r/LinguisticsDiscussion

I have an aunt I love so much. When we see her, she’ll say “it’s been so long since we’ve seen you!” It isn’t meant to be negative, but it does feel judgmental for how we’re distant and don’t make more effort to travel home. My mom says “I’m so happy to see you” and my cousins express how much easier it is to reconnect with my mom because they don’t need to start with an apology.

But then I just read a bunch of people complaining about a stupid political decision’s outcome. They all agree, but the comment replies that are all in the same direction start with “it’s not that, it’s this” or “worse …”. This makes the poster feel like they’re being argued with - but I’m sure that’s rarely if ever the goal. “And on top of that”, “also”, and “to make it even worse” or even “it’s not just that, it’s also this” is language of support and addition, not confrontation.

Support those going your way, we are better off making friends than putting allies off.

Note: we need a communication flair.

I need help with getting an extract of literature that demonstrates the language features of orange river Afrikaans.

No hay duda de la hegemonia actual del ingles como lingua franca, sin embargo su expansion es mayor a la de cualquier lengua en el pasado (latin, griego, arameo). Es inevitable pensar que con sustratos tan diversos se termine imponiendo una diglosia muy parecida a la del árabe actual.

This session is the second class of the Basic Zapotec Course (2026-B). Instructor Rayo leads students through a conversational warm-up, an explanation of the Zapotec base-20 numbering system (1 to 20), interactive sentence and verb exercises, and a historical lecture on ancient Zapotec glyphs and writing systems.

Key Topics Covered:

 1. Zapotec Numbers (1 to 20) & Base-20 System:

* Vigesimal System: The instructor emphasizes that Zapotec utilizes a vigesimal (base-20) numerical system rather than a decimal system. As a result, counting is structured around units from 1 to 19 before reaching the base of 20.

* Pronunciation of Numbers:
* 1–5: tu (1), txupa (2), tsuna (3), tapa (4), gayu (5).
* 6–10: xupa (6), gadxi (7), xunu (8), ga (9), txi (10).
* 11–15: txineaj (11), txínu (12), txi’inu (13), txidaa (14), txìnu (15).
* 16–20: txixhupa (16), txini (17), txixhunu (18), txenaj (19), galaj (20).

* The Concept of Zero (Tibi): Historically, speakers used Spanish loanwords or phrases like ni tú (“not one”) for zero. For pedagogical purposes, the instructor adopts the word tibi (meaning “no” or “nothing”) to signify zero.

2. Interactive Practice & Verb Vocabulary:

* Student Introductions: Students practice answering core questions about their names, origin, current city, age, profession, and spoken languages in Zapotec.
* Sentence-Building Exercises: Using digital matching games, students practice ordering question structures like Gax bi’i lii (“Where are you from?”) and Bix dxin runu (“What do you do for work?”).
* Key Verb Matching:
* Neda zwaa = “I live”.
* Neda runa dxin = “I work”.
* Neda Ruseda= “I learn”.
* Neda rinea= “I speak”.
* Neda reja= “I go”.

3. Ancient Zapotec Writing & Glyphs (Glifos Zapotecos):

* Earliest Mesoamerican Writing: Zapotec is one of the few Mesoamerican cultures to develop a formal written language.
* Glyph Structure: The instructor explains that abstract symbol glyphs — such as the “1 Earthquake” (Uno Terremoto) symbol beneath the figure — mark the transition from pictorial art to actual written language.
* Numerical Glyphs: Zapotec numeral glyphs share similarities with Maya and other Mesoamerican systems, using dots for units (1–4) and horizontal bars for 5s.
* Decipherment Challenges: Zapotec glyphs are not yet 100% deciphered because glyph writing gradually ceased following the decline of Monte Albán (around the 8th century AD), centuries prior to Spanish arrival in 1521.
* Resource Recommendation: The instructor suggests Javier Urcid’s book, Zapotec Writing: Knowledge, Power, and Memory in Ancient Oaxaca, for further study on the subject.

4. Class Wrap-Up:

• Homework activities, presentation slides, and interactive links are shared via Google Classroom and WhatsApp. * The instructor outlines how student workbooks will be used in upcoming sessions as the course progresses into verb conjugations.