950s-1990s) Short for "bourgeois." Derogatory for middle-class, pretentious Black people.

Chile – (1970s-1990s) A phonetic spelling of "child," used as a term of endearment or exclamation (like "girl").

Clout – (1990s-2000s) Influence, power, or fame, especially on social media. "Clout chaser."

Crusty – (1990s-2000s) Unattractive, out of style, or unhygienic.

Deadass – (1990s-2010s) Serious; telling the truth. "Deadass?" means "Are you serious?" Originated in New York AAVE.

Glow up – (1990s-2010s) A dramatic, positive transformation, especially in appearance.

Hits different – (2010s) When something is experienced in a new, more profound, or more emotional way.

Hood – (1960s-1990s) One's neighborhood, especially a ghetto or gang territory. "Hood rat" is derogatory.

Mood – (2010s) An expression of relatability. "That's a mood."

Receipts – (2010s) Proof or evidence, especially to back up an accusation or show hypocrisy.

Ratio – (2010s) To have more replies (especially negative) than likes or retweets. "Ratio'd" means defeated online.

Salty – (1930s-1970s) Irritated or angry. Revived in 2010s internet slang.

Send – (1900s-1950s) To arouse emotionally. In ballroom/drag, "she sends" means an outstanding performance.

Stan – (2000s) An obsessive fan. From Eminem's 2000 song "Stan."

Tea – (1990s-2000s) Gossip or personal information. "That's the tea." From drag culture's "T" (truth).

Unc / Uncle – (1750s-1990s) An elderly Black male; a familiar term for any older man.

Valid – (2010s) Authentic, legitimate, or worthy of respect. "That's valid" means "I agree."

Vibe / Vibing – (1960s-1990s) Feelings or a harmonious connection. "Vibe check" assesses the mood.

Yeet – (2010s) An exclamation of excitement, approval, or to throw something forcefully.

#studyblr #langblr #linguistics #english #black lives matter

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Thai Basics

Tones

The tone you use to say a word changes its meaning completely

Mid Tone: mai (no tone mark) = "not"

Low Tone: mài ( ่ ) = "new"

Falling Tone: mâi ( ้ ) = "burn"

High Tone: mái ( ๊ ) = "silk"

Rising Tone: mǎi ( ๋ ) = "wood"

Consonants & Vowels

Thai uses its own alphabet (44 consonants, 32 vowels) so I will first be practicing transliteration first (writing Thai with the Latin alphabet) Most Thai consonants sound like their English counterparts with some exceptions:

ง (ng): Like the "ng" in "sing"

ร (r): Often pronounced as a soft "l" in casual speech

ช, ฉ, ฌ (ch): A "ch" sound, but not as hard as in "cheese," softer like "chef"

Thai distinguishes between short and long vowels and changing the length changes the meaning

Ma (short) = "to come"

Maa (long) = "dog"

Every sentence you speak should end with a polite particle

ครับ (kráp): Used by male speakers. A final, falling tone. Often shortened to káp in casual speech.

ค่ะ (kâ): Used by female speakers. A final, falling tone.

Hello (male): Sawasdee kráp

Hello (female): Sawasdee kâ

Thai grammar is in many ways much simpler than English and you can form basic sentences quickly

No Verb Conjugation: Verbs never change. Pai (ไป) means "go," "went," "will go," "going."

No Articles: There are no words for "a," "an," or "the."

No Plural Forms: Nouns don't change. Nang seu (หนังสือ) can mean "book" or "books."

Basic Sentence Structure: Subject + Verb + Object

Chan gin khao. (ฉัน กิน ข้าว) I eat rice.

Making it Negative: Add mâi (ไม่) before the verb.

Chan mâi gin khao. (ฉัน ไม่ กิน ข้าว) I do not eat rice.

Making it a Question: Often just add măi (ไหม) at the end of a statement. Tone rises.

Chan gin khao măi? (ฉัน กิน ข้าว ไหม) Do you eat rice?

You rarely use the formal "I" or "you" in Thai. Pronouns are chosen based on the gender of the speaker and the social context.

I / Me:

ผม (pǒm): Formal/polite for males.

ดิฉัน (dì-chǎn): Formal/polite for females.

ฉัน (chǎn): Common, informal for females (and sometimes males among friends).

You:

คุณ (kun): The safe, polite, neutral "you" for strangers.

Avoid using kun too often with friends; it's common to use nicknames, kinship terms (like pee - older sibling), or simply omit the pronoun.

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Master the Thai alphabet with interactive lessons. Learn Thai consonants, vowels, and tones with spaced repetition and audio pronunciation.

I'm trying to learn Thai basics because it's my #2 country where I want to teach TEFL (after Japan)!

I just finished watching Drag Race Thailand Season 3 for some immersion, it was so good as usual

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names to give your japanese female/girl-shaped/girl-adjacent characters that DON'T END IN '-ko'

this actual suffix for girls' names (子, which can mean child, teenager or young woman, among other possible definitions) is kinda dated in japan and has been for decades now? you have so many options other than just tacking -ko onto a boy's name after dropping its last syllable and calling it a day. here are some other name endings you can try:

-ki. depending on the character used, meanings include tree (木); mood/feelings, air, atmosphere (気); season (季), instrument, vessel (器); odd/strange (奇)...

-na. 'vegetable' (菜) and 'name' (名) are two common meanings for this ending, but some kanji used in names have multisyllable readings that end in -na.

-mi. almost as old as -ko, but still somewhat popular. most common meaning is 'beauty' or 'beautiful', with the character 美.

-ri. jasmine (莉), logic or principle (理)...

seasons. these also work as names in their own right! -natsu (夏, summer), -haru (春, spring), -aki (秋, autumn), -fuyu (冬, winter). 秋 and 冬 might be more common as standalone names or name beginnings than endings, at least for girls. the on'yomi (chinese-derived kanji readings) give you even more possibilities.

while names that correspond to actions or states of being, like satoru, hiromu, shigeru, minoru, ayumu, hikaru, ka(w)oru, etc. can sometimes be used as is for girl's names, it's more common to use the noun-equivalent forms of these words instead. names like inori and konomi—if written with single characters—are of this type. some verby names, like michiru (満, to be full, to grow larger), are slightly likelier to be bestowed upon girls, though.

you can just give them new names entirely, too!

naming girls after flowers or flower anatomy, fruits, birds, trees, and even weather patterns is and likely always will be fashionable. examples include:

蕾　tsubomi, flower bud.

雪　yuki, snow. unisex.

菊　kiku, chrysanthemum. standalone or with -ko.

杠　yuzuriha, false daphne (flower).

若葉　wakaba, young leaf.

楓　kaede, maple tree.

茜　akane, madder (plant source of a crimson dye or the color itself).

桃　momo, peach or peach tree.

千鳥　chidori, plover. or a thousand birds.

東風　ayu, south-by-southeast (along the sea of japan) spring and summer wind.

even colors can work as girl's names. aoi (青, blue or green) and midori (緑, green) are a bit old-fashioned too now, but they're still options that wouldn't raise eyebrows.

and some girls have names that are just kana and don't correspond to any particular kanji reading! parents often do this with the intent of freeing their newborn babe from any specific destiny attached to the reading of their name.

please try these instead for your original characters or genderbends. you're welcome.

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I just want to let you guys know Cornell's entire library is open access (no permissions required) and there are (shocker) many books...