Ancient language mystery deepens

A linguistic mystery has arisen surrounding symbol-inscribed stones in Scotland that predate the formation of the country itself. To read the full article, click here

Did you ever wonder Who or Why?

Some ponderings I came across in my English studies...

Why is there a light in the fridge and not in the freezer?
Can a hearse carrying a corpse drive in the carpool lane?
If the professor on Gilligan's Island can make a radio out of coconut, why can't he fix a hole in a boat?
Is Disney World the only people trap operated by a mouse?
Why do the Alphabet song and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star have the same tune?
Do illiterate people get the full effect of Alphabet Soup?
Did you ever notice that when you blow in a dog's face, he gets mad at you, but when you take him on a car ride, he sticks his head out the window?
Does pushing the elevator button more than once make it arrive faster?

Warlpiri

Here is a great website with information on the Australian Aboriginal language Warlpiri, spoken in the Northern Territory of Australia. There is info on the dialects, structure, & sounds of the language, plus other resources for more info on Warlpiri, for example, papers on Warlpiri grammar, etc.

Australian Aboriginal languages map

Here is a map showing all the Australian Aboriginal languages and where they are spoken within Australia. There certainly is a diversity of them spoken all over the continent.

Good old-fashioned phone calls going out of fashion

Apparently this new texting generation doesn't share the same enthusiasm for chatting away on the phone as previous generations once did. It's been found that a generation of e-mailing, followed by an explosion in texting, has pushed the telephone conversation into serious decline, and it's only those in their mid-50s and early 60s who are the only ones still yakking on the phone as they used to.

Click to get the full article here

More Students Choose a Junior-Year Abroad in the Middle East

This article is interesting: American college students are increasingly choosing to spend their traditional junior year abroad in places like Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, wanting to experience the Arab world beyond America’s borders and viewpoints.

Hebrew information & facts

Here are some interesting facts about the Hebrew language, including a list of words in English which are derived from Hebrew:

http://aboutworldlanguages.com/Hebrew/#fact