Languages & Linguistics

66%

+2 −0

Why does German use the third person plural for the second person polite?

0 answers · posted 6h ago by gmcgath‭ · edited 6h ago by gmcgath‭

grammar pronouns German

28%

+0 −3

How did 'to wit' shift (from "to know") 🡺 to mean 'that is to say'?

1 answer · posted 1y ago by PSTH‭ · last activity 5d ago by gmcgath‭

etymology

80%

+6 −0

Why "me too" and not "I too"?

1 answer · posted 9d ago by Moshi‭ · last activity 7d ago by Jirka Hanika‭

English historical-linguistics Germanic-languages

30%

+1 −5

How can "in terms of" alone encompass — and substitute — multiple prepositions "at, by, as, or for"?

1 answer · posted over 1 year ago by PSTH‭ · last activity 8d ago by gmcgath‭

English semantics

25%

+0 −4

How can fulsome constitute "a case of ironic understatement"?

1 answer · posted 4mo ago by PSTH‭ · last activity 9d ago by Jirka Hanika‭

etymology

75%

+4 −0

Has there ever been a situation of perfect bilingualism, without falling in diglossia?

0 answers · posted 13d ago by fedorqui‭ · edited 12d ago by Moshi‭

historical-linguistics linguistics sociolinguistics

75%

+4 −0

Why is "djinn" the plural of "djinni"?

1 answer · posted 15d ago by gmcgath‭ · last activity 14d ago by Jirka Hanika‭

Arabic grammatical-number

60%

+7 −4

What's the difference between "in doing so" and "by doing so"?

2 answers · posted 5mo ago by sinneddennis‭ · last activity 25d ago by gmcgath‭

English American-English

80%

+6 −0

Where, here, and there: What is the origin, and can it be generalized?

0 answers · posted 27d ago by Moshi‭

English historical-linguistics

75%

+4 −0

English dialects and he/she versus it

2 answers · posted 1mo ago by tommi‭ · edited 1mo ago by Lundin‭

English dialects pronouns

44%

+2 −3

How can a prepositional phrase shift to become a verb?

2 answers · posted over 1 year ago by PSTH‭ · last activity 2mo ago by Jirka Hanika‭

etymology French Latin

81%

+7 −0

Calling another by name when one is exasperated

1 answer · posted 3mo ago by r~~‭ · last activity 2mo ago by Jirka Hanika‭

English colloquial linguistics

28%

+0 −3

How does 'contango' semantically appertain to (1) 'continue'? (2) Or 'contain' as in Spanish 'contengo'?

0 answers · posted 4mo ago by PSTH‭ · edited 2mo ago by PSTH‭

etymology finance

66%

+4 −1

Why "sommaren är kommen" rather than "sommaren har kommit" in Swedish?

2 answers · posted almost 2 years ago by gerrit‭ · edited 2mo ago by Mithical‭

grammar Swedish

66%

+2 −0

What is ทำดีได้อย่าเด่นจะเป็นภัย in Thai?

0 answers · posted 3mo ago by deleted user

Thai

42%

+1 −2

Why did linguists impute Proto-Italic *moini-, *moinos- "duty, obligation, task" — to PIE root *mei- (1) "to change, go, move"?

0 answers · posted 3mo ago by PSTH‭ · edited 3mo ago by PSTH‭

etymology Proto-Indo-European

28%

+0 −3

How did 'in' + 'as' + 'much' (⟶ inasmuch) compound to mean "in an equal or like degree"?

0 answers · posted 4mo ago by PSTH‭ · edited 3mo ago by PSTH‭

etymology

28%

+0 −3

How did prae + scribere semantically shift from meaning "write before" ⟶ "a title or right acquired through long use or uninterrupted possession"?

0 answers · posted 4mo ago by PSTH‭ · edited 4mo ago by PSTH‭

etymology Latin

71%

+3 −0

What does the letter do ৡ in Bangla?

1 answer · posted 4mo ago by deleted user · last activity 4mo ago by deleted user

Bengali

28%

+0 −3

How did (the cross-linguistic univerbation) 'nothing/not/none/no + less' semantically shift to mean 'despite'?

0 answers · posted 4mo ago by PSTH‭ · edited 4mo ago by PSTH‭

etymology

33%

+0 −2

How did 'ad-' + 'rogare' compound to mean 'to make great claims about oneself'?

1 answer · posted 4mo ago by PSTH‭ · last activity 4mo ago by dsr‭

etymology Latin

84%

+9 −0

Why did the letter K survive in Latin, though it was rarely used?

1 answer · posted 5mo ago by gmcgath‭ · last activity 4mo ago by Moshi‭

Latin evolution-of-languages

33%

+0 −2

What semantic notions underlie the legal meaning of 'vest' — with its original meanings of 'robe', 'gown'? [duplicate]

0 answers · posted 8mo ago by PSTH‭ · closed as duplicate 4mo ago by Monica Cellio‭

etymology legal-language

44%

+2 −3

How did 'security' semantically shift to signify 'tradable financial asset'?

1 answer · posted 8mo ago by PSTH‭ · last activity 4mo ago by dsr‭

etymology finance

33%

+0 −2

How does the semantic notion of “in defiance of” signify “notwithstanding”?

0 answers · posted over 1 year ago by PSTH‭ · edited 4mo ago by PSTH‭

etymology

75%

+4 −0

Why did the Tironian et survive in Irish, when it died out everywhere else?

1 answer · posted 5mo ago by TRiG‭ · last activity 5mo ago by Jirka Hanika‭

Latin

42%

+1 −2

How's inVESTing semantically related to VEST? Isn't the "idea of dressing your capital up in different clothes" insane?

1 answer · posted 8mo ago by PSTH‭ · edited 5mo ago by PSTH‭

etymology

42%

+1 −2

videlicet : How did 'it's permissible to see' semantically shift to signify 'to wit, namely'?

1 answer · posted 10mo ago by PSTH‭ · last activity 5mo ago by Jirka Hanika‭

etymology Latin

33%

+0 −2

What semantic notions underlie "pull, drag" (in tractō) 🡒 "negotiate, bargain" (in 'treat')?

1 answer · posted 5mo ago by PSTH‭ · last activity 5mo ago by PSTH‭

etymology

33%

+0 −2

What semantic notions underlie vērum's 2 superficially unrelated senses — "truly" vs. 'but; yet; however'?

0 answers · posted 5mo ago by PSTH‭ · edited 5mo ago by PSTH‭

etymology Latin

50%

+1 −1

Modern English words originating in Norman

1 answer · posted 6mo ago by deleted user · last activity 6mo ago by dsr‭

English Norman Brittonic

42%

+1 −2

Why does "counter" mean the area of a letter entirely, or partially, enclosed by a letter form or a symbol?

0 answers · posted 12mo ago by PSTH‭ · edited 6mo ago by PSTH‭

etymology English

50%

+1 −1

Why did linguists choose 'Patient' (noun) to denote this Thematic Role?

1 answer · posted 6mo ago by PSTH‭ · edited 6mo ago by Keelan‭

English technical-terminology linguistics

75%

+4 −0

Why is the word "maniac" considered such a strong insult in Hebrew?

0 answers · posted 6mo ago by Mithical‭

Hebrew

80%

+6 −0

Swedish verbs with the meaning of mixing

1 answer · posted 7mo ago by Supermiledi‭ · last activity 7mo ago by Lundin‭

vocabulary Swedish semantics

33%

+0 −2

Why does the Latin prefix 'in-' also mean the English 'to', when Latin 'ad-' already means 'to'?

0 answers · posted 7mo ago by PSTH‭ · edited 7mo ago by PSTH‭

Latin

40%

+0 −1

How can the Latin prefix 'in-' possibly befit imputare?

0 answers · posted 1y ago by PSTH‭ · edited 7mo ago by PSTH‭

etymology Latin

83%

+8 −0

Does Japanese have pronouns?

1 answer · posted over 1 year ago by curiousdannii‭ · last activity 7mo ago by Jirka Hanika‭

pronouns typology

50%

+1 −1

How does taking, buying, procuring (emō) semantically appertain to destruction, annihilation (perimō)?

1 answer · posted 7mo ago by PSTH‭ · last activity 7mo ago by PSTH‭

etymology Latin

33%

+0 −2

How does "happening" appertain to "(be)falling"?

1 answer · posted over 1 year ago by PSTH‭ · last activity 7mo ago by PSTH‭

etymology

40%

+0 −1

How does saeculum ( “generation” or “lifetime") semantically relate to PIE root *se- "to sow"?

1 answer · posted 8mo ago by PSTH‭ · last activity 7mo ago by Jirka Hanika‭

etymology Latin

57%

+2 −1

How did 'less than' semantically shift to mean 'if not'?

2 answers · posted over 1 year ago by PSTH‭ · edited 8mo ago by PSTH‭

etymology

50%

+0 −0

How does propitius (“favorable, well-disposed") semantically relate to PIE root *per- (1) "forward")?

0 answers · posted 8mo ago by PSTH‭ · edited 8mo ago by PSTH‭

etymology Proto-Indo-European

60%

+1 −0

Resources for a speaker of Modern Hebrew to learn Biblical Hebrew?

1 answer · posted 8mo ago by Monica Cellio‭ · last activity 8mo ago by Monica Cellio‭

Hebrew

57%

+2 −1

How did 'consideration' shift to signify grounds and the act of deliberation, then inducer of a grant or promise?

1 answer · posted over 1 year ago by PSTH‭ · edited 8mo ago by PSTH‭

etymology particular-word

50%

+0 −0

How did 'style' signify names of court cases?

0 answers · posted 11mo ago by PSTH‭ · edited 8mo ago by PSTH‭

etymology legal-language

50%

+0 −0

How did 'unless' evolve to mean 'if not'?

0 answers · posted 8mo ago by PSTH‭

etymology

50%

+0 −0

How did syn + ek + dekhesthai compound to signify "supply a thought or word; take with something else, join in receiving"?

0 answers · posted 8mo ago by PSTH‭

etymology Greek

50%

+0 −0

Is the etymology of 'amphigory' semantically related to the English idiom 'go round in circles'?

0 answers · posted 8mo ago by PSTH‭

etymology Greek

50%

+0 −0

How did 'equity' semantically broaden to mean 'common shares'?

0 answers · posted 8mo ago by PSTH‭ · edited 8mo ago by PSTH‭

etymology finance

Communities