Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

kobayashi ḫamṭu @mattboot.bsky.social · 8h

jesus christ

Reposted by kobayashi ḫamṭu

Mark "how all the Welkin rings" Shockley @shjsat.bsky.social · 21h

Here's a funny question:
How should you transliterate Arabic loanwords when they have vowels that are not really part of Modern Standard Arabic?

How funny that Standard Arabic "phoneme" includes vowels that are marginal phonemes in Standard Arabic.

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Reposted by kobayashi ḫamṭu

Thomas Wier @trwier.bsky.social · 20h

Weekly Georgian Etymology: ნისლი nisli 'fog, mist', from Old Georgian ႬႨႱႪႨ nisli, from Georgian-Zan *nisɬ- fog, metathesis of Akkadian 𒈾𒀊𒋗 nalšum dew, deverbal noun of 𒈾𒆷𒀀𒋗 nalāšum fall as dew. Across languages, 'fog' words are often related to other weather phenomena.

Gergeti Monastery in Stepantsminda, Georgia, shrouded in fog and clouds

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kobayashi ḫamṭu @mattboot.bsky.social · 1d

believe it or not the last one was asking to hear the latest taylor swift album

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kobayashi ḫamṭu @mattboot.bsky.social · 1d

just realized the toddler (3) is using "when" as an all purpose relativizer:

"where's my paper when i colored it?" (that i colored)

"i like my princess dress when it's yellow because it's belle's" (my dress that is yellow)

"i want the girl when he's in the water" (the girl who's in the water)

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Reposted by kobayashi ḫamṭu

latina belt sprachbund🇲🇽🇵🇸🎃 @languagespeaker.bsky.social · 1d

Arabic Wiktionary slays a bit

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Reposted by kobayashi ḫamṭu

Musa Okwonga @okwonga.bsky.social · 1d

It’s funny how black people are expected to reach across the aisle to voters like these, while no one ever expects them to reach across the aisle to black people. Amazing who gets to be human, and who doesn’t.

Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 1d

POLITICO: “.. They referred to Black people as monkeys and ‘the watermelon people’ and mused about putting their political opponents in gas chambers. They talked about raping their enemies .. and lauded Republicans who they believed support slavery.

@politico.com
www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

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Reposted by kobayashi ḫamṭu

Lydia Bremer-McCollum @lcbmphd.bsky.social · 1d

Come learn Coptic! In partnership with the Religion Department, I developed a two-part introduction to Coptic via close study of the Coptic Gospel of Thomas. Come learn about ancient languages and sayings of Jesus!

Part 1: Starts Oct. 27 | Part 2: Jan. 5

www.religiondepartment.com/learning-cop...

Learning Coptic Through the Gospel of Thomas (Level 1)

www.religiondepartment.com

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Reposted by kobayashi ḫamṭu

Adam Bremer-McCollum @acbm.bsky.social · 1d

A chance to study some Coptic quips from Jesus with a fantastic and careful teacher!

Lydia Bremer-McCollum @lcbmphd.bsky.social · 1d

Come learn Coptic! In partnership with the Religion Department, I developed a two-part introduction to Coptic via close study of the Coptic Gospel of Thomas. Come learn about ancient languages and sayings of Jesus!

Part 1: Starts Oct. 27 | Part 2: Jan. 5

www.religiondepartment.com/learning-cop...

Learning Coptic Through the Gospel of Thomas (Level 1)

www.religiondepartment.com

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Reposted by kobayashi ḫamṭu

Zohran Kwame Mamdani @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social · 2d

My statement on today's profoundly moving scenes in Israel and Palestine.

Today’s scenes of Israelis and Palestinians are profoundly moving: Israeli hostages being freed and families reunited after years of fear, uncertainty, and torture; the first days in Gaza without relentless Israeli bombardment of Palestinians as families return to rubble and loved ones freed from detention.

There is finally a glimmer of hope that this ceasefire will hold and the long difficult work of reconstruction can begin. I also know this news brings solace to millions of New Yorkers, who’ve felt the pain of the past few years. We have watched as our tax dollars have funded a genocide. The moral and human cost will be a lasting stain and requires accountability and real examination of our collective conscience and our government’s policies.

The responsibility now lies with those of us who believe in peace to make sure it endures, and that it is just. Once aid is delivered, the wounded are cared for, and a lasting agreement secured, we cannot look away. We must work towards a future built upon justice, one without occupation and apartheid, and for a world where every person can live with safety and dignity.

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Reposted by kobayashi ḫamṭu

Lameen Souag @lameensouag.bsky.social · 2d

Labiodental borrowed as interdental:

Taino > Spanish guayaba > English guava > Arabic juwāfa > Anywa (South Sudan/Ethiopia):

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kobayashi ḫamṭu @mattboot.bsky.social · 2d

absolutely no one:

Aristotle:

Bird @hatulimyafim.bsky.social · 2d

Things? Are stuff?

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kobayashi ḫamṭu @mattboot.bsky.social · 2d

thanks! i never knew that the glottal stop sign was CV in Ugaritic. very useful

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Reposted by kobayashi ḫamṭu

jon ben-menachem @jbenmenachem.com · 2d

The Israeli army distributed leaflets in several areas with a clear threat not to participate in the prisoner welcome celebrations, or they would face severe punishment, according to the army.

Razan, the daughter of prisoner Taleb Makhamreh from Yatta, south of Hebron, told Middle East Eye that the Israeli army brutally raided the family's home on Saturday evening and warned them not to show any signs of joy or celebration.

She said they targeted the homes of three prisoners in Yatta who were scheduled to be released. She explained that her father would be released to the Gaza Strip without the family knowing if he were to be deported to Egypt afterwards.

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kobayashi ḫamṭu @mattboot.bsky.social · 2d

is this the G stem?

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Reposted by kobayashi ḫamṭu

Guan Yang @guan.dk · 2d

“La parola burger nasce negli anni ‘30 del secolo scorso come accorciamento di hamburger, interpretato erroneamente come se il segmento ham indicasse ‘prosciutto’. Si tratta invece di un aggettivo geografico che nella locuzione originale Hamburger steak significa carne ‘all’amburghese’ ”

Rianalisi: da hamburger a burger

Una parola nata per un errore di interpretazione, suoi derivati e metaforici menu

www.terminologiaetc.it

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Reposted by kobayashi ḫamṭu

Sarah Parkhouse @sarahparkhouse.bsky.social · 2d

3 more weeks to apply for this... please continue to share widely.

Sarah Parkhouse @sarahparkhouse.bsky.social · Sep 10

We are looking for a one-year full-time Research Associate to work on Coptic manuscripts in Manchester as part of a wonderful project that connects mss with local communities. Requires strong skills in Coptic, English, & Arabic. Deadline 31/10. Please share! www.jobs.manchester.ac.uk/Job/JobDetai...

Research Associate – Coptic in Manchester (UKRI):John Rylands Library

Key collaborators are the Coptic Church in Stockport, Manchester, and the Coptic Church in Llandudno, Wales. The project has an extensive and international advisory board. A PDRA seeking an academic career may find the balance between traditional research and co-creation appealing.

www.jobs.manchester.ac.uk

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kobayashi ḫamṭu @mattboot.bsky.social · 3d

i would also like to know more about this!

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Reposted by kobayashi ḫamṭu

Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social · 3d

continuing to develop cautious optimism around kettlebell guy

Graham Platner for Senate @grahamformaine.bsky.social · 3d

We have armed secret police kidnapping people off the street based on the color of their skin.

When we win: we will haul them before a Senate committee. The masks will come off. There will be consequences.

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Reposted by kobayashi ḫamṭu

Guan Yang @guan.dk · 3d

In vino veritas
In cervisia falsitas

Carolannie 🧹🪄🎃👻🧙‍♀️ @carolannie.bsky.social · 3d

My dad used to say everyone is "a nice guy" when you share a beer with them. It doesn't make them good people.

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kobayashi ḫamṭu @mattboot.bsky.social · 3d

(in the accent as parodied in the sketch, you'll also hear the Northern Cities Vowel Shift, and also final devoicing as in "Bear[s]" and "Bo[p]")

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kobayashi ḫamṭu @mattboot.bsky.social · 3d

it has sort of become a local cultural thing now. i always think of this one SNL sketch from many years back (and you'll hear "Da Bears" all the time even from people who don't natively speak this variety) youtu.be/NhMqjHEDmcU?...

Bill Swerski's Super Fans: Da Bears in the Indy 500 - SNL

YouTube video by Saturday Night Live

youtu.be

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kobayashi ḫamṭu @mattboot.bsky.social · 3d

yep "da" is the article. in this case it's not AAVE but Upper Midwestern English where (at least historically, maybe less so today) /ð/ is [d] as a substrate effect of the other languages (but esp. German) spoken by earlier settlers there.

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Reposted by kobayashi ḫamṭu

Alan Dettlaff @alandettlaff.com · 4d

Yesterday I was told that the class I’m scheduled to teach this month, Confronting Oppression & Injustice, is no longer part of our curriculum. This is a required class yet there was no discussion, no faculty vote, just an email saying the class no longer exists. This is what it’s like in Texas now.

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kobayashi ḫamṭu @mattboot.bsky.social · 3d

as a linguist and former midwesterner with catholic upbringing, the "Da Pope" shirt is very important to me

Rich Raho @richraho.bsky.social · 4d

Pope to Chicago Labor Leaders: “Please know of my appreciation for your welcome of immigrants and refugees, especially your support of food pantries and shelters….I encourage you to continue to advocate for society to respect the human dignity of the most vulnerable.” www.vatican.va/content/leo-...

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