Name That Language!

[Birdlang]

Tamangic?
If so, Gurung?

[Frislander]

Is it at least Himalayish?

It's classfication is slightly uncertain but Himalayish doesn't appear to be a group it's been put in.

Bodic then?

(At this point I don’t really have a clue what it could be, and I’m just guessing in the hope that I eventually find the right branch…)

Yes

Tamangic?
If so, Gurung?

Tamangic also yes (because uncertain), but Gurung no.

[bradrn]

Manang then? Wikipedia implies that its classification may be slightly uncertain.

EDIT: But reading on a bit, I’m now thinking that it’s more likely to be Kaike.

Tamangic?

I’d be really interested to know how you figured this out!

[Frislander]

EDIT: But reading on a bit, I’m now thinking that it’s more likely to be Kaike.

Well done, you got it.

[bradrn]

EDIT: But reading on a bit, I’m now thinking that it’s more likely to be Kaike.

Well done, you got it.

Thanks!

Alright, next texts. This one should be really easy — if you can figure out the bizarre orthography, that is:

Jagobi ki̮ abi sonnori̮t ha̮de̮n tta kot Kanaan ttae ke̮ ha̮ni. Jagobi̮i sa̮ǯje̮gi ire̮ hanira. Josebi sipčhil sjee hjeƞdi̮l gwa ha̮mkki̮i jaƞi̮l čhini, ki̮ ttäe a̮hära tu sje̮ mo Pilhai̮i ada̮l gwa Silbai̮i ada̮llo te̮bi̮re̮ ka̮tčhi ittaga čehi̮i čal mot ha̮na̮n gesi̮l abii̮ige ko-ha̮de̮ni. Isi̮raeri Josebi̮l nahi̮l ttäe nai imi̮i ni̮lgi̮n goro je̮re̮ ada̮l poda te̮ sa̮raƞ ha̮ja čhäsäk osi̮l čie̮ niphina̮n-ǯira.

(Yes, it’s a Bible translation, though I’m not sure how much that will help.)

I feel that I should do another text too, as I fully expect that one to be found within a couple of guesses. So:

Yacka thëʼ weʼwecʼaʼ naʼwekutʼ ptasʼiʼpceʼ: manteyyuneʼ kʼa dʼiʼyuʼ kʼa ïkh yuwe khaʼtʼuy uykhewba üsuʼpceʼ, kʼyüy uykhewna üsteʼ, kʼahuʼ kʼa ïkhaʼ nmeh huunaʼ yuʼneʼkapceʼ; dʼiʼ uʼhsa kühucteʼ wehʼa wala spudcʼa kʼa ïkhkhëkuʼka akheʼpceʼ: kih selamaʼtʼ itüʼs uʼhweʼ wabian kʼwayyaʼ, hibamaʼtʼyu acpa kʼtecʼaneʼka äsʼipceʼ vʼu behpamaʼk hiʼp uʼhwecyu acpa.

[Linguoboy]

Alright, next texts. This one should be really easy — if you can figure out the bizarre orthography, that is:

Jagobi ki̮ abi sonnori̮t ha̮de̮n tta kot Kanaan ttae ke̮ ha̮ni. Jagobi̮i sa̮ǯje̮gi ire̮ hanira. Josebi sipčhil sjee hjeƞdi̮l gwa ha̮mkki̮i jaƞi̮l čhini, ki̮ ttäe a̮hära tu sje̮ mo Pilhai̮i ada̮l gwa Silbai̮i ada̮llo te̮bi̮re̮ ka̮tčhi ittaga čehi̮i čal mot ha̮na̮n gesi̮l abii̮ige ko-ha̮de̮ni. Isi̮raeri Josebi̮l nahi̮l ttäe nai imi̮i ni̮lgi̮n goro je̮re̮ ada̮l poda te̮ sa̮raƞ ha̮ja čhäsäk osi̮l čie̮ niphina̮n-ǯira.

Why would anyone transcribe Korean this way?

[bradrn]

Alright, next texts. This one should be really easy — if you can figure out the bizarre orthography, that is:

Jagobi ki̮ abi sonnori̮t ha̮de̮n tta kot Kanaan ttae ke̮ ha̮ni. Jagobi̮i sa̮ǯje̮gi ire̮ hanira. Josebi sipčhil sjee hjeƞdi̮l gwa ha̮mkki̮i jaƞi̮l čhini, ki̮ ttäe a̮hära tu sje̮ mo Pilhai̮i ada̮l gwa Silbai̮i ada̮llo te̮bi̮re̮ ka̮tčhi ittaga čehi̮i čal mot ha̮na̮n gesi̮l abii̮ige ko-ha̮de̮ni. Isi̮raeri Josebi̮l nahi̮l ttäe nai imi̮i ni̮lgi̮n goro je̮re̮ ada̮l poda te̮ sa̮raƞ ha̮ja čhäsäk osi̮l čie̮ niphina̮n-ǯira.

Why would anyone transcribe Korean this way?

That was my reaction as well! Though in the author’s defence, he was writing in 1939. (It’s Ramstedt’s grammar — you can get it from the Grammar Pile if you want to check it yourself.)

(By the way, I was expecting this to be found quickly, but I wasn’t expecting it to be found in the first reply! For me, it’s barely even recognisable as Korean.)

[Pabappa]

i think the distribution of /r/ and /l/ in that text is a big clue ... how many languages would allow coda /l/ but yet insist on "Is(i)raer" because of a following vowel? That said, I didnt get it and I wasnt even close ... the ǯ ... perhaps my favorite letter .... threw me off and I didnt even consider that it might be a non-Uralic language.

[bradrn]

i think the distribution of /r/ and /l/ in that text is a big clue ... how many languages would allow coda /l/ but yet insist on "Is(i)raer" because of a following vowel?

I never noticed that — even though I was the one transcribing it!

ǯ ... perhaps my favorite letter

It’s one of mine as well! (Though it’s tied with Gha ⟨ƣ⟩ for me.)

[Birdlang]

Is the second one spoken in Indonesia?

[Linguoboy]

(By the way, I was expecting this to be found quickly, but I wasn’t expecting it to be found in the first reply! For me, it’s barely even recognisable as Korean.)

It's actually a language I've studied. (And I've seen some weird-ass transcriptions of it before.)

[Karch]

The second one is one of these weird South American isolates (Cofán, Páez, Tsimane). Is it Páez?

[bradrn]

Is the second one spoken in Indonesia?

No.

The second one is one of these weird South American isolates (Cofán, Páez, Tsimane). Is it Páez?

Yes, it’s Páez. Your turn now!

(Sometimes I wonder why I bother looking for these obscure languages when they get guessed almost immediately…)

[bradrn]

Does anyone know if we’re going to get another challenge? I believe Karch won the last round, but it’s been three days so far and no-one’s posted anything more yet.

[fusijui]

It may be that this thing has simply run its time (again); in any case, there seem to be many fewer people "playing" than in the past. No worries, though. Why don't we give Karch a bit longer, then open it up for anyone to volunteer a new sample test?

[bradrn]

It may be that this thing has simply run its time (again); in any case, there seem to be many fewer people "playing" than in the past. No worries, though.

I hope not — this game is fun!

Why don't we give Karch a bit longer, then open it up for anyone to volunteer a new sample test?

I’d be OK with that.

[Travis B.]

Maybe it has not been made clear enough that if one wins a round one is obliged to provide a language sample and answer questions about it for the next round.

[bradrn]

Maybe it has not been made clear enough that if one wins a round one is obliged to provide a language sample and answer questions about it for the next round.

I think that’s already been made pretty clear — we had quite a long discussion about this point a few pages ago.

[fusijui]

Some folks -- myself, at least -- just aren't online regularly and days may go by between checking in here. But at this point, I think it would be better to keep the momentum up and have something new to chew over. Does anyone here now have some text to offer up to the hive mind?

[Karch]

Sorry, I completely forgot about this. Here's a new sample text:

Ba̱re nʼribi ipa̱ cima. Ga̱n tini dura̱. Ga̱n sha̱pi ipa̱. Ga̱n ka̱ta̱ni keke naa te̱nde̱. Ga̱n ipi cima. Ma̱ni mʼba ne̱ na̱ rwaga. Ga̱n shii bikeke na̱ hunrun na ro. Ga̱n ka̱ciga̱ni rwaga na̱ buna. Ga̱a̱n hwan cima. Ashira̱ ba páshi. Ga̱a̱n hwan cima ji na shira̱.
Na shira̱ ba zhe̱e̱n ga̱n ha̱nka̱ni na̱m pa̱paga. Buʼa̱ niimi bwa iye̱ shami na mbo. Na̱ shurugo ga̱n huri giyo. Na ga̱n wuci ina, ga̱n zware̱ ma̱ni. Ga̱n shani mariga̱ nama zuma. Ga̱n ha̱nka̱ni.