Zompist Bboard Again

Travis B. wrote: ↑Mon Aug 31, 2026 8:51 am how Dutch last names historically often ended in -sz,

Raphael wrote: ↑Mon Aug 31, 2026 9:09 am

Travis B. wrote: ↑Mon Aug 31, 2026 8:51 am 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. wrote: ↑Mon Aug 31, 2026 9:18 am
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.

Richard W wrote: ↑Mon Aug 31, 2026 6:20 am 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.

alice wrote: ↑Mon Aug 31, 2026 2:27 pm

Richard W wrote: ↑Mon Aug 31, 2026 6:20 am 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".

alice wrote: ↑Mon Aug 31, 2026 2:27 pm

Richard W wrote: ↑Mon Aug 31, 2026 6:20 am 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".

Travis B. wrote: ↑Mon Aug 31, 2026 3:20 pm 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.

linguistcat wrote: ↑Sun Aug 30, 2026 11:30 am An orc is in a fantasy story, an ork is in a scifi story.

malloc wrote: ↑Mon Aug 31, 2026 3:00 pm

alice wrote: ↑Mon Aug 31, 2026 2:27 pm

Richard W wrote: ↑Mon Aug 31, 2026 6:20 am 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.

alice wrote: ↑Tue Sep 01, 2026 2:39 pm

malloc wrote: ↑Mon Aug 31, 2026 3:00 pm

alice wrote: ↑Mon Aug 31, 2026 2:27 pm

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 wrote: ↑Tue Sep 01, 2026 2:48 pm
And puffins!

Raphael wrote: ↑Tue Sep 01, 2026 2:59 pm

bradrn wrote: ↑Tue Sep 01, 2026 2:48 pm
And puffins!

Thank God!

Raphael wrote: ↑Tue Jul 28, 2026 1:48 pm

Qwynegold wrote: ↑Tue Jul 28, 2026 8:32 am 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.

Ares Land wrote: ↑Thu Aug 27, 2026 6:59 am

malloc wrote: ↑Wed Aug 26, 2026 5:25 pm 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.

Raphael wrote: ↑Wed Sep 23, 2026 3:46 pm 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.