iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Dr Danny Bate @dannybate.com · 28/09/2026

You can still hear me talking about Wenceslaus on Prague's central Wenceslas Square, which is extremely Wenceslaus-y of me, but not as much as seeing his skull today.

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Dr Danny Bate @dannybate.com · 28/09/2026

And now, greetings from the basilica in Stará Boleslav, where they're queuing out the door to see the richly adorned skull of sainted Wencelaus, closely supervised by religious knights and castle guards. I tell you, the Czechs are so bad at the whole atheism thing.

Interior of a Baroque church with a high, white ceiling, with a queue of people heading towards a crypt

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Dr Danny Bate @dannybate.com · 23/09/2026

Okay, a niche and minor win, but I'm thrilled to have spotted something on a rewatch of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, the great 1979 TV series. Glasgow doubles up as Brno in most scenes, but they must've also got some shots of the actual border crossing towards Brno, because that is Mikulov Castle.

Screenshot of a TV scene with an empty road heading towards a distant castle

Screenshot of Google Streetview and the road towards Mikulov

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Dr Danny Bate @dannybate.com · 17/09/2026

Perugia's Etruscan well is at least well signposted and publicised, unlike the serene circular church of St Michael from the *5th or 6th century AD*. The Italians have this stuff from antiquity just lying around, it's annoying and frankly rude of them not to share

Exterior of a round church in a small green park

Interior of a round church, with columns surrounding the central space and its altar

A Roman altar reused in a Catholic church

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Dr Danny Bate @dannybate.com · 17/09/2026

Worth mentioning that the well isn't hidden, but rather emerges onto the busy piazza above! The small early-modern wellcurb does at least disguise the grandeur of the structure below... maps.app.goo.gl/DtSEhEiZZRDD...

Interior of a large stone well, looking up to a patch of sunlight

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Dr Danny Bate @dannybate.com · 17/09/2026

Greetings from inside Perugia's vast 3rd-century BC Etruscan well – called a pozzo in Italian, from puteus in Latin. Puteus passed at an early point into the emerging Germanic languges, becoming pytt in Old English, which gives us the word 'pit' today.

The interior of a large and deep stone well, with a short glass bridge across it

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Dr Danny Bate @dannybate.com · 12/09/2026

Where better to contemplate mortality and turn 30 years old than Pompeii?

Me, standing in front of a Pompeian wall, with red Latin lettering

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Dr Danny Bate @dannybate.com · 09/09/2026

Meanwhile, I'll be documenting my travels via my Instagram story, featuring expert historical insights like so:

A statue of Girolamo Savonarola in Ferrara, accompanied by my description "15th-century reformer, radical ruler of Florence, absolute fun-sponge"

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Dr Danny Bate @dannybate.com · 01/09/2026

I write þe character among þe options behind T on my phone's keyboard:

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Dr Danny Bate @dannybate.com · 24/08/2026

I've also made a video commemorating the date for the folks over on Instagram, because that's who I am nowadays. Filming myself and editing the video triggers all my insecurities one by one, so if they don't like it, I will cry.

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Dr Danny Bate @dannybate.com · 24/08/2026

On this day in antiquity: the final known text in Egyptian hieroglyphs is written down. These two texts from Roman Egypt, written in hieroglyphs and Demotic on the Nile island of Philae, are short, but they nonetheless give us their author's name and their date of creation: August 24th 394 AD.

A crude drawing of the god Mandulis from Hadrian's Gate at Philae, accompanied by a hieroglyphic inscription (above right) and a demotic inscription (lower right)

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Dr Danny Bate @dannybate.com · 14/08/2026

Former dual pronoun seen (and heard) in the wild: "enk" in a remote Alpine restaurant. It greets a plural 'you' on this menu, but was originally a dual pronoun for 'you two', cognate with English's lost pronoun inc.

A closed menu on a table with the text "griaß enk auf da Alm"

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Dr Danny Bate @dannybate.com · 04/08/2026

Reading Peter Roach's 'English Phonetics and Phonology', I was charmed by this table of possible tri-consonant combinations at the start of English syllables – specifically, by its gaps. Surely poets and wordsmiths have a duty to fill in the gaps by creating words starting stl-, spw- and stw-.

Photo of a page, with a table listing English consonants and words that combine three of them at the start, e.g. 'splay'

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Dr Danny Bate @dannybate.com · 24/07/2026

The dauntedness derives in part from the mass of relevant literature on Homer, and partly from a difficulty in keeping track of chronology – much like watching some Christopher Nolan films. The feeling was validated by an insightful (and damning?) comment that arrived shortly after posting:

Comment:
"That's a novel way to look at the two epics, which I found interesting. However, my view would be that, as Homer was finalising the form of the two epics at around 800BC, he was completing an oral tradition of probably a couple of centuries prior. So the long line of bards that collectively composed the two epics would have done so before the establishment of the alphabet, and would themselves have lived in times when the Greeks didn't have writing.
As for the earlier Linear B tablets, is it not possible that they hadn't discovered any? We didn't know about their existence until they were unearthed from ruins, ancient Greeks didn't mention them.
And besides, if only the palace scribes could write and read the Linear B symbols, it is fair to assume that kings and leaders of the greek armies didn't know how to write their names, only draw their own symbols.
And even if Homer and the other epic poets were aware of the newly introduced alphabet, how many people in their audience would be familiar with this new writing system that some greeks somewhere came up with? It was probably not yet part of the everyday life so as to resonate with people, and not so fancy sounding as "quantum" is for today's movies.”

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Dr Danny Bate @dannybate.com · 23/07/2026

Now back from a few days in lovely Lübeck, the Hanseatic city that perfected beauty out of brick. There I got asked whether the Czech for 'brick', cihla, is connected to the German, Ziegel. The Czech was indeed an early acquisition from High German. Its Old English cousin is tigele – today, 'tile'.

The front of the medieval Hospital of the Holy Spirit in Lübeck, built from brick, with ornate towers

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Dr Danny Bate @dannybate.com · 22/07/2026

Thanks to Hippocrates, Galen and other leading lights, medicine in the Roman Empire was closely associated with Greek culture and language, even across the Latin-dominated west. Through this, we have this lovely altar dedication by the doctor Antiochos, written entirely in Greek, dug up in Chester!

A Roman stone altar with a Greek inscription (RIB 3151), image from the RIB website: https://romaninscriptionsofbritain.org/inscriptions/3151

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Dr Danny Bate @dannybate.com · 17/07/2026

Yes, I do a lot of interviews, and yes, I listen back to most of them. Partly for self-criticism and self-improvement, partly for ego.

The 'Skinner meme' from Hot Fuzz, showing a character smiling just like his official portrait behind him

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Dr Danny Bate @dannybate.com · 15/07/2026

I've had my fun with 'Why Q Needs U'. Now for another kind of fun, writing its sibling.

A screenshot of scratched-out fake titles for a second book by me, from 'Why Q Needs U 2' to 'Schwa-shank Redemption'

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Dr Danny Bate @dannybate.com · 13/07/2026

Outside of Roman histories, the great Carthaginian general Hannibal makes a surprise appearance in an Etruscan tomb. This epitaph from the 2nd century BC (for a man who lived to 106!) mentions "hanipaluscle" at the end. Yet, being in Etruscan, we're not sure what this man did for/against Hannibal!

Transcription of an Etruscan epitaph, four lines of black text, written from right to left, taken from Wikimedia Commons

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Dr Danny Bate @dannybate.com · 27/06/2026

Greetings from the Chalke History Festival, where this morning I put on a performance like never before and then signed and sold all stocked copies of my book. Perhaps I was only so on form because I'd spent the previous half hour chatting with the (eighth) Doctor.

Me, standing outside a large tent, talking to Paul McGann, seated

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Dr Danny Bate @dannybate.com · 24/06/2026

Friends and linguonerds in the Cambridge/west Essex area: I'm en route to the unfairly gorgeous town of Saffron Walden, there to be in conversation at Hart's Books this evening. Maybe see you there? The event will offer: - linguistics - jokes - cold drinks - air-conditioning - shelter from the sun

A screenshot of an advert for an author talk with me at Hart's Books, with the date, time, ticket price and method of booking

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Dr Danny Bate @dannybate.com · 22/06/2026

Noticed on this 17th-century map the spelling "mershe" for 'marsh' – this is the older spelling, before the 'ER > AR' sound change that affected 'starboard', 'darling' and the pronunciation of 'sergeant' too. The change obscures the etymology of 'marsh': as literally 'mere-ish', a lake-like thing.

Close-up of a map showing part of Norfolk, labelled "Mersheland"

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Dr Danny Bate @dannybate.com · 15/06/2026

Six visits to Český Krumlov now, and six times that I’ve taken a photo of the same C16th memorial (left), thinking I could post/write about it. It’s an early witness to the typically Bohemian ‘ej’ sound (“VROZENEY”, “SLATINSKEY”), and as such is featured on the Wiki article for the Czech language.

Three stone memorials, with texts in Czech or German, two with human figures, built into a white wall

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Dr Danny Bate @dannybate.com · 07/06/2026

Having just picked up a 2kg punnet of strawberries for only 230 crowns, I find myself wondering about the word 'punnet' – where it comes from (possibly related to 'pound'), and whether anything else but strawberries gets put in a punnet.

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Dr Danny Bate @dannybate.com · 30/05/2026

Today I got the chance to say "ďakujem, že ste prišli na môj Ted Talk" ('thank you for coming to my Ted Talk')

Me, on stage in front of a colourful painting, speaking at the Tedx Bratislava event

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Dr Danny Bate @dannybate.com · 28/05/2026

Working section titles: (Eagle-eyed readers will spot which history festival it is)

Screenshot of a presentation structure, with the ordered sections:
Prologue: Prehistory
C: Ye Actually Olde Englishe
H: 1066 and All That
A: Stuck in the Middle in Yogh
L: The Very Model of a Modern English
K: When English Met the World
E: English Today and Tomorrow

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Dr Danny Bate @dannybate.com · 19/05/2026

My interest is most piqued by Oscan's use of double letters for long vowels, here in "aamanaffed" (third line, maybe meaning 'ordered'). English has made use of this technique (e.g. 'meet', 'moon'), and it was an option for the Romans too – see Latin "naatam" around the corner in the same gallery.

A Roman tombstone, with two carved figures in the centre and Latin verse on either side

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Dr Danny Bate @dannybate.com · 19/05/2026

First visit to the British Museum for me in ten years, and now of course I'm most interested in its samples of the ancient alphabet, like this lovely text from Pompeii in the Oscan language. It's a product of a Pompeii's pre-Roman and pre-Latin days – its very name coming from the Oscan for 'five'.

A white flat stone with four lines of red lettering in the Oscan alphabet

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Dr Danny Bate @dannybate.com · 08/05/2026

Wow!! I can confirm, and I'm impressed. Was it simply memory recall on your part?

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Dr Danny Bate @dannybate.com · 02/05/2026

A nice historical detail at the Pilsner Urquell brewery: the signature of Franz Joseph I in the visitors' book, with a visible correction halfway through – the emperor remembering that he's also King of Bohemia, and currently in Bohemia, so he ought to write the Czech version 'František Josef'.

A single ink signature on a white page, with one T in thicker writing

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Dr Danny Bate @dannybate.com · 30/04/2026

Yours truly has been in deepest Moravia, sampling local wines and morphology, and straying into Austria – the country that appears to be shocked when people approach its border.

An Austrian stone border post, with a capital Ö for Österreich

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Dr Danny Bate @dannybate.com · 28/04/2026

Can't believe I now get to reshare this 'meme' that I made for this purpose on ye olde Twittere back in 2020

A play on Mitchell and Webb's Numberwang, with the host of the fictional gameshow enthusiastically shouting "That's Neorxnawang'"

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Dr Danny Bate @dannybate.com · 22/04/2026

Yours truly is the guest on the latest episode of the Time Team podcast. A subset of British Millennials will understand the feelings evoked by that old theme music, followed by my voice.

A screenshot of a Time Team podcast episode on Apple: "the archaeology of language"

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Dr Danny Bate @dannybate.com · 24/03/2026

American friends, lend me your eyes: 'Why Q Needs U' is due for US release later this year, available in all good bookshops. Barnes & Noble are including in their preorder offer for three days, and preorders can *really* make a difference to a book's fortunes. www.barnesandnoble.com/w/why-q-need...

A poster for Barnes & Noble Premium and Rewards members, offering them 25% off for upcoming releases through the code PREORDER25

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Dr Danny Bate @dannybate.com · 18/03/2026

Series 3 of ALILI ends with this smashing episode about Chitimacha, an indigenous language of Louisiana! My guest @linguisticdiscovery.com and I discuss the language's history, revitalisation, grammar, and even the part it's played in the story of linguistics. Listen here: pod.link/1703401848/e...

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Dr Danny Bate @dannybate.com · 10/03/2026

This is as close as I could get on Sunday to the lonely ruins of Ostrov Monastery, on its island in the Vltava. The monastery was active between the 10th and 16th centuries, and in the 13th century produced the Ostrov Song – among the oldest texts in Czech, and likely the oldest spiritual writing.

An island in the middle distance, viewed from higher up, covered in trees and the low-lying ruins of a monastery

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Dr Danny Bate @dannybate.com · 04/03/2026

In ancient southern Italy, there was a settlement known as something like Malies in the local Oscan language, rendered in Greek as Malioenton. This became Maleventum to the Romans, but that by accident sounded unlucky (like 'evil-wind'). So, it got renamed Beneventum – today, the city of Benevento.

A bronze coin from Roman-era Beneventum, with Apollo's head and the text "Benven-tod" on one side, from the Classical Numismatic Group

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Dr Danny Bate @dannybate.com · 16/02/2026

If you're wondering why there would be Czechs speaking German in northern Italy, bear in mind: the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

A meme about languages in the Austro-Hungarian army, based on the film Hot Fuzz, in which a police officer needs two intermediary officers to translate for a civilian

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Dr Danny Bate @dannybate.com · 11/02/2026

With a long train journey now ahead of me, I have time to come to turns with three facts: a) that yesterday I was interviewed in Oxford by Susie Dent, b) that she is a supremely lovely person, and c) that she said some very complimentary things about my book.

Me and Susie Dent, standing behind a table and smiling for the camera

Me, signing books while seated at a table

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Dr Danny Bate @dannybate.com · 09/02/2026

Budapest was created out of the cities of Buda and Pest (and the oft-forgotten Óbuda). The place-name Pest likely comes from a Slavic word meaning 'oven, furnace' – compare Slovak pec. I find it strange that one of the cities had the alternative German name Ofen (literally 'oven'), but it was Buda!

A 17th-century map of Buda and Pest in German

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Dr Danny Bate @dannybate.com · 08/02/2026

SOLD OUT! is an example of an English phrasal verb written in capital letters, both of which are concepts that could well crop up in an upcoming public conversation between me and Susie Dent, for which a few tickets are still available. www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/danny-bate...

An advert for a book event involving me and Susie Dent, hosted by Blackwell's bookshop in Oxford

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Dr Danny Bate @dannybate.com · 07/02/2026

A first for me today: godfather at a ship baptism (baptising a child of a member of a ship's crew with the ship's bell).

An upside-down brass bell, held by a priest

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Dr Danny Bate @dannybate.com · 03/02/2026

My review of the new book 'Runes: A Concise History' is out in the latest edition of the @historytoday.com magazine! The review in brief: runes are great, so is this book, and it does a good job separating runic fact from runic fiction.

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Dr Danny Bate @dannybate.com · 01/02/2026

Dia daoibh, language lovers! In time for St Brigid's Day, there's a new episode of ALILI, all about Modern Irish! The language was the choice of Liam Ó Duibhiolla, an enthusiastic, eloquent expert and the founder of the 'Learn Irish Online' platform. Listen to it here: pod.link/1703401848/e...

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Dr Danny Bate @dannybate.com · 26/01/2026

This free talk about public linguistics and books is still on for tomorrow (sign up at the link), although @yvanspijk.bsky.social has had to drop out on account of being too successful. But fear not: Daniel Hieber of @linguisticdiscovery.com fame has gallantly stepped up to be the fourth speaker!

Poster for a talk entitled "An Author's Guide to: Public Linguistics and Publishing Books" with information and pictures of the four speakers

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Dr Danny Bate @dannybate.com · 24/01/2026

In addition to the standard word Uhu, German names for the Eurasian eagle-owl have included Schuhu, Huhu and Buhu, and I'll be damned if there are better owl names out there.

Screenshot of the etymology of the German word Uhu on the Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache website

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Dr Danny Bate @dannybate.com · 20/01/2026

Mē and mec are variants of accusative 'me' in Old English. Mē is typical of Wessex texts, and mec of Mercian ones (with a final consonant that's still there in German mich). Yet the Alfred Jewel text ('Alfred ordered me made') uses "mec" – evidence perhaps of Mercians working for the Wessex king.

A side view of the golden Alfred Jewel, with a text around the side that begins "Ælfred mec..."

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Dr Danny Bate @dannybate.com · 19/01/2026

Readers of Why Q Needs U will know that in the book, as in life, Silver had the final word.

The final page of a book, with the final line "These acknowledgements were written with tearfully fond memories of our Silver, a prince among cats"

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