Ancient Languages Research Articles

Semantic variation and semantic change in the color lexicon

Abstract Color terms show a remarkable variation in their possible lexicalization patterns across different languages. In the literature, the interest has been especially to describe the color lexicon of a certain language and to determine whether it may abide or not by Berlin and Kay’s universal evolutionary sequence, e.g., whether a certain color denomination may be considered as a basic color term, or whether a certain color category is lexicalized by more than one basic color term, by which criteria, etc. It has not been established, however, which are the most common lexical sources of basic color terms on a comparative basis, and which semantic changes are more common in this semantic field. On the basis of data drawn from 70 ancient and modern Indo-European languages, we aim at answering precisely these research questions concerning the origin and the development of basic color terms. We discuss the various lexical sources of the basic color terms for white, black, red, green, yellow, blue, brown, gray, orange, pink, and purple, and we show the most important semantic changes leading to these color meanings. We also discuss to which extent these terms are likely to be inherited or borrowed. All this aims at being a contribution to the study of diachronic semantics.

The Pedagogical Tipiṭaka: OER & the Three Baskets of Ancient Language Instruction

Ancient languages present a unique teaching challenge: for spoken languages, common pedagogy recommends engaging students via dialogue; for ancient languages, no speakers survive with whom to practise. This paper highlights how the Linguistics Research Center at the University of Texas at Austin has approached this challenge by creating the Early Indo-European OnLine (EIEOL) collection, an online educational resource whose lesson series present early languages directly through original, unsimplified ancient texts. Currently accessed by over 20,000 users per month, EIEOL spans 18 languages, from Greek and Latin to Old Church Slavonic, Sanskrit, and other important languages of ancient Asia such as Hittite, Classical Armenian, Avestan, and Tocharian. Each series presents extensively annotated excerpts of original texts in the target language, with accompanying modules explaining grammar and context. The text-centred approach affords learners a direct path to understanding that suits a variety of experience levels and minimises the conceptual grammatical apparatus necessary to begin interpreting original texts. This format fosters theoretical flexibility, adaptable to different approaches and grammatical descriptions of ancient languages. It is also useful for languages whose grammatical structures have shifted dramatically over their history, like Tocharian, or remain hotly debated or under-described by experts. Finally, it facilitates applications to typologically diverse languages and language families, with early Mesoamerican, Semitic, and Sino-Tibetan language series already under development. The EIEOL infrastructure therefore provides a robust platform for free, text-centred, self-paced introductions to ancient languages from a variety of language families.

Towards a Pedagogy of Ancient Egyptian Language and Hieroglyphs

This paper discusses the challenges of teaching the Middle Egyptian language and Egyptian hieroglyphs to adult anglophone learners outside university settings. These challenges include the lack of L1 speakers; the large volume of signs in the script; the difficulty in reconstructing pronunciation due to the paucity of written vowels; and the lack of accessible learning tools such as readers and textbooks for the intermediate stage. As spoken proficiency in this extinct language is not a feasible goal, it is argued here that teaching should revolve around achieving reading competence. The paper advocates for a pedagogical approach that centres on using vocabulary, including variant spellings, as the fundamental building blocks of learning. This entails reading words, sentences and paragraphs of increasing complexity, which over time aids memorisation of vocabulary and builds confidence. Grammar and syntax can be gradually introduced and contextualised by reading practice sentences. It is also argued here that producing digitised versions of ancient Egyptian texts using hieroglyphic font software such as JSesh allows for the creation of practice texts in a standardised and legible format. This, in turn, makes it possible to use pedagogical aids such as adding spaces between words and adding signs omitted by the ancient scribes. Finally, it is argued that learning vocabulary and grammar is enhanced by discussions of the wider semantic and cultural meaning(s) of the ancient text in question.

Contextualising Ancient Language Teaching. The Case of Classical Armenian

Contextualising Ancient Language Teaching. The Case of Classical Armenian

Arabic Vocabulary And Its Cultural Influences On The Colloquial Tamil Language: Special Reference To South Tamil Nadu India/ المفردات العربية وتأثيراتها الثقافية في اللغة التاميلية العامية : جنوب ولاية تاميل نادو في الهند أنموذجا

Language is vital for exchanging opinions and ideas, expressing feelings, and fulfilling daily needs. Arabic stands out among other languages due to its various advantages and features. Tamil Nadu, one of the states in India, is known as the historical frame of the Dravidian civilization, one of India's oldest. It is situated in the southernmost part of Asia. Tamil Nadu's residents speak Tamil, an ancient and expressive language celebrated for its rich literature and esteemed position among Indian languages. Tamil Nadu's global prominence stems from its historical oceanic and commercial connections. Centuries ago, the state actively traded with China, Babylonia, Rome, the Levant, the Turks, and, notably, the Arabs. These trade interactions facilitated vigorous import-export activities and improved cultural exchange and integration among diverse peoples. This study focuses on the influence of the Arabic language on Tamil, particularly in contemporary usage, where many Arabic words have been integrated into Tamil vocabulary. This research emphasizes the everyday use of Arabic terms, especially in fields such as law, exemplified by terms like amal, asal, bark, taraf, waterish, wakeel, and wayeetha, etc. It examines the linguistic and cultural similarities and shared usage of words between these two distinct languages. The methodology adopted is qualitative. The primary data was collected through personal interviews and original texts. Secondary data were obtained from related books, and scholarly works and data were analyzed. This study concluded that Arabic influence in colloquial Tamil, especially in southern Tamil Nadu, needs more extensive research. The persistent Arabic influence on Tamil civilization and cultural practices is frequently mistaken for indigenous Tamil elements in academic and administrative contexts. Arabic words used in Tamil have their roots and origins, emphasizing their originality in the Arabic language rather than being borrowed from Tamil.

Thomas Young: The last man who knew everything?

Abstract The polymath Thomas Young is best known as a physicist for his double-slit experiment showing the interference of light and hence its wave nature, published in 1807. However, Young had no formal training in physics and was instead a qualified physician. His first scientific research in the 1790s was on the human eye, which led him to his three-colour theory of how the retina responds to light, published in 1802 and finally confirmed experimentally in 1959. In other words, Young’s passion to understand the physiology of vision led to his subsequent fascination with the physics of light—an important example of the value of polymathy. Later his passion for ancient and modern languages—he coined the term ‘Indo-European’ in 1813—led to his fascination with the Egyptian hieroglyphs and his pioneering decipherment of the Rosetta Stone in 1815-1819. This paper samples Young’s amazing range and also considers polymathy’s advantages and disadvantages, then and now.

Modern Trends in Western Criticism

Westren New Criticism was a formalist movement in literary theory. New criticism developed as a reaction to the older philological and literary history that dominated literary criticism in the middle decades of the 20th century, which focused on the history and meaning of individual words and their relation to foreign and ancient languages, comparative sources, and the biographical circumstances of the others. The new critics felt that this approach tended to distract from the text and meaning of a poem and entirely neglect its aesthetic qualities in favor of teaching about external factors. New criticism believed the structure and meaning of the text were intimately connected and should not be analyzed separately. In order to bring the focus of literary studies back to analysis of the texts. The new critics also looked for paradox, paradox, ambiguity, irony, and tension to help establish the single best and most unified interpretation of the text. Reference: Sajjad Baqir Rizvi, Dr, Critical Principles of the West, Islamabad: Moqtadra Qaumi Language, 2002, p: 7 Atiqullah, Professor, The Tradition of Criticism in the Maghreb, Lahore: Haqq Publications, 2018, p: 402 Ibid Asghar Ali Baloch, Dr, Essay, A Brief Review of Some Important Critical Schools, Content: Criticism Past, Present and Future, Author: Dr. Mushtaq Adil, Sahiwal: Farogh Zaban Publishers, p: 84 Atiqullah, Professor, The Tradition of Criticism in the West, pp. 243-244 Ibid Jameel Jalbi, Ph.D., Eliot's Essays, Contents, From Aristotle to Eliot, Islamabad: National Book Foundation, 2015, P.: 178 Salim Akhtar, Dr, Creative Personalities and Criticism, Lahore: Milestone Publications, 1989, p: 513 . Zirmunskij, Voprosy Teorie, Literary {Leningrad}1928, pp.8-9 Hamid Kashmiri, Dr, Tafheem wa Naqeed, Critical Essays, Lahore: Famous Book Depot, S.N, p:621 North Roop Fry, Objections to New Criticism, Lahore: Modern Publications House, 2020, p: 34 Roland Barthes, Objections to New Criticism, Preston University Press, p.71

ON THE USE OF HISTORICALREDUPLICATIVESIN THE MODERN KAZAKH LANGUAGE

In modern Kazakh language, one of the Turkic languages, historical reduplicatives are widely used. Currently, double words in written monuments written in ancient Turkic languages are used in the Kazakh language without any changes. Since reduplicativesare common among the ancient Turkic languages in the ancient Uighur language, our article considered reduplicativesin the modern Kazakh language and the ancient Uighur language. The article found that some words were used as is, without anychanges in sound, structural and semantic terms, which is confirmed by examples. It has been shown that some reduplicativesused since the time of the ancient Uighurs have undergone minor changes, that is, some of them have undergone changes in the secondword in the modern Kazakh language.The purpose of the article is to find out, no matter how many centuries have passed between them, some words in two Turkic languages (one old, one modern) are used in both languages as is. To reveal and show the continuation between the two Turkic languages. The article is of great scientific and practical importance in studying the process of determining the territory in which the ancient Turkic languages were used, and step-by-step changes. In the scientific work, methods and techniques of comparativeanalysis, grouping, translation were used, an analysis of the origin of some words widely used both in the ancient Uighur language and in the modern Kazakh language was achieved. While writing this article many works in the ancient Uighur languagewere used.The relevance of the article lies in the fact that this topic has never been used in Kazakh science in the Kazakh language and has not entered scientific circulation. The article can be used as an auxiliary textbook inthe disciplines “History of Kazakh literature”, “History of Turkic literature”, “Introduction to Turkology”.

Linguistic borrowings in trade terminologies: an analysis of ancient Indian and Egyptian languages from 3300 BCE to 500 CE

The research delves into the intricate web of linguistic borrowings in trade terminologies between Ancient Indian languages (Sanskrit, Prakrit) and Egyptian languages (Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphs, Demotic script) spanning from approximately 3300 BCE to 500 CE. Through a meticulous analysis of selected literary texts and inscriptions, including the Hathigumpha Inscription, Rudradaman I Inscription, Junagadh Rock Inscriptions, Nasik Cave Inscriptions, Rosetta Stone, Satirical Papyrus, and Turin Taxation Papyrus, the study unravels the linguistic evolution and cultural exchanges embedded within ancient trade networks. Contextualizing these linguistic borrowings within the historical framework of trade routes, maritime activities, and economic exchanges, the research sheds light on the nuances of communication and adaptation in commercial interactions. By employing rigorous research methodologies and comparative studies, the findings offer a comprehensive understanding of how language served as a bridge for commerce, diplomacy, and cultural exchange between these ancient civilizations. This study not only contributes to the fields of linguistic history and ancient trade studies but also offers valuable insights into the dynamic interplay of language, trade, and cultural connectivity in the ancient world.

Enhancing Asian Indigenous Language Processing through Deep Learning-based Handwriting Recognition and Optimization Techniques

Asian indigenous language or autochthonous language is a language which is native to a region and spoken by indigenous people in Asia. This language is a linguistically different community created in the region. Recently, researchers in handwriting detection studies comparing with indigenous languages have attained important internet amongst the research community. A new development of artificial intelligence (AI), natural language processing (NLP), cognitive analytics, and computational linguistics (CL) find it helpful in the analysis of regional low-resource languages. It can be obvious in the obtainability of effectual machine detection methods and open access handwritten databases. Tamil is the most ancient Indian language that is mostly exploited in the Southern part of India, Sri Lanka, and Malaysia. Tamil handwritten Character Recognition (HCR) is a critical procedure in optical character detection. Therefore, this study designs a Henry Gas Solubility Optimization with Deep Learning-based Handwriting Recognition Model (HGSODL-HRM) for Asian Indigenous Language Processing. The proposed HGSODL-HRM technique relies on computer vision and DL concepts for automated handwriting recognition in the Tamil language, which is one of the popular indigenous languages in Asia. To accomplish this, the HGSODL-HRM technique employs a capsule network (CapsNet) model for feature vector generation with the HGSO algorithm as a hyperparameter optimizer. For the recognition of handwritten characters, wavelet neural network (WNN) model is exploited. Finally, the WNN parameters can be optimally chosen by sail fish optimizer (SFO) algorithm. To demonstrate the promising results of the HGSODL-HRM system, an extensive range of simulations can be implemented. The simulation outcomes stated the betterment of the HGSODL-HRM system compared to recent DL models.

Ancient languages and algorithms

Abstract Historical linguistics has experienced an upsurge in methodological innovation. However, owing to the constraints of contemporary publication, these innovations often appear in print in a format which is technical, dense and less than fully accessible. Moreover, because these innovations are still young and have often arisen in other fields before being translated to historical linguistics, our own discipline has yet to accumulate a stock of trusted explanations of them, presented lucidly and addressed specifically to our field and to its scientific concerns. This special issue is dedicated to promoting the accessibility of new methods. Despite their technical details, most new methods in historical linguistics rest upon a rationale and an essential logic that are perfectly comprehensible to interested historical linguists, so long as they are communicated in a fashion that is sympathetic and respectful to a linguistic audience. This introduction contextualizes the five papers of the special issue.

Homonym in Chinese Advertising Slogan from A Semantic Perspective

The opposition and unity of sound, meaning, and form constitute the three elements of language, that is, each language symbol contains three aspects: sound, meaning, and form. Due to the arbitrariness of language and certain contradiction caused by "less sound, fewer forms, and more meaning", the relationship between these elements in the language system is not one-to-one, leading to the phenomenon of polysemy and homonym in languages. Ambiguity is a common linguistic phenomenon that exists in both ancient and modern languages, both locally and across languages. It is a special relationship between language structure and meaning. Linguists believe that the phenomenon of ambiguity in the meaning of a word or sentence, or the existence of two or more interpretations for one expression, is called linguistic ambiguity. In this theoretical context, homonym is a type of lexical ambiguity widely used in modern advertising. The present study attempts to analyze the linguistic significance of homophones in advertisements through specific examples, so that people can better understand the wit, humor, and richness of languages, while paying attention to its impact on language development and adolescents. Through these measures, it can be expected that more benefits and less harm will be achieved in the long run.

İNGİLİS DİLİNİN MƏNŞƏYİ VƏ İNKİŞAFININ KEÇDİYİ TARİXİ YOL

The Origin of the English Language and the Historical Periods of its Development Summary This article illuminates the historical path taken by the development of the English language. The history of the English language is connected with the arrival of the Anglo-Saxon tribes. The centuries of invasions, economic and political relations with other states have undergone certain changes in the language. The development of the renaissance period in the Middle Ages also brought innovations to the language. The invention of printing brought to the English language a standard of literary style. Dryden's and Jonathan Swift's desire to perfect the language was partially counterbalanced by Samuel Johnson's Dictionary (1755) and Robert Louth's Grammar (published 1761). Received Standard English is currently an accepted standard of speech in Great Britain. Key words: Anglo-Saxon tribes, ancient English historical periods, ancient English language, dialects of the Middle English period, Renaissance period, "Americanisms", dictionary of modern English, accepted standard English

Can we make an ecopoetic reading of La Fontaine’s Fables?

In this article, we would like to demonstrate that it is possible to renew the teaching of the Fables through an ecopoetic study, which would enable us to approach our contemporary concerns about ecology in a different way, through the prism of an ancient language and thought. Based on a selection of around forty fables, we will propose a several lines of reflection in order to highlight the ecological – or, more precisely, paleo-ecological – awareness at work in La Fontaine’s corpus. La Fontaine speaks of animal suffering, anthropization and the disruption of ecosystems. Although the words are not the same, the terms La Fontaine uses in his poetry ("demeure", "naturel", etc.) serve to speak of the relationship between humans and living things.

Ethnolinguistic Nuclear Roots of Ancient Civilizations in the Light of Later Sound-Developments

Indeed, within current issues and debates in the field of Onomastic or//and Geopolitical-linguistic scholarship, this paper is concerned with politics of language and the semiotic construction of present model ‘ethnonym ↔ religion name (theonyms)’ of modern global linguistics. In this article explore how different linguistic collectivities use cognates and semiotic resources in different geographical spaces to reinforce or contest existing ancient social structures, bearing strong implications for language maintenance and cultural revitalization, construction of ethnolinguistic and national identities, and geographical-linguistic mobility. And looks into how globalization and its accompanying forces and influences, such as the importance of Western languages in socioeconomic mobility, into contact with local Asian cultures and firstly of ancient languages from Proto-Altay family. Because, ethnolinguistic nuclear roots of ancient civilizations in this area now extremely important for investigation native language, culture and conceptions of worldview of the first settlers or nomadic tribes from this mountainous region. Although, Tian Shan (˂ Chong Tong phonetic adaptation form in the Sino-Tibetan) including Pamir and Hindu Kush (˂ Bologunduz ↔Julduz) mountainous chains the cradle human civilization and preserving Proto Altaic form ancient onomastic elements. Wherever, the main ethnolinguistic cognates analyzed in the light of later semantic and sound-developments including with the comparative investigation intercontinental forms.

The Oldest Berber Text(s)? Egyptian Evidence for the Ancient Libyan Language(s)

The Oldest Berber Text(s)? Egyptian Evidence for the Ancient Libyan Language(s)

Toponymic unity of the Carpathian region

Abstract The article lists 26 toponyms that are characteristic and common in the entire Carpathian region. They have been selected according to their toponymic classification (mostly oronyms, hydronyms, and oikonyms), and their etymology. These toponyms are commonly observed in the parts of the Carpathian Mountains located in Czech Republic, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Ukraine. As the basis for the toponymic analysis, we accepted a common appellative of Romanian or Slavic origins. Migrations of peoples of Slavic and Romanian (Vlach) origin had a significant influence on the dissemination of these toponyms, mainly due to pastoral transhumance and the so-called Vlach colonization. The toponyms were analyzed in semantic and structural terms. The list presents a variety and richness of regional forms which may be encountered in different Carpathian dialects as a legacy of ancient language contacts.

Natural Language Processing for Ancient Greek

Abstract Computational methods have produced meaningful and usable results to study word semantics, including semantic change. These methods, belonging to the field of Natural Language Processing, have recently been applied to ancient languages; in particular, language modelling has been applied to Ancient Greek, the language on which we focus. In this contribution we explain how vector representations can be computed from word co-occurrences in a corpus and can be used to locate words in a semantic space, and what kind of semantic information can be extracted from language models. We compare three different kinds of language models that can be used to study Ancient Greek semantics: a count-based model, a word embedding model and a syntactic embedding model; and we show examples of how the quality of their representations can be assessed. We highlight the advantages and potential of these methods, especially for the study of semantic change, together with their limitations.

Shape of the Design Worldview: Does Language Inform the Design Sense?

Abstract This article explores the possibility of interpreting the Banarasi design worldview of play and toys, as expressed in the Banarasi language in a community of toy designers in India. The author explored the Banarasi concept of play and toy design from the analysis of vernacular vocabulary and etymology from dictionaries, encyclopedias, and oral transcriptions of formal and informal interviews of toy designers, patrons, and shopkeepers. Besides Banarasi, Hindi (a dialect spoken in Banaras), Sanskrit (an ancient Indian language), and English (a language influencing Banarasi) vocabularies were also analyzed. The timeline of various words used to denote toys or their use revealed a pattern of change in the conception of a toy and its physical manifestation. This culture-specific meaning of toys as extended to rituals and ceremonies, their seasonality, and craftsmanship of local materials, broadens the definition of Banarasi khilona (toys) from ludic experience to a cultural representation.

Notes on the Concept and Significance of the Astral Entities Ixmw sk and Ixmw wrD in the Ancient Egyptian Language

Notes on the Concept and Significance of the Astral Entities Ixmw sk and Ixmw wrD in the Ancient Egyptian Language