Language Miscellany

• Welsh challenge (5)6 July, 2026
  This post is the 5th instalment of the Welsh leg of my current Celtic challenge. It covers chapter 4 of Colloquial Welsh. For earlier instalments, please see Welsh Archives – Language Miscellany Mutation Table 1 provides a reminder of the aspirate and nasal mutations discussed in earlier instalments. Table 1. Aspirate and nasal mutations Radical… Continue reading Welsh challenge (5)
• The Indo-European Lexicon project4 July, 2026
  The aim of the Indo-European Lexicon (IELEX) at The University of Texas at Austin is to collect the individual words of Proto-Indo-European (PIE), the common parent of the Indo-European (IE) family of languages.  No documents of PIE exist because it predates the invention of writing. Historical linguists use the ‘comparative method’ to reconstruct elements of… Continue reading The Indo-European Lexicon project
• Use a free relative to avoid clumsy wording2 July, 2026
  I came across the following ugly sentence in The Times (on 9 June 2026, example 1, emphasis added): (1) The money is about double that which was paid to referees at the 2014 World Cup. The sentence is grammatically fine, but sounds very stilted. Much better is example 2: (2) The money is about double… Continue reading Use a free relative to avoid clumsy wording

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