Post #7

If the Amazon River were included in the linguistic world, it would be the Khmer alphabet.

Today We will begin by remembering the somewhat peculiar languages that we have known so far, among all those languages. The Pirahã always comes to light before my eyes. This time, I remember it because it had 11 letters in its alphabet. For me, a native speaker of Spanish, which has 27 letters in its alphabet, it was something very curious. Now, dear readers, you may wonder why I am mentioning this.... well

What would you think of an alphabet of 74 letters, of which 32 are vowels?

Let's move to Asia, specifically Cambodia, which has Khmer as its official language. Do you remember the language of Yoga that we saw a few weeks ago? Sanskrit has influenced this language. Which, despite its intimidating alphabet, some may believe is even easier to learn or use than Spanish. This is alleged because this language has no verb tenses, no gender, no number, and no articles in its grammar. Khmer is the oldest recorded language. 

Regional differences are small and generally mutually understandable. Based on the dialect of the capital, Phnom Penh, modern Khmer is used throughout the country and is widely understood by residents. Much of the Khmer vocabulary used in literature, the military, and administration is borrowed from Sanskrit or Pali. Due to the French colonial rule of the year, many French words have been transposed into the language as well.

How do you feel about the fact that this language contains what is considered to be the longest alphabet in the world? Do you find it easy? I certainly still find it intimidating. 

Post #6

 What language is spoken in all countries and yet in none of them?

It sounds like a riddle to which, I don't know about you, but I didn't have the answer. Today we are going to meet the so-called spy language, Esperanto.

A planned language that has been growing year after year. 

While I was learning about Esperanto, which is the most spoken artificial language. I found it curious that it was created by a Polish ophthalmologist. "Nothing personal". He called the language at first <<universal language>> because it was expected to be, then he changed the name. The alphabet used by this language resembles the Latin alphabet but includes 6 letters with diacritical accents (ĉ, ĝ, ĥ, ĵ, ŝ, and ŭ). Moreover, the letters 'Ñ', 'Q', 'W', 'X', and 'Y' disappears from common nouns. It has 16 grammatical rules without exceptions to any kind and a very accessible conjugation system (verb tenses do not change according to person or number, and there are no irregulars). 

Now, while I was reading, I had a question, Does Esperanto give me hope for a better future? Because I feel that the name rings a bell because of the translator. Which for me means that it is known and important. "I have to be honest at this point, in Spanish I like this question better since Esperanto and Esperanza sound similar -don't blame me sometimes it makes me laugh too easily-" Well, the answer is no "for me, you can be masters of your own ways", it is the most spoken planned language, but it still doesn't fulfill its purpose of being the universal one. So, I think there are more practical languages to learn, however, it is still an interesting language that is acquiring more speakers every day. If you find it interesting, do it, create your own path and your own opinion.

Do you think you are capable of inventing a language? Once, when I was a child, I tried and wrote nonsense words. I thought it was the best investment of my time, I forgot the words and where I had written them. That was the end of my planned language, which never saw the light of day. 

How about you? Tell me about it in the comments.

Post #5

 The last of us is not just a tv series

So far, we have gone far away from Ecuador. But what if there is such a curious language nearby? 

Let's talk about Taushiro, a language that only one person is known to speak fluently. In Peru, near the border of Ecuador on the banks of the Aucayacu River. There is a community with the same name that has disappeared. Records have been left by missionaries who arrived in the area. Which mentions that around 3,000 people used the language many years ago. 

Now, due to the mixture of languages, and the cholera epidemic.  The people of this community began to die and to find it necessary to stop being monolingual. The people who spoke the original language of this community were reduced over the years until only Amadeo García García remained. He still identifies himself as Taushiro, belonging to the community and using the language.

Don Amadeo lucidly recounts many details in different studies of how his community gradually disappeared.

In fact, one of these writings identifies him as a co-translator and corrector of the research materials. Amadeo still preserves his customs, he dedicates himself to the weaving of the leaves, then sells the product.

Everyone in the village knows his skill and orders large quantities from him. He goes into the forest for several days until he collects the requested amount; he also lives from the sale of some of the products he collects, such as the fish he catches, etc.

What do you think about this story? I think it is a little sad, I feel that he was left living alone in the past, not even his children remember his language or his customs. It reminds me of the Pirahã who on the contrary decided to live only in the present.  

Why choose if we can have both? To move forward and learn from the advanced.

Post #4

 What do you mean, namaste does not refer to tea?

With your attention, or lack thereof. My dear reader, I will ask you two questions:

- Have you ever practiced Yoga?                                   - Do you know any words in Sanskrit?

Let me introduce you to the language of Yoga, which is actually called Sanskrit. If you have ever even practiced yoga, you must have heard some terms in this language, but did you know about its origin?

Sanskrit, originating in India, is considered the original language of yoga. It is one of the 22 official languages of that country. With its millinery origin, we can attribute the development of several aspects of human life. We have religious, philosophical, and cultural contributions.

Something curious about this language is that in English dictionaries we find the words and their meanings. In their dictionaries we will find the roots of the words, that is to say, the words from their origin.   The alphabet has 33 consonants classified according to the point of occlusion or articulation, 14 vowel sounds distinguished between long, short, and diphthongs, and 4 semi-consonants.

Learning Sanskrit allows you to overcome language barriers and receive the teachings directly from the texts. It is a bridge to understanding the richness of Indian traditions and their diverse manifestations. That means many students repeat the mantras and Sanskrit words as they can, without knowing the importance of the sound, the correct pronunciation, or their meanings. There are even those who teach them without sufficient preparation. On the other hand, there are very few people who have professional training in Sanskrit, as well as an interest in sharing their knowledge.

That said, Sanskrit is more present today than we think. Most likely you have heard at least once one of these words: yoga, namaste, asanas, or chakras. Or perhaps: guru, karma, avatar, or nirvana. As you can see, you don't have to go far to find some words from the Sanskrit language in your daily life.

Did you know about this? if we know these words can we say we know Sanskrit? let me know in the comments.