What are you reading, watching and listening to? - All languages

[Raphael]

how Dutch last names historically often ended in -sz,

Wait, did the Dutch (ignoring migrants and their descendants for now) used to have different kinds of surnames than they do now? If so, how did that change, and why?

[Travis B.]

how Dutch last names historically often ended in -sz,

Wait, did the Dutch (ignoring migrants and their descendants for now) used to have different kinds of surnames than they do now? If so, how did that change, and why?

Earlier Dutch people, like modern Icelanders, mostly did not use surnames, with them for a long time being primarily limited to nobility and burghers. Rather, most Dutch people used patronymics and like for a long time, with surnames only slowly being adopted over time. Proper surnames only became universal in the Netherlands when Napoleon mandated them in 1811, even though by that point many had already adopted surnames, with the exception of Jews and like.

[Raphael]

Earlier Dutch people, like modern Icelanders, mostly did not use surnames, with them for a long time being primarily limited to nobility and burghers. Rather, most Dutch people used patronymics and like for a long time, with surnames only slowly being adopted over time. Proper surnames only became universal in the Netherlands when Napoleon mandated them in 1811, even though by that point many had already adopted surnames, with the exception of Jews and like.

Thank you!

[alice]

And in one of the stories, I just came across the phrase "speaking in awk", which made me, as a user of the awk program, smile.

That reminds me of the end of the first LotR film, when Aragorn says "Let's go and hunt some auks".

[Raphael]

And in one of the stories, I just came across the phrase "speaking in awk", which made me, as a user of the awk program, smile.

That reminds me of the end of the first LotR film, when Aragorn says "Let's go and hunt some auks".

Nooooooooo! Those are so cute!

[malloc]

And in one of the stories, I just came across the phrase "speaking in awk", which made me, as a user of the awk program, smile.

That reminds me of the end of the first LotR film, when Aragorn says "Let's go and hunt some auks".

So it's his fault they went extinct.

[zompist]

I just re-read Olaf Stapledon's Last and First Men. Review and copious snarky notes here.

tl;dr: if you read only one Stapledon, make it Star Maker.

[Travis B.]

Speaking of orcs, awk, and auks, does anyone else not notice non-rhoticism unless they specifically listen for it, despite natively speaking a rhotic variety and living in a thoroughly rhotic area one's whole life? That's how it is for me when I watch or listen to media from England, Australia, or New Zealand -- the non-rhoticness of the people in the media simply does not register for me.

[bradrn]

Speaking of orcs, awk, and auks, does anyone else not notice non-rhoticism unless they specifically listen for it, despite natively speaking a rhotic variety and living in a thoroughly rhotic area one's whole life? That's how it is for me when I watch or listen to media from England, Australia, or New Zealand -- the non-rhoticness of the people in the media simply does not register for me.

Haven’t you previously mentioned listening to British media to a sufficient extent that you no longer notice the accent? I think that’s relevant here.

[Richard W]

An orc is in a fantasy story, an ork is in a scifi story.

It's interesting then that the subtitle generator(s) used by most of the Youtube fantasy channels are then for the scifi sense! These channels do not appear to be technologically independent. Youtube's subtitle generator uses the fantasy spelling.

[alice]

And in one of the stories, I just came across the phrase "speaking in awk", which made me, as a user of the awk program, smile.

That reminds me of the end of the first LotR film, when Aragorn says "Let's go and hunt some auks".

So it's his fault they went extinct.

#notallauks, just the great one. Guillemots and razorbills, among others, still exist.

[bradrn]

That reminds me of the end of the first LotR film, when Aragorn says "Let's go and hunt some auks".

So it's his fault they went extinct.

#notallauks, just the great one. Guillemots and razorbills, among others, still exist.

And puffins!

[Raphael]

And puffins!

Thank God!

[alice]

And puffins!

Thank God!

Indeed. without them we'd have no Puffin Books, and the lives of many millions of children would have been the worse for it.

[Qwynegold]

I finally started reading an anthology of amateur manga I bought ten years ago. Since it's all in Japanese, it's going very slowly. And the book is very thick.

Now I'm not entirely sure whether you're frustrated that it'll be such a chore to work through or happy that you'll get to spend so much time enjoying it.

Well, it's interesting seeing what these indie authors have created. But it's frustrating not understanding all the text completely.

[rotting bones]

Restaurant at the End of the Universe vibes: https://youtu.be/rv8kOzRZK8g

[malloc]

Currently starting a book about the Veiled Prophet society of St Louis and how it has negatively impacted the city over the past hundred fifty years. For years I have wondered why my hometown is so backward and decayed compared with the rest of America and this could be the key that puzzle.

That sounds fascinating (the book, decidedly not the damage done to St Louis.) I'd be glad to hear about it when you finished it.

Finished with the book and it was indeed quite interesting though also tragic. St Louis started off quite strong, being the forth largest city in the US in the late 1800s, and could have been amazing today if it weren't for entrenched racism and a regressive ruling class. That said, I have been meaning to spend more time with paper and less on the computer and hope to find some other books soon to read.

[Raphael]

Once again re-reading bits and pieces of How NOT to Write a Novel. Have to keep myself from quoting it to copyright-violating extent.

[rotting bones]

In Search of Absolute Beauty: https://youtu.be/e2LxMRbI3l4

[alice]

Once again re-reading bits and pieces of How NOT to Write a Novel. Have to keep myself from quoting it to copyright-violating extent.

A classic. And very, very, funny too. No aspiring novelist should be allowed to not have read it.