Jenneke van der Wal
@jennekevanderwal.bsky.social
Linguist in Leiden, with a passion for African languages.
If you don’t know, then who knows in your language?
For Dutch, we say ‘Joost mag het weten’ (Joost may know it), where Makhuwa says ‘Nluku tantsuwela’ (God is the one who knows).
What do you say?
For Dutch, we say ‘Joost mag het weten’ (Joost may know it), where Makhuwa says ‘Nluku tantsuwela’ (God is the one who knows).
What do you say?
November 24, 2025 at 2:01 PM
If you don’t know, then who knows in your language?
For Dutch, we say ‘Joost mag het weten’ (Joost may know it), where Makhuwa says ‘Nluku tantsuwela’ (God is the one who knows).
What do you say?
For Dutch, we say ‘Joost mag het weten’ (Joost may know it), where Makhuwa says ‘Nluku tantsuwela’ (God is the one who knows).
What do you say?
Outside is rain; inside is rereading Evans & Levinson 2009 with the necessary warmth and pepernoten ☕️
November 19, 2025 at 2:33 PM
Outside is rain; inside is rereading Evans & Levinson 2009 with the necessary warmth and pepernoten ☕️
Fascinating language fact #6:
The Nigerian language Maaka has at least 11 ways to indicate the knowledge of the speaker and hearer! One of these is the suffix -mú, and it indicates that the speaker is a witness and has certainty, according to Storch & Coly (2014):
The Nigerian language Maaka has at least 11 ways to indicate the knowledge of the speaker and hearer! One of these is the suffix -mú, and it indicates that the speaker is a witness and has certainty, according to Storch & Coly (2014):
November 18, 2025 at 5:10 PM
Fascinating language fact #6:
The Nigerian language Maaka has at least 11 ways to indicate the knowledge of the speaker and hearer! One of these is the suffix -mú, and it indicates that the speaker is a witness and has certainty, according to Storch & Coly (2014):
The Nigerian language Maaka has at least 11 ways to indicate the knowledge of the speaker and hearer! One of these is the suffix -mú, and it indicates that the speaker is a witness and has certainty, according to Storch & Coly (2014):
Now what if you want to count them? You cannot say ‘one hair’ - you have to indicate the sort: is this a hair that is attached to the head? Then you say ‘one *stem* of hair’. If it’s a loose hair, you say ‘one *branch* of hair:
November 12, 2025 at 1:13 PM
Now what if you want to count them? You cannot say ‘one hair’ - you have to indicate the sort: is this a hair that is attached to the head? Then you say ‘one *stem* of hair’. If it’s a loose hair, you say ‘one *branch* of hair:
Fascinating language fact #5: Angitso & Kießling (2024) show how Tiv (Cameroon) and Ugare (Nigeria) divide nouns into noun classes, like French has masculine (le) and feminine (la) nouns - only Tiv has 12 such classes and Ugare 8! They are visible in prefixes, e.g. i- vs a- (🧵1/5)
November 12, 2025 at 1:13 PM
Fascinating language fact #5: Angitso & Kießling (2024) show how Tiv (Cameroon) and Ugare (Nigeria) divide nouns into noun classes, like French has masculine (le) and feminine (la) nouns - only Tiv has 12 such classes and Ugare 8! They are visible in prefixes, e.g. i- vs a- (🧵1/5)
I offer you the turkeytail mushrooms in our back garden
November 10, 2025 at 2:17 PM
I offer you the turkeytail mushrooms in our back garden
In between the politics and doom on your timeline, here is a cheeky bat carved into a pumpkin
October 30, 2025 at 10:25 PM
In between the politics and doom on your timeline, here is a cheeky bat carved into a pumpkin
Look it’s published! 😍
Thank you to the three editors and my co-authors, and now it’s there for all of you (and your students) to read up about comparative syntax 🤓 📖
Thank you to the three editors and my co-authors, and now it’s there for all of you (and your students) to read up about comparative syntax 🤓 📖
October 14, 2025 at 5:14 PM
Look it’s published! 😍
Thank you to the three editors and my co-authors, and now it’s there for all of you (and your students) to read up about comparative syntax 🤓 📖
Thank you to the three editors and my co-authors, and now it’s there for all of you (and your students) to read up about comparative syntax 🤓 📖
Harald Hammarstrom gives a talk about measuring grammars at #LUCL! Which percentage of the 7500 languages in the world (according to Glottolog) has at least a grammar sketch, do you think? And which source/reference is mentioned in most of them?
@lucl-leiden.bsky.social
@lucl-leiden.bsky.social
October 14, 2025 at 2:54 PM
Harald Hammarstrom gives a talk about measuring grammars at #LUCL! Which percentage of the 7500 languages in the world (according to Glottolog) has at least a grammar sketch, do you think? And which source/reference is mentioned in most of them?
@lucl-leiden.bsky.social
@lucl-leiden.bsky.social
Eentje! En ze gaf eerst les op mijn middelbare school in Zwolle (hoewel we een jaar overlapten en ze niet mijn docent was) en we zijn nu bij dezelfde kerk en wonen beiden in Oegstgeest!
October 13, 2025 at 12:29 PM
Eentje! En ze gaf eerst les op mijn middelbare school in Zwolle (hoewel we een jaar overlapten en ze niet mijn docent was) en we zijn nu bij dezelfde kerk en wonen beiden in Oegstgeest!
Ah bad old Covid, still doing the rounds… 🦠
October 10, 2025 at 8:14 PM
Ah bad old Covid, still doing the rounds… 🦠
Ga je mee 27 oktober? 🟥 Dit is je kans als je denkt ‘kon ik maar wat doen!’
October 7, 2025 at 11:24 AM
Ga je mee 27 oktober? 🟥 Dit is je kans als je denkt ‘kon ik maar wat doen!’
Een kwart miljoen mensen hier - dat is 5 zetels, beste politici! Wij trekken een rode lijn tegen Israël’s geweld 🚩#rodelijn
October 5, 2025 at 1:39 PM
Een kwart miljoen mensen hier - dat is 5 zetels, beste politici! Wij trekken een rode lijn tegen Israël’s geweld 🚩#rodelijn
Fascinating language fact of the day #4: speakers of Kîîtharaka call themselves Atharaka, while speakers of neighbouring Gĩkũyũ are Agĩkũyũ, not Akũyũ.
How come?
(Ethnologue map shows both languages in Kenya)
How come?
(Ethnologue map shows both languages in Kenya)
October 4, 2025 at 6:52 AM
Fascinating language fact of the day #4: speakers of Kîîtharaka call themselves Atharaka, while speakers of neighbouring Gĩkũyũ are Agĩkũyũ, not Akũyũ.
How come?
(Ethnologue map shows both languages in Kenya)
How come?
(Ethnologue map shows both languages in Kenya)
🍰 Hoe was die uitdrukking ook weer? 😆🤔
October 1, 2025 at 6:00 PM
🍰 Hoe was die uitdrukking ook weer? 😆🤔
But other than seeing speakers, she uses rag (for non-visual perception) with experiences like climbing rocks. This can be analysed as less immediate perception.
October 1, 2025 at 9:25 AM
But other than seeing speakers, she uses rag (for non-visual perception) with experiences like climbing rocks. This can be analysed as less immediate perception.
Bettina Zeissler (2023) reports on a blind Ladakhi speaker’s use of these markers. The speaker uses ‘dug when she has immediate and close perception, like when touching a cat:
October 1, 2025 at 9:25 AM
Bettina Zeissler (2023) reports on a blind Ladakhi speaker’s use of these markers. The speaker uses ‘dug when she has immediate and close perception, like when touching a cat:
Ah, beautiful Leiden!
September 29, 2025 at 7:21 AM
Ah, beautiful Leiden!
African language puzzle escape room, happening right now in Leiden! 🤩
September 26, 2025 at 5:31 PM
African language puzzle escape room, happening right now in Leiden! 🤩
🙈 I guess it’s time for a break from reviewing…
September 26, 2025 at 12:35 PM
🙈 I guess it’s time for a break from reviewing…
Proof I’m in Utrecht 😉
September 25, 2025 at 1:18 PM
Proof I’m in Utrecht 😉
Our neighbours let us share in their harvest 😊
September 21, 2025 at 2:21 PM
Our neighbours let us share in their harvest 😊
☝️Interestingly, when ‘par’ is used in the present tense with a first person, it functions as a reminder to the listener: ‘you should know this!’
September 19, 2025 at 11:28 AM
☝️Interestingly, when ‘par’ is used in the present tense with a first person, it functions as a reminder to the listener: ‘you should know this!’
My fascinating fact of the day, learned from Madeline Bossi’s 2023 thesis:
Kipsigis distinguishes two verbs ‘to think’. One (pwaat) says ‘you think this and it may or may not be true’ and the other (par) says ‘you think this, but I know it’s not true!’
Kipsigis distinguishes two verbs ‘to think’. One (pwaat) says ‘you think this and it may or may not be true’ and the other (par) says ‘you think this, but I know it’s not true!’
September 19, 2025 at 11:28 AM
My fascinating fact of the day, learned from Madeline Bossi’s 2023 thesis:
Kipsigis distinguishes two verbs ‘to think’. One (pwaat) says ‘you think this and it may or may not be true’ and the other (par) says ‘you think this, but I know it’s not true!’
Kipsigis distinguishes two verbs ‘to think’. One (pwaat) says ‘you think this and it may or may not be true’ and the other (par) says ‘you think this, but I know it’s not true!’