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@ancientsounds@mastodonapp.uk · Apr 17, 2026
𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗼 𝗘𝘁𝘆𝗺𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗮𝘆, 𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀 English "bellows" and "belly" come via Anglo-Saxon beliġ and Proto-Germanic *balgi- from Proto-Indo-European *bʰólǵʰ- "bag", perhaps something like this (listen): 🔊 bellows-from-PIE-bholgh.wav This simulation of *bʰólǵʰ- has initial [b], not [bʱ], as it's computed from recordings of Irish bolg, "bag", also a cognate. The same PIE root developed into Persian بالش bālish "pillow", like this: 🔊 PIE-bholgh-to-Persian-balesh.wav Related words are found in other Iranian languages, e.g. Pashto بالښت balacht, Ossetian baʒ/baz, as well as in Slavic, e.g. Slovenian blazina. When I originally posted about this in November 2021, the linguist Magnus Pharao @magnuspharao.bsky.social pointed out that Danish bælg (seed pod of legumes and bellows) is also a cognate! @linguistics #linguistics #etymology #EnglishLanguage #AcousticPhonetics #phonetics #ProtoIndoEuropean #Iranian #Persian
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@ancientsounds@mastodonapp.uk · Apr 16, 2026
By the way, and for the avoidance of doubt/suspicion: none of the "audio etymology" sequences that I've created and am posting here involve any use of AI, LLM's, neural nets, none of that. All are made from original audio recordings of real people speaking words in their various languages, which are then subjected to good old-fashioned signal processing (speech coding and synthesis). The continua of change are made using straightforward linear interpolation over the space of cepstrograms, which are 2 dimensional matrices encoding the acoustics of the original recordings. Using scripts that I wrote, by hand. #acoustics #phonetics #speech #synthesis #audio #maths #linear_algebra
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@ancientsounds@mastodonapp.uk · Apr 14, 2026
𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗼 𝗘𝘁𝘆𝗺𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗮𝘆, 𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀 The English word "ankle" comes from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eng-ul- [aŋgʊl], the stem *h₂eng- meaning perhaps "joint". Listen: 🔊 https://www.ancientsounds.net/eastern-origins/ankle-from-PIE-h2eng.wav In Persian *h₂eng- developed into انگشت angusht, "digit" i.e. finger or toe: 🔊 https://www.ancientsounds.net/eastern-origins/PIE-h2eng-to-Persian-angusht.wav @linguistics #linguistics #etymology #englishlanguage #acousticphonetics #phonetics #ProtoIndoEuropean #Iranian #Persian
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@ancientsounds@mastodonapp.uk · Apr 01, 2026
Persian and English etymologies of the day Nowruz is the Persian New Year festival at the Spring Equinox (20th March). Nowruz means "new light"; Persian now (pronounced like English "no") comes from Proto-Indo-European *neu-io, something like this: 🔊 https://www.ancientsounds.net/eastern-origins/PIE-neuio-to-Persian-noo.wav Tajik рӯз and Persian روز, ruz descends from Proto-Indo-European *leuk- [lɘʊk]: 🔊 https://www.ancientsounds.net/eastern-origins/PIE-leuk-to-Tajik-ruz.wav (Tajik is also an Iranian language, very similar to Iranian Persian.) *leuk- also developed into words for "day" in other Iranian languages, e.g. Balochi روچ [roʧ], something like this: 🔊 https://www.ancientsounds.net/eastern-origins/PIE-leuk-to-Balochi-roch.wav Kurdish roj [roʒ]: 🔊 https://www.ancientsounds.net/eastern-origins/PIE-leuk-to-Kurdish-roj.wav English new and "light" are from the same roots, *neu-io and *leuk- 🔊 https://www.ancientsounds.net/eastern-origins/new-from-PIE-neuio.wav Light (brightness) comes from Proto-Indo-European *leuk-, something like this: 🔊 https://www.ancientsounds.net/eastern-origins/light-from-PIE-leuk.wav Image source: https://blog.izapya.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/noroz1.jpeg #Persian #Iranian #English #phonetics #linguistics
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