Podcasts about language creation society

Step into the intricate world of language creation with our special guest, David Peterson, an acclaimed writer and linguist with a fascinating journey that includes the mastery of more than 20 languages. Peterson unveils the richness and complexity of his craft, painting a vivid picture of language creation as an art form. We unmask the methodical magic of shaping a language from scratch, focusing on the essentials of vocabulary development, internal consistency, and the evolution of grammar. Peterson also shares his experiences from the heart of the film industry, shedding light on the painstaking process of crafting languages for the big screen and the pursuit of authenticity at its core. We delve into the pressures of language creation for the fast-paced world of television and film, with its tight deadlines and the necessity for compromise. From battling writer's block to discussing career advice for aspiring language creators, we cover it all. We draw the curtain with a look at the Language Creation Society's jobs board and the importance of early language education. So, join us and immerse yourself in the awe-inspiring domain of language creation, where art and linguistics collide in a symphony of words! We cover a lot of fascinating topics in this episode including: JRR Tolkien's contribution to modern language creation The workflow of sound development between himself and Hollywood show creators Winning a language creation contest to land his first job with Game of Thrones The linguistic rules and framework for creating a "realistic" fake language, and what makes a made-up movie language sound fake Why language creation is living art that is never finished Why the languages from Star Wars were all "crappily" done The process of teaching an actor how to speak a new language The Game of Thrones character he thinks speaks the best Valyrian   BIO David Petersen is an American linguist and language creator. He has studied over 20 "Earth" languages, and created more than 40 artificial languages for TV and movies, including Dothraki and Valyrian for HBO's hit show Game of Thrones, based on George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire. Additionally, David has created the languages for Thor: The Dark World, Dune, The Witcher, House Of The Dragon, Syfy's Defiance, CW's Star-Crossed and The 100, Dominion, Penny Dreadful, The Shannara Chronicles, Warcraft: the Beginning, Doctor Strange, and Emerald City, to name a few. He is the author of Living Language Dothraki and The Art of Language Invention: From Horse-Lords to Dark Elves to Sand Worms, the Words Behind World-Building. David's work is featured in the documentary Conlanging: The Art of Crafting Tongues, and he is the co-founder of the Language Creation Society.

“There are jobs that you could never have imagined – and they’re possible.” David Peterson received a master's degree in Linguistics from UC San Diego in 2005 and he's been creating languages since 2000. He served as a cofounder and original board member of the Language Creation Society, and served as its president from 2011 to 2014. He has worked as a language creator on numerous television shows and films, including HBO's Game of Thrones, Netflix's The Witcher, the CW's The 100, and Disney's Raya and the Last Dragon. In the fall of 2015 he published his nonfiction work The Art of Language Invention with Penguin Books. Jessie Sams got her PhD in Linguistics from the University of Colorado Boulder, and until recently was a professor of linguistics at Stephen F. Austin State University in Texas, where she created a conlanging course and taught students how to construct a language from the ground up. She is now a full-time professional conlanger and works with David Peterson. David Peterson on LinkedIn Jessie Sams on LinkedIn David Peterson, The Art of Language Invention Language Creation Society LangTime Studio on YouTube Topics include – language creation – conlanging – grad school – Hollywood – language learning Download a transcript here (Word doc) or view it online here courtesy of Luca DinuThe post Episode #14: David Peterson and Jessie Sams first appeared on Linguistics Careercast.

What are conlangers? Thanks for asking ! A conlanger is a person who creates one or more constructed languages. These are different to most languages in that they are devised for a particular purpose, rather than evolving naturally. Most notable examples come from science fiction or fantasy franchises, like Lord of the Rings and Star Trek. Their depicted characters often communicate in constructed languages. A first impression might lead us to believe that the incomprehensible words we hear are just a series of meaningless sounds. But in reality, these languages can actually be spoken. They have syntax, grammar and all the other necessary ingredients to be considered a language.So could we learn a constructed language in the same way as we would learn Italian for example ? David Peterson is one of the most well-known conlangers out there. He started out his career as a linguist and has invented 13 languages over the years, including the dothraki language spoken in Game of Thrones. HBO hired the Language Creation Society in anticipation of the series launch, and Peterson came through a competitive application process to be selected. In several interviews Peterson has explained that the most difficult part of being a conlanger is deciding whether a particular word should exist or not. For example, the nomadic dothraki warriors don’t carry around smartphones or books with them when going into battle. So there was no need to invent a word for those objects. On the other hand, they do have 14 different words for horse.Peterson created the roots of the language by playing around and combining letters with sounds. After building up a small amount of vocabulary, he scribbled down basic sentences, then added suffixes and prefixes to increase the number of words.But what's the point of inventing a language that won't survive to be used in everyday life ? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions ! If you want to know what are conlangers in french : https://podcasts.ba-ba-bam.com/maintenant-vous-savez/202003280600-quest-ce-quun-conlanger.html See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Denise and Louise talk with guest Sea Chapman about constructed languages, or conlangs. Listen to find out more about:What is a constructed language, or conlang? The different types of conlang Tips for writers who want to include conlangs in fiction The rules of play Base languages sometimes and conlang creation Resources mentioned in the showEmail Sea Chapman (sea@seachapman.com) for handouts from her ACES 2018 presentation, ‘Conlangs: Languages with Stories to Tell' or to request additional resources https://conlang.org/ (Language Creation Society) https://www.reddit.com/r/conlangs/ (Conlangs on Reddit) https://www.facebook.com/groups/constructedlanguages/ (Constructed Languages on Facebook) https://conworkshop.com/ (ConWorkShop forum) http://conlangery.com/ (Conlangery podcast) https://www.open.edu/openlearn/body-mind/iain-banks-talks-writing-world-events-and-mastermind?in_menu=173332 (Iain Banks talks writing, world events and Mastermind) (video) ‘http://trevor-hopkins.com/banks/a-few-notes-on-marain.html (A few notes on Marain by Iain M. Banks)' Fabulosa!: The Story of Polari, Britain's Secret Gay Language ‘What's Polari?' Ask us a questionThe easiest way to ping us a question is via Facebook Messenger: Visit the podcast's Facebook page and click on the http://bit.ly/EditPodFB (SEND MESSAGE) button. Denise and Louisehttps://my.captivate.fm/bit.ly/CowleEditing (Denise Cowle Editorial Services) https://my.captivate.fm/bit.ly/HarnbyEditing (Louise Harnby | Fiction Editor) Music credit‘Vivacity' Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ (By Attribution 3.0 License).

This week, Martha has so much to talk about that she runs out of time, Stephen espouses the virtues of building your own gamedev tools, and Mark names the episode after a Star Trek thing because it's his birthday today so he gets to.Discuss this episode on Reddit using this thread in r/gamedev. Intro to Linguistics for Game Developers 0:03:31 Martha MegarryAudioGame DesignThe Legend of Zelda's Hylian Language - FandomThe Language Creation SocietyA list of constructed languages in video games. - WikipediaMyst's created language, D'ni. - FandomUK Professors Go Primal With 'Far Cry' - Gail Hairston, University of KentuckySIL's Glossary of Linguistics article on sonority scale - SILSkyrim's Dragon Shouts - Matt Miller, Game InformerOmniglot is an encyclopedia of writing systems and languages - OmniglotThe Conlangers Library game list - Conlangers LibraryNo Man's Sky guide: alien races, languages and Monolith puzzles - Jeffrey Parkin, PolygonThe Rosetta Stone in Fez (Pretty obvious clue in hindsight.) - mykwud, YouTubeTwitter Blowup Leads to Sudden Cancellation of Fez II -  Owen Good, KotakuPlaying the Birth and Death of Language in 'Dialect' - Alex Roberts, WaypointScientology's enturbulating lingo -  Britt Peterson, The Boston GlobeKathryn Hymes on Twitter - @chiclashaw, TwitterThe Language Construction Kit, a book Martha recommended, is available for free… - bookDescribing Morphosyntax: A Guide For Field Linguists is the other book Martha r… - bookSpeaking ‘Star Trek': Meet the Man Who Made Up the Klingon Language - Matt Blitz, Popular MechanicsThe Klingon Language Institute is a thing that exists.International Phonetic Alphabet - WikipediaMass Effect: Meeting the Elcor Ambassador - Thieving HIppo, YouTubeGaming's favorite VR mouse uses sign language in the cutest way - Allegra Frank, PolygonCantonese vs. Mandarin - Off the Great Wall, YouTubeFeast Your Eyes on This Beautiful Linguistic Family Tree - Arika Okrent, Mental FlossThe Conlangery Podcast is a neat podcast about linguistics and conlang. - Podcast Making Your Own Tools 0:44:57 Stephen McGregorTools We referenced a few of our episodes during the show: "75% sure.""The Stevechievement."GDC 2017 Special (Part 1)GDC 2017 Special (Part 2)Stephen's tool he recently made for Fingeance. - Stephen McGregor, TwitterTech Toolbox microtalks at GDC 2017 - GDCOur friends at Howling Moon made Super Fast Soft Shadow. - Unity

This week, Martha has so much to talk about that she runs out of time, Stephen espouses the virtues of building your own gamedev tools, and Mark names the episode after a Star Trek thing because it's his birthday today so he gets to.   Discuss this episode on Reddit using this thread in r/gamedev. Intro to Linguistics for game developers 0:03:31 Martha Megarry Category Audio Game Design The Legend of Zelda’s Hylian Language - Fandom wiki The Language Creation Society A list of constructed languages in video games. - Wikipedia Myst’s created language, D’ni. - Fandom wiki “UK Professors Go Primal With 'Far Cry'” - Gail Hairston , University of Kentucky SIL’s Glossary of Linguistics article on sonority scale - SIL “Skyrim’s Dragon Shouts” - Matt Miller, , Game Informer Omniglot is an encyclopedia of writing systems and languages - Omniglot The Conlangers Library game list - Conlangers Library “No Man’s Sky guide: alien races, languages and Monolith puzzles” - Jeffrey Parkin , Polygon The Rosetta Stone in Fez (Pretty obvious clue in hindsight.) - mykwud , YouTube “Twitter Blowup Leads to Sudden Cancellation of Fez II” - Owen Good , Kotaku “Playing the Birth and Death of Language in 'Dialect'” - Alex Roberts , Waypoint “Scientology’s enturbulating lingo” - Britt Peterson , The Boston Globe Kathryn Hymes on Twitter - @chiclashaw , Twitter The Language Construction Kit, a book Martha recommended, is available for free… Describing Morphosyntax: A Guide For Field Linguists is the other book Martha r… “Speaking ‘Star Trek’: Meet the Man Who Made Up the Klingon Language” - Matt Blitz , Popular Mechanics The Klingon Language Institute is a thing that exists. International Phonetic Alphabet - Wikipedia “Mass Effect: Meeting the Elcor Ambassador” - Thieving HIppo , YouTube “Gaming’s favorite VR mouse uses sign language in the cutest way” - Allegra Frank , Polygon “Cantonese vs. Mandarin” - Off the Great Wall , YouTube “Feast Your Eyes on This Beautiful Linguistic Family Tree” - Arika Okrent , Mental Floss The Conlangery Podcast is a neat podcast about linguistics and conlang. - Podcast Making your own tools 0:44:57 Stephen McGregor Category Tools We referenced a few of our episodes during the show: "75% sure." "The Stevechievement." GDC 2017 Special (Part 1) GDC 2017 Special (Part 2) Stephen’s tool he recently made for Fingeance. - Stephen McGregor , Twitter Tech Toolbox microtalks at GDC 2017 - GDC Our friends at Howling Moon made Super Fast Soft Shadow. - Unity Asset Store

David Petersen is an American linguist and language creator. He has studied over 20 "Earth" languages, and created more than 40 artificial languages for tv and movies, including Dothraki and Valyrian for HBO's hit show Game of Thrones, based on George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire..   Additionally, David has created the languages for Thor: The Dark World, Syfy's Defiance, CW's Star-Crossed and The 100, Dominion, Penny Dreadful, The Shannara Chronicles, Warcraft: the Beginning, Doctor Strange, and Emerald City.    He is the author of Living Language Dothraki and The Art of Language Invention, and is the co-founder of the Language Creation Society.   We cover a lot of fascinating topics in this episode including:   • JRR Tolkien's contribution to modern language creation • The workflow of sound development between himself and Hollywood show creators • Winning a language creation contest to land his first job with Game of Thrones • The linguistic rules and framework for creating a "realistic" fake language, and what makes a made-up movie language sound fake • Why language creation is living art that is never finished • Why the languages from Star Wars were all "crappily" done • The process of teaching an actor how to speak a new language  • The Game of Thrones character he thinks speaks the best Valyrian • And so much more!

George gives a quick update on the Paramount v Axanar case and the LCS’s part in it. This was previously discussed in episode 119. For more information, please see the Language Creation Society’s Axanar information page.

Do you speak Sindarin?In this episode, Lindsay and I went full-on nerd and we were loving it! The world of fictional languages is richer than a London billionaire, and we have researched and collected the most awesome fictional languages for you to learn about.In this episode, you'll hear the new Good, Bad and Struggling followed by the Ultimate Fictional Languages Chart. Here in the shownotes, you'll see our Top 5 and the best of all links available so you can follow along and listen to the show. Our Top 5 Fictional Languages Elvish Nadsat/ Newspeak Klingon Minionese Simlish Dothraki, High Valyrian and Game of Thrones Game of Thrones: Creating the Dothraki language The Language Creation Society Elvish, Quenya and Tolkien The Elvish Linguistic Fellowship The J.R.R. Tolkien Audio Collection A free Quenya course from Norway J.R.R. Tolkien Reads (A Poem In Elvish) The Ring Verse read in Black Speech Klingon and Vulcan Youtube clip of Mark Okrand talking about how he developed Klingon of him describing the development). The Klingon Language Institute The Klingon copyright case in 2016 Klingon teacher on Youtube: Lesson 1 Klingon phrasebook for your intergalactic needs Na'vi Learnnavi.org. Naviteri, Paul Frommer's blog about Na'vi Simlish A little Simlish phrasebook 15 Songs You Didn't Know Were Recorded in Simlish Fun - We Are Young in Simlish Minion Language "Ramsbottom" Gag in 19 translations Minions - Trailer on Youtube Minions say Indonesian on YouTube Newspeak in 1984 1984 - Newspeak on YouTube Nadsat in A Clockwork Orange Droogs quarrel in the Korova Milk Bar Other Links and Resources From This Episode Do Canadians Say Autumn or Fall? 6 Fictional Languages You Can Actually Learn Invented Languages - Opinion Piece on Eurolinguiste

Leslie Eastman joins me for a chat with  two guests from the Language Creation Society, who helped establish and develop the fictional tongues that many fantasy and sci-fi fans promote.....They are: Sai, a current member of the Board of Directors and founder of the Language Creation Society; and,  Christophe Grandsire-Koevoets, President of the Language Creation Society......... You can read more about this in Leslie's post. and other stories from the front pages.......... Click here for some of our friends: ...CLICK AUDIBLE.COM, YOUR SOURCE FOR AUDIO BOOKS! CHECK OUT MY FRIEND CARLOS GUEDES AND HIS MUSIC........ FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER......

Even if you’re not a Trekkie, you’ve got to feel for the Klingons of Earth. Their language is under threat of being taken back by the very company that commissioned its creation, raising the very important question: Can a language even be copyrighted? News that Paramount is suing the creators of a Star Trek fan film for copyright infringement quickly spread across the galaxy last week. More traditional copyright issues such as the likenesses of characters came into play, but the company also said it owned the Klingon language, a claim that could have far-reaching implications. When I first heard about the lawsuit, I kind of rolled my eyes. I’m not a Trekkie, how could this possibly matter? It quickly became clear that if companies can copyright languages, they can copyright the means of creating culture. Paramount invented the language, but should it own Klingon translations of Hamlet? Should it own a novel completely unrelated to Star Trek that a passionate Klingon writes? Could it require licenses for people to recite their wedding vows in Klingon? What about other constructed languages like Dothraki from Game of Thrones? And what about software and programming languages?  And so I decided to look at the issue from a few different angles. I called up Sai, founder of the Language Creation Society, to talk about why his organization is defending the Klingons. I called up qurgh lungqIj, a Klingon from the distant planet of Cincinnati, to talk about the rich Klingon culture that has evolved since it was first invented for the Star Trek movies. And then I called up Motherboard contributing editor and copyright expert Sarah Jeong to talk about whether the Klingons stand a chance.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

George recorded a special interview with David J Peterson and Christophe Grandsire-Koevoets to talk about some recent events at the Language Creation Society.

This week we're joined by David Peterson who designed the Dothraki language for Game of Thrones. He's also worked on a number of other productions, painstakingly inventing new languages for characters. David also serves as President of the Language Creation Society.

We all know that the color pink is for boys and the color blue is for girls--at least, that's how it was 100 years ago. Grant and Martha share the surprising history behind the colors we associate with gender. Plus, we go rollin' in our hooptie, play a game of guess-that-Google-search, and get some tips on how to avoid getting swindled by our real estate agent! Also, new terms for failed software upgrades, some sugar-coated snark from across the pond, and a new way to show sarcasm in a text message. Yeah. Sure.FULL DETAILSHate it when a software upgrade is worse than the previous version? We call that a flupgrade, or a new-coke. As in, Skype really new-coked it with version 5.3.0. Come on, Skype!What is a hooptie? Though it started in the 1960s as a term for a sweet new car, it became the common moniker for a beater, or a jalopy. Maybe Sir Mix-A-Lot said it best: "My hooptie rollin', tailpipe draggin'/ heat don't work, and my girl keeps nagging.'"  http://bit.ly/1WCYnIf a lady is no better than she ought to be, her sexual morals may be in question. The saying, recently popularized by the BBC program Downton Abbey, is what's known as a charientism, or a bit of sugar-coated snark. By the way, if you'd like to hear more about such thinly veiled insults, check out this episode.http://www.waywordradio.org/bless-your-heart/ If someone's in a swivet, they're flustered or in distress. You might be in a swivel, for example, if you're late for a meeting or you've shown up to the SAT without a No. 2 pencil.Our Quiz Guy Greg Pliska has a game based on Google searches, or at least what Google thinks you're searching. For example, what do Elmo, pink, and plant all have in common? Google suggests them, in that order, after you've entered the words "tickle me."Did the movie Avatar make you imagine creating an entirely new language, like Na'vi?  Conlang.org and the Language Creation Society have plenty of information on how to go about it and what others, including J.R.R. Tolkein have tried. Mark Rosenfelder's book, The Language Construction Kit, is a great resource for getting started.http://tinyurl.com/yabd9brhttp://bit.ly/7qxTuVhttp://amzn.to/qES5lwWhat does it mean to call for tender? This British phrase for soliciting a job is rarely seen in the United States, though tender, from the Latin for "to stretch or hold forth," is used in North America in two different senses: to tender, as in to offer, as well as the noun tender for something that's been issued, such as a dollar bill, hence legal tender.What do you call an upgrade gone wrong? Perhaps the 'Puter Principle could be the software equivalent of the Peter Principle, which in business means that every employee in a hierarchy tends to rise to his or her level of incompetence.If something's right on, it suits you to a tee. But why a tee? Tee, or the letter T, is short for tittle, or something really tiny. So if something's exactly perfect, it's right on point, with no room to spare. Or, simply, it suits you to a tee.Why is pink a girl color and blue a boy color? Actually, in the 19th Century, pink used to be associated with boys, since it was a stronger, more decided color. Blue, on the other hand, was regarded as a girls' color, because it was considered dainty. It wasn't until the 1940s that marketers started to switch it around. Jeanne Maglaty has a great article about this in Smithsonian Magazine, called "When did Girls Start Wearing Pink?"http://bit.ly/eDOeYgTo slake your thirst is to quench your thirst. But some people have been switching it to slate your thirst or other variants. It's a classic case of an eggcorn, or one of those words that people mishear, and then start pronouncing incorrectly; for example, when misheard, acorn can become eggcorn. http://bit.ly/HG4mWhat does it mean to gazump someone? This phrase, specifically meaning "to swindle a customer in a real estate deal," came about in the United States in the 1920s and 1930s before disappearing and then popping up again in England in the 1970s. Whether or not the term is in vogue, the practice seems to be a mainstay.How do you indicate sarcasm in a text message or an email? If winky emoticons aren't your thing, try left-leaning italics, as recommended by sartalics.com.http://bit.ly/reQ86lThe Arabic idiom in the apricot season translates to "in your dreams," presumably because the growing season for this fruit is so brief. Incidentally, the etymological root of "apricot," which means "to ripen early," is shared with the word precocious.The Egyptian Arabic saying, ate the camel and all it carried, is the equivalent of "to eat someone out of house and home."...Support for A Way with Words comes from National University http://www.nu.edu/, which invites you to change your future today. More at nu.edu.We're also grateful for support from the University of San Diego http://www.sandiego.edu. Since 1949, USD has been on a mission not only to prepare students for the world, but also to change it. Learn more about the college and five schools of this nationally ranked, independent Catholic university at sandiego.edu.--A Way with Words is funded by its listeners: http://waywordradio.org/donateGet your language question answered on the air! Call or write with your questions at any time:Email: words@waywordradio.orgPhone: United States and Canada toll-free (877) WAY-WORD/(877) 929-9673London +44 20 7193 2113Mexico City +52 55 8421 9771Donate: http://waywordradio.org/donateSite: http://waywordradio.org/Podcast: http://waywordradio.org/podcast/Forums: http://waywordradio.org/discussion/Newsletter: http://waywordradio.org/newsletter/Twitter: http://twitter.com/wayword/Skype: skype://waywordradio Copyright 2012, Wayword LLC.

SUMMARYWe all know that the color pink is for boys and the color blue is for girls--at least, that's how it was 100 years ago. Grant and Martha share the surprising history behind the colors we associate with gender. Plus, we go rollin' in our hooptie, play a game of guess-that-Google-search, and get some tips on how to avoid getting swindled by our real estate agent! Also, new terms for failed software upgrades, some sugar-coated snark from across the pond, and a new way to show sarcasm in a text message. Yeah. Sure.FULL DETAILSHate it when a software upgrade is worse than the previous version? We call that a flupgrade, or a new-coke. As in, Skype really new-coked it with version 5.3.0. Come on, Skype!What is a hooptie? Though it started in the 1960s as a term for a sweet new car, it became the common moniker for a beater, or a jalopy. Maybe Sir Mix-A-Lot said it best: "My hooptie rollin', tailpipe draggin'/ heat don't work, and my girl keeps nagging.'"  http://bit.ly/1WCYnIf a lady is no better than she ought to be, her sexual morals may be in question. The saying, recently popularized by the BBC program Downton Abbey, is what's known as a charientism, or a bit of sugar-coated snark. By the way, if you'd like to hear more about such thinly veiled insults, check out this episode.http://www.waywordradio.org/bless-your-heart/ If someone's in a swivet, they're flustered or in distress. You might be in a swivel, for example, if you're late for a meeting or you've shown up to the SAT without a No. 2 pencil.Our Quiz Guy Greg Pliska has a game based on Google searches, or at least what Google thinks you're searching. For example, what do Elmo, pink, and plant all have in common? Google suggests them, in that order, after you've entered the words "tickle me."Did the movie Avatar make you imagine creating an entirely new language, like Na'vi?  Conlang.org and the Language Creation Society have plenty of information on how to go about it and what others, including J.R.R. Tolkein have tried. Mark Rosenfelder's book, The Language Construction Kit, is a great resource for getting started.http://tinyurl.com/yabd9brhttp://bit.ly/7qxTuVhttp://amzn.to/qES5lwWhat does it mean to call for tender? This British phrase for soliciting a job is rarely seen in the United States, though tender, from the Latin for "to stretch or hold forth," is used in North America in two different senses: to tender, as in to offer, as well as the noun tender for something that's been issued, such as a dollar bill, hence legal tender.What do you call an upgrade gone wrong? Perhaps the 'Puter Principle could be the software equivalent of the Peter Principle, which in business means that every employee in a hierarchy tends to rise to his or her level of incompetence.If something's right on, it suits you to a tee. But why a tee? Tee, or the letter T, is short for tittle, or something really tiny. So if something's exactly perfect, it's right on point, with no room to spare. Or, simply, it suits you to a tee.Why is pink a girl color and blue a boy color? Actually, in the 19th Century, pink used to be associated with boys, since it was a stronger, more decided color. Blue, on the other hand, was regarded as a girls' color, because it was considered dainty. It wasn't until the 1940s that marketers started to switch it around. Jeanne Maglaty has a great article about this in Smithsonian Magazine, called "When did Girls Start Wearing Pink?"http://bit.ly/eDOeYgTo slake your thirst is to quench your thirst. But some people have been switching it to slate your thirst or other variants. It's a classic case of an eggcorn, or one of those words that people mishear, and then start pronouncing incorrectly; for example, when misheard, acorn can become eggcorn. http://bit.ly/HG4mWhat does it mean to gazump someone? This phrase, specifically meaning "to swindle a customer in a real estate deal," came about in the United States in the 1920s and 1930s before disappearing and then popping up again in England in the 1970s. Whether or not the term is in vogue, the practice seems to be a mainstay.How do you indicate sarcasm in a text message or an email? If winky emoticons aren't your thing, try left-leaning italics, as recommended by sartalics.com.http://bit.ly/reQ86lThe Arabic idiom in the apricot season translates to "in your dreams," presumably because the growing season for this fruit is so brief. Incidentally, the etymological root of "apricot," which means "to ripen early," is shared with the word precocious.The Egyptian Arabic saying, ate the camel and all it carried, is the equivalent of "to eat someone out of house and home."--A Way with Words is funded by its listeners: http://waywordradio.org/donateGet your language question answered on the air! Call or write with your questions at any time:Email: words@waywordradio.orgPhone: United States and Canada toll-free (877) WAY-WORD/(877) 929-9673London +44 20 7193 2113Mexico City +52 55 8421 9771Donate: http://waywordradio.org/donateSite: http://waywordradio.org/Podcast: http://waywordradio.org/podcast/Forums: http://waywordradio.org/discussion/Newsletter: http://waywordradio.org/newsletter/Twitter: http://twitter.com/wayword/Skype: skype://waywordradio Copyright 2011, Wayword LLC.