Dr Danny Bate
@dannybate.bsky.social
"That etymology guy". Linguist, broadcaster (formerly on Czech Radio), writer, researcher, language fanatic. Get 'Why Q Needs U' here: https://geni.us/WhyQNeedsU. Host of ALILI podcast. Website: https://dannybate.com/. Inquiries: [email protected]
Pinned
Dr Danny Bate
@dannybate.bsky.social
· Oct 15
Why does Q always need a U? A quirky guide to the alphabet
The letter A was once an ox’s head and O was an eye — you’ll never look at a keyboard the same way after reading Danny Bate’s fascinating linguistic history
www.thetimes.com
The Times, specifically @jamesmcconnachie.bsky.social, has in this joyful review kindly bestowed on my book Britain's highest description: "lovely"
www.thetimes.com/culture/book...
www.thetimes.com/culture/book...
Leeds has made my day (as Leeds tends to), with twenty-two copies of 'Why Q Needs U' stocked and signed in their welcoming Waterstones – a personal record!
November 21, 2025 at 5:35 PM
Leeds has made my day (as Leeds tends to), with twenty-two copies of 'Why Q Needs U' stocked and signed in their welcoming Waterstones – a personal record!
The guest on the latest episode of Lingthusiasm is talking about all these topics I really like, and he seems to know what he's talking about
How are we still making discoveries about the 5000-year-old ancestor to English, Latin, Czech, Hindi and many other languages?
In our latest episode we get enthusiastic about figuring out Proto-Indo-European with @dannybate.bsky.social!
In our latest episode we get enthusiastic about figuring out Proto-Indo-European with @dannybate.bsky.social!
110: The history of the history of Indo-European - Interview with Danny Bate
Before there was English, or Latin, or Czech, or Hindi, there was a language that they all have in common, which we call Proto-Indo-European. Linguists have long been fascinated by the quest to get a
soundcloud.com
November 21, 2025 at 8:06 AM
The guest on the latest episode of Lingthusiasm is talking about all these topics I really like, and he seems to know what he's talking about
My book is £9.65 on Amazon UK over the next week in a 'Black Friday Week Sale', despite Black Friday being a shopping-binge day that follows another country's national holiday
Anyway, my book is available for cheaper, it's a decent book, and you may like to own it
www.amazon.co.uk/Why-Needs-hi...
Anyway, my book is available for cheaper, it's a decent book, and you may like to own it
www.amazon.co.uk/Why-Needs-hi...
November 20, 2025 at 4:37 PM
My book is £9.65 on Amazon UK over the next week in a 'Black Friday Week Sale', despite Black Friday being a shopping-binge day that follows another country's national holiday
Anyway, my book is available for cheaper, it's a decent book, and you may like to own it
www.amazon.co.uk/Why-Needs-hi...
Anyway, my book is available for cheaper, it's a decent book, and you may like to own it
www.amazon.co.uk/Why-Needs-hi...
Reposted by Dr Danny Bate
Shittification and shareholder return
A rehash of an old thread
Why is everything crap. Well, here we learn why Adam Smith was an early Marxist, in that though he had great faith in markets
He had zero faith in merchants
And the reason why, is why no one answers your helpline
1/n
A rehash of an old thread
Why is everything crap. Well, here we learn why Adam Smith was an early Marxist, in that though he had great faith in markets
He had zero faith in merchants
And the reason why, is why no one answers your helpline
1/n
a woman is wearing a headset while sitting at a desk .
ALT: a woman is wearing a headset while sitting at a desk .
media.tenor.com
November 11, 2025 at 3:47 PM
Shittification and shareholder return
A rehash of an old thread
Why is everything crap. Well, here we learn why Adam Smith was an early Marxist, in that though he had great faith in markets
He had zero faith in merchants
And the reason why, is why no one answers your helpline
1/n
A rehash of an old thread
Why is everything crap. Well, here we learn why Adam Smith was an early Marxist, in that though he had great faith in markets
He had zero faith in merchants
And the reason why, is why no one answers your helpline
1/n
Reposted by Dr Danny Bate
@dannybate.bsky.social Is another great vowel shift underway? www.instagram.com/reel/DRMpbH3...
Pronunciation Studio on Instagram: "A lot of people have been asking about this modern vowel shift in British (Southern) English. I think the best way to understand it is to compare 3 accents:
RP - R...
6,322 likes, 143 comments - pronunciation.studio on November 18, 2025: "A lot of people have been asking about this modern vowel shift in British (Southern) English. I think the best way to understand...
www.instagram.com
November 19, 2025 at 12:55 PM
@dannybate.bsky.social Is another great vowel shift underway? www.instagram.com/reel/DRMpbH3...
Reposted by Dr Danny Bate
The (Old) Czech form samet was most probably the source of Yiddish samet סאַמעט, because with its initial s- (and not z-) the word cannot come from Early New High G Sammet (< MHG samît, samât etc), and definitely not from ModG Samt.
November 19, 2025 at 12:06 PM
The (Old) Czech form samet was most probably the source of Yiddish samet סאַמעט, because with its initial s- (and not z-) the word cannot come from Early New High G Sammet (< MHG samît, samât etc), and definitely not from ModG Samt.
That Latin word consobrīnus there (perhaps literally 'with-sister's-son' or 'with-mother's-sister's-son') is the ancestor of English's word 'cousin', only put through the linguistic meat grinder of early medieval France.
"cantiori hic iacit venedotis cive fuit [c]onsobrino ma[g]li magistrati"
('Cantiori here lies, of Gwynedd a citizen he was, a cousin of Maglus the magistrate')
Still fascinated by the 6th-cent. Cantiorix Inscription, from sub-Roman north Wales, bearing the first mention of the Kingdom of Gwynedd.
('Cantiori here lies, of Gwynedd a citizen he was, a cousin of Maglus the magistrate')
Still fascinated by the 6th-cent. Cantiorix Inscription, from sub-Roman north Wales, bearing the first mention of the Kingdom of Gwynedd.
November 19, 2025 at 9:39 AM
That Latin word consobrīnus there (perhaps literally 'with-sister's-son' or 'with-mother's-sister's-son') is the ancestor of English's word 'cousin', only put through the linguistic meat grinder of early medieval France.
Reposted by Dr Danny Bate
Danny deliciously writes about the linguistic aftermath of the Gregorian reform and some unexpected developments in Slavic-speaking area.
The icing on the cake for me is the Trilingual Heresy, one I had never heard of.
Thank so much Danny !
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triling...
The icing on the cake for me is the Trilingual Heresy, one I had never heard of.
Thank so much Danny !
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triling...
Trilingual heresy - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
November 18, 2025 at 9:40 PM
Danny deliciously writes about the linguistic aftermath of the Gregorian reform and some unexpected developments in Slavic-speaking area.
The icing on the cake for me is the Trilingual Heresy, one I had never heard of.
Thank so much Danny !
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triling...
The icing on the cake for me is the Trilingual Heresy, one I had never heard of.
Thank so much Danny !
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triling...
"cantiori hic iacit venedotis cive fuit [c]onsobrino ma[g]li magistrati"
('Cantiori here lies, of Gwynedd a citizen he was, a cousin of Maglus the magistrate')
Still fascinated by the 6th-cent. Cantiorix Inscription, from sub-Roman north Wales, bearing the first mention of the Kingdom of Gwynedd.
('Cantiori here lies, of Gwynedd a citizen he was, a cousin of Maglus the magistrate')
Still fascinated by the 6th-cent. Cantiorix Inscription, from sub-Roman north Wales, bearing the first mention of the Kingdom of Gwynedd.
November 18, 2025 at 8:28 PM
"cantiori hic iacit venedotis cive fuit [c]onsobrino ma[g]li magistrati"
('Cantiori here lies, of Gwynedd a citizen he was, a cousin of Maglus the magistrate')
Still fascinated by the 6th-cent. Cantiorix Inscription, from sub-Roman north Wales, bearing the first mention of the Kingdom of Gwynedd.
('Cantiori here lies, of Gwynedd a citizen he was, a cousin of Maglus the magistrate')
Still fascinated by the 6th-cent. Cantiorix Inscription, from sub-Roman north Wales, bearing the first mention of the Kingdom of Gwynedd.
Reposted by Dr Danny Bate
I have been WAITING for a journalist to write this story.
I specialize in manuscripts produced in England between 1300 and 1500. If this had occurred in the midst of writing my dissertation or first book, it would have exploded my career.
I specialize in manuscripts produced in England between 1300 and 1500. If this had occurred in the midst of writing my dissertation or first book, it would have exploded my career.
I’ve written a piece on the curious lack of media and political interest in the issues faced by our national @britishlibrary.bsky.social. This is strange given we live in a world where ideas, knowledge and research are a long-term source of innovation and insight
www.cityam.com/the-british-...
www.cityam.com/the-british-...
The British library is in crisis: why does nobody care?
The widespread indifference to the British Library's crippling cyberattack demonstrates a perilous failure to value the knowledge infrastructure vital for national prosperity
www.cityam.com
November 18, 2025 at 1:48 PM
I have been WAITING for a journalist to write this story.
I specialize in manuscripts produced in England between 1300 and 1500. If this had occurred in the midst of writing my dissertation or first book, it would have exploded my career.
I specialize in manuscripts produced in England between 1300 and 1500. If this had occurred in the midst of writing my dissertation or first book, it would have exploded my career.
Reposted by Dr Danny Bate
Distilled podcast version of my review of @dannybate.bsky.social 's WHY Q NEEDS U : shows.acast.com/theintellige...
After Sheikh: what next for Bangladesh? | The Intelligence from The Economist
shows.acast.com
November 18, 2025 at 3:10 PM
Distilled podcast version of my review of @dannybate.bsky.social 's WHY Q NEEDS U : shows.acast.com/theintellige...
Reposted by Dr Danny Bate
How delightfully quaint some of these old Devon village names are, their etymologies lost in the mists of time.
November 17, 2025 at 3:24 PM
How delightfully quaint some of these old Devon village names are, their etymologies lost in the mists of time.
Commemorations of the Velvet Revolution (Czech: sametová revoluce) here today, giving me an excuse to post about the word samet 'velvet'.
Ultimately, it's actually from Ancient Greek – specifically from hexámitos 'six-threaded', an origin it shares with the Modern German word, Samt.
Ultimately, it's actually from Ancient Greek – specifically from hexámitos 'six-threaded', an origin it shares with the Modern German word, Samt.
Česko si připomíná 17. listopad 1989. Studentskou manifestací na pražském Albertově tehdy začala sametová revoluce, která vedla k pádu komunistického režimu v někdejším Československu. Sledujeme online.
irozhl.as/yy7
irozhl.as/yy7
ONLINE: Češi si připomínají 17. listopadu. Babiše na Národní třídě vítal pískot, prezidenta Pavla potlesk
K oslavám 17. listopadu se tradičně připojí také některé stanice Českého rozhlasu. Speciální vysílání přímo z Národní třídy připravil například Radiožurnál.
irozhl.as
November 17, 2025 at 6:02 PM
Commemorations of the Velvet Revolution (Czech: sametová revoluce) here today, giving me an excuse to post about the word samet 'velvet'.
Ultimately, it's actually from Ancient Greek – specifically from hexámitos 'six-threaded', an origin it shares with the Modern German word, Samt.
Ultimately, it's actually from Ancient Greek – specifically from hexámitos 'six-threaded', an origin it shares with the Modern German word, Samt.
Reposted by Dr Danny Bate
Great! Do that instead, and maybe stop stealing copyrighted ideas to fuel your energy-guzzling sycophancy engine that hallucinates fake facts and endangers vulnerable users? Just a thought…
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei thinks AI could help find cures for most cancers, prevent Alzheimer’s, and even double the human lifespan. cbsn.ws/4oRZ8Nm
November 17, 2025 at 5:31 PM
Great! Do that instead, and maybe stop stealing copyrighted ideas to fuel your energy-guzzling sycophancy engine that hallucinates fake facts and endangers vulnerable users? Just a thought…
Living my best linguistic life tonight, after a long pub session involving a Englishman (me), a Spaniard, and a Czech (well, a Moravian), for whom the common language of conversation is Czech
November 16, 2025 at 10:45 PM
Living my best linguistic life tonight, after a long pub session involving a Englishman (me), a Spaniard, and a Czech (well, a Moravian), for whom the common language of conversation is Czech
Reposted by Dr Danny Bate
Pope Leo absolutely cooking
November 16, 2025 at 7:47 AM
Pope Leo absolutely cooking
Reposted by Dr Danny Bate
For anyone interested in linguistics/the development of the English language, this is a fascinating piece (& the examples helped me test my Middle English, which was fun). Despite being from southern England, I was actually taught at school to pronounce w and wh differently: a quirk, it would seem!
'A History of England in 25 Poems' by @cathamclarke.bsky.social has something for everyone, including nerdy historical linguists. While reading it, I seized upon an archaic H in a Middle English poem about happy animals as my chance to write about lost English sounds.
dannybate.com/2025/11/14/a...
dannybate.com/2025/11/14/a...
A Voice for the Voiceless: English’s Lost Consonants
In September this year, Catherine Clarke, professor at the Institute of Historical Research, published A History of England in 25 Poems. This chronological hike through England’s history via verses…
dannybate.com
November 14, 2025 at 10:11 PM
For anyone interested in linguistics/the development of the English language, this is a fascinating piece (& the examples helped me test my Middle English, which was fun). Despite being from southern England, I was actually taught at school to pronounce w and wh differently: a quirk, it would seem!
Reposted by Dr Danny Bate
My accent is one of those still holding out against the wine/whine merger but you can almost hear /ʍ/ disappearing in real time in the south of Scotland
'A History of England in 25 Poems' by @cathamclarke.bsky.social has something for everyone, including nerdy historical linguists. While reading it, I seized upon an archaic H in a Middle English poem about happy animals as my chance to write about lost English sounds.
dannybate.com/2025/11/14/a...
dannybate.com/2025/11/14/a...
A Voice for the Voiceless: English’s Lost Consonants
In September this year, Catherine Clarke, professor at the Institute of Historical Research, published A History of England in 25 Poems. This chronological hike through England’s history via verses…
dannybate.com
November 14, 2025 at 9:21 PM
My accent is one of those still holding out against the wine/whine merger but you can almost hear /ʍ/ disappearing in real time in the south of Scotland
Bellum, Latin for 'war', is the origin of martial English words like 'belligerent', 'bellicose' and 'rebel'.
Bellum was a later form of the word. It had previously been duellum, before a 'DU > B' sound change, and Latin writers remembered and continued to use the old form too. This gave us 'duel'.
Bellum was a later form of the word. It had previously been duellum, before a 'DU > B' sound change, and Latin writers remembered and continued to use the old form too. This gave us 'duel'.
November 14, 2025 at 5:53 PM
Bellum, Latin for 'war', is the origin of martial English words like 'belligerent', 'bellicose' and 'rebel'.
Bellum was a later form of the word. It had previously been duellum, before a 'DU > B' sound change, and Latin writers remembered and continued to use the old form too. This gave us 'duel'.
Bellum was a later form of the word. It had previously been duellum, before a 'DU > B' sound change, and Latin writers remembered and continued to use the old form too. This gave us 'duel'.
Reposted by Dr Danny Bate
As a massive fan of @dannybate.bsky.social and his stellar new book, Why Q Needs U, I'm so chuffed to be mentioned in this online article - Danny's typical generosity as well as his uncanny ability to make language endlessly fascinating... (Read & enjoy - and if you don't have his book yet, get it!)
'A History of England in 25 Poems' by @cathamclarke.bsky.social has something for everyone, including nerdy historical linguists. While reading it, I seized upon an archaic H in a Middle English poem about happy animals as my chance to write about lost English sounds.
dannybate.com/2025/11/14/a...
dannybate.com/2025/11/14/a...
A Voice for the Voiceless: English’s Lost Consonants
In September this year, Catherine Clarke, professor at the Institute of Historical Research, published A History of England in 25 Poems. This chronological hike through England’s history via verses…
dannybate.com
November 14, 2025 at 2:18 PM
As a massive fan of @dannybate.bsky.social and his stellar new book, Why Q Needs U, I'm so chuffed to be mentioned in this online article - Danny's typical generosity as well as his uncanny ability to make language endlessly fascinating... (Read & enjoy - and if you don't have his book yet, get it!)
'A History of England in 25 Poems' by @cathamclarke.bsky.social has something for everyone, including nerdy historical linguists. While reading it, I seized upon an archaic H in a Middle English poem about happy animals as my chance to write about lost English sounds.
dannybate.com/2025/11/14/a...
dannybate.com/2025/11/14/a...
A Voice for the Voiceless: English’s Lost Consonants
In September this year, Catherine Clarke, professor at the Institute of Historical Research, published A History of England in 25 Poems. This chronological hike through England’s history via verses…
dannybate.com
November 14, 2025 at 12:30 PM
'A History of England in 25 Poems' by @cathamclarke.bsky.social has something for everyone, including nerdy historical linguists. While reading it, I seized upon an archaic H in a Middle English poem about happy animals as my chance to write about lost English sounds.
dannybate.com/2025/11/14/a...
dannybate.com/2025/11/14/a...
Reposted by Dr Danny Bate
🗿NABATAEAN NEWS🗿
Recently (2024), Laïla Nehmé published four #Nabataean texts from a burial site in north-western Saudi Arabia. Three are very fragmentary, but the fourth is the longest Nabataean text on stone found so far! Two things that stood out to me:
1/6
Recently (2024), Laïla Nehmé published four #Nabataean texts from a burial site in north-western Saudi Arabia. Three are very fragmentary, but the fourth is the longest Nabataean text on stone found so far! Two things that stood out to me:
1/6
November 14, 2025 at 11:05 AM
🗿NABATAEAN NEWS🗿
Recently (2024), Laïla Nehmé published four #Nabataean texts from a burial site in north-western Saudi Arabia. Three are very fragmentary, but the fourth is the longest Nabataean text on stone found so far! Two things that stood out to me:
1/6
Recently (2024), Laïla Nehmé published four #Nabataean texts from a burial site in north-western Saudi Arabia. Three are very fragmentary, but the fourth is the longest Nabataean text on stone found so far! Two things that stood out to me:
1/6
Reposted by Dr Danny Bate
you may not like it but this is what positive masculinity looks like
November 13, 2025 at 1:20 PM
you may not like it but this is what positive masculinity looks like
Reposted by Dr Danny Bate
Always a good thing to have one's alphabet list to hand.
BnF MS Hébreu 113; Psalms (Hebrew); 13th century; England; f.137v @gallicabnf.bsky.social
BnF MS Hébreu 113; Psalms (Hebrew); 13th century; England; f.137v @gallicabnf.bsky.social
November 13, 2025 at 9:27 PM
Always a good thing to have one's alphabet list to hand.
BnF MS Hébreu 113; Psalms (Hebrew); 13th century; England; f.137v @gallicabnf.bsky.social
BnF MS Hébreu 113; Psalms (Hebrew); 13th century; England; f.137v @gallicabnf.bsky.social
Reposted by Dr Danny Bate
Y'all say say we still need to talk about books despite the horrors. Well, I've talked with authors of FABULOUS books this season!
Across the Universe @natanlast.bsky.social
Useless Etymology @jesszafarris.bsky.social
Why Q Needs U @dannybate.bsky.social
(cont.)
Across the Universe @natanlast.bsky.social
Useless Etymology @jesszafarris.bsky.social
Why Q Needs U @dannybate.bsky.social
(cont.)
Did you know it can take more than a YEAR before a crossword accepted by the NYT runs? And editors frequently change the clues?
This week, @natanlast.bsky.social brings us inside the crossword world. His book "Across the Universe" is filled with fascinating tidbits.
APPLE PODCASTS: bit.ly/4o4WUZO
This week, @natanlast.bsky.social brings us inside the crossword world. His book "Across the Universe" is filled with fascinating tidbits.
APPLE PODCASTS: bit.ly/4o4WUZO
November 13, 2025 at 9:13 PM
Y'all say say we still need to talk about books despite the horrors. Well, I've talked with authors of FABULOUS books this season!
Across the Universe @natanlast.bsky.social
Useless Etymology @jesszafarris.bsky.social
Why Q Needs U @dannybate.bsky.social
(cont.)
Across the Universe @natanlast.bsky.social
Useless Etymology @jesszafarris.bsky.social
Why Q Needs U @dannybate.bsky.social
(cont.)