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Philological Essayist

@pessayist.bsky.social
855 followers 1.3K following 1.7K posts

The site I share translations and thoughts of philological interest on: philologicaltryouts.substack.com. Enjoys dabbling in Literary Chinese, Semitic Studies, Sanskrit, Pāli, Polemical Texts, and other stuff. Trying to discover Albanian & Burmese

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Zeta Of 1 @zetaof1.bsky.social · 8h
Ceterum censeo Parteiverbotsverfahren necesse est.
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Adam Bremer-McCollum @acbm.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
John 9:6-7 — w/ spitting, mud-making, & washing — in Syriac in the Old Syriac (Sin) version in three scripts (part of a reading exercise in my grammar) (There's not much Bible in my grammar beyond this 😉)
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Anna Belew @nabelew.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Ah, we're back to "the U.S. linguistic security apparatus must revitalize endangered regional language isolates as a layered security measure" well boys let's revitalize all the languages we tried to eradicate so that they can advance our efforts to eradicate OTHER people
smallwarsjournal.com
Centauri, High Valyrian, and Klingon: Why Advanced Encryption Standards Cannot Replace Low-Density Human Dialects
The U.S. linguistic security apparatus must revitalize endangered regional language isolates as a layered security measure.
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Gorgias Press @gorgiaspress.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
🚨🚨🚨 PHISHING ALERT (Scam email title: Document Desk 901842)! The Gorgias Press Helpdesk email has been used in another phishing attempt. Please do not open any links or attachments in unexpected emails. Don't hesitate to get in touch if you have any concerns. #PhishingAlert
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Unseen Japan @unseenjapan.com · 01/10/2026
Japanese wholesalers once told Norway's salmon marketers that Japanese people didn't eat salmon raw. Norway exported only about two tons of salmon to Japan in 1980. By 2025, that number had shot up to roughly 29,000 tons.
unseen-japan.com
Shake (鮭) vs. Salmon (サーモン): How Norwegian Salmon Became a Sushi Staple in Japan
Curious why there are two names for salmon in Japanese? There's an interesting historical (and scientific!) reason behind that.
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Center for European Policy Analysis @cepa.org · 01/10/2026
FSB Focuses Crosshairs on Russian Exiles | "The Kremlin’s campaign to harass, intimidate, and murder opponents takes another major step back to the days of Stalin." @andreisoldatov.bsky.social and Irina Borogan cepa.org/article/fsb-focuses-crossh…
cepa.org
FSB Focuses Crosshairs on Russian Exiles
The Kremlin’s campaign to harass, intimidate and murder opponents and exiles takes another major step back to the days of Stalin.
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TeTra | Text and Transmission Research Seminar @tetraseminar.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Tomorrow!
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Nick Brumfield @nickjbrumfield.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Seriously just enforce normal liability for AI on the owners and so much of this shit goes away AI companies want to be treated like the hired expert when it comes to pocketing any financial flows, but like a cursory Google Search whenever it comes to liability
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alexei l. batishchev @alexeibat.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
russian phrase of the day: “рожай!” as in imperative of “give birth!” meaning “get to the point already” or “make a decision!” 🧑‍🍼
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Matt Simpson @brickie78.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
There's a map issued to Polish airmen in WW2 that has all the place names spelled phonetically because they were being given directions in English by ground control.
A map of a part of Kent & Sussex with placenames spelled phonetically for Polish speakers. Too many to list, but highlights include Heistynz (Hastings), Istbon (Eastbourne) and the magnificent Tanbrydż-Łelz (Tunbridge Wells)
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Gregory Adam Scott 史瑞骼💀 @sudasana.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
I don't know if 🇹🇼 and 🇨🇳 have ever been side by side on a battlefield prior to this
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Dr. Nick Posegay @nposegay.northsky.social · 29/09/2026
10/17/23 is specifically the date of the al-Ahli hospital bombing when the IDF killed upwards of 500 Palestinian civilians. Western media collectively agreed that it was prudent to cast doubt on the reported casualty figures, so "Hamas-run ministry of health" became a thing.
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Katharine Khamhaengwong @katharinegk.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
between the not being able to read, the increasing homophobia, and now this, seems like the dutch youth are thriving
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Kevin Kasch (他妈/他妈的) @tenletters.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Chinese no-budget mother/son animated object-of-ridicule turned very-profitable viral cult-sensation #牛来 / #NiuLai won't get a US release, but those near LAX who want to see it w/ an audience take note: it is being screened free at Clifton's in #DTLA this Sunday/4th. Likely to exceed capacity; RSVP:
partiful.com
Chinese Cow Movie 🐄 Free Screening (Shitty movie club #218) | Partiful
HOSTED BY SHITTY MOVIE CLUB. Since 2019 we've been finding the strangest movies out there and hosting community screenings with a room full of strangers that leave as friends. Instagram: @shittymovie...
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Greg Given @greggiven.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Out today in open access: /Philology in Europe Before and After 1800: Change and Continuity/, ed. Laura Loporcaro and Paul Michael Kurtz. (To which I was honored to add an afterword!)
taylorfrancis.com
Philology in Europe before and after 1800 | Change and Continuity | La
Philology in Europe before and after 1800 investigates a period often regarded as a watershed moment in the history of the humanities. Since the nineteenth
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Joumana Medlej @majnouna.com · 28/09/2026
Wow, that's amazing in the worst possible way.
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kazuhiro hokkaidonis @kzhr.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
libri.unimi.it/index.php/mi...
libri.unimi.it
Diplomatics: the science of reading medieval documents. A Handbook | Milano University Press
Diplomatics is the science of studying documents, especially medieval documents. “Diplomatics” has nothing to do with diplomacy: the word comes from “diploma”, meaning a certified, juridical written text. The objects of study for the discipline are: public and private documents, their external and internal characteristics, language, chronology, production, transmission, registration, modern editions. This handbook fills a significant gap in Diplomatic studies because it finally provides the English-speaking public with an opportunity to learn about the fascinating world of medieval documentation.
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Ed Zitron @edzitron.com · 28/09/2026
The greatest secret in finance is that nobody knows what they’re investing in and another is that a lot of the “very smart people” with “lots of data” base their powerful “financial models” based on extremely simplistic scenarios, many of them as obvious as “growth continues as it always has”
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Laine Nooney @ 🔥🗑️🔥 @lainenooney.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
the free market is an efficient distributor of talent and quality 🥴
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András Forgács W @andraswf.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Nazis don't want you to remember their crimes
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Twlldun @twlldun.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
As a belated aside here, which I haven’t seen mentioned, but Suella’s “I’m not English, I’m British” shtick is predicated upon and presupposes the continued existence of an entity known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and I’m not sure I would be putting all my eggs there
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Sāmapriyavasuḣ @avzaagzonunaada.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
The spread & subsequent diversification of Latin under the Roman empire is very similar to that of Mongol under the Mongolian empire. And there are no doubt other similar cases around the world (Tibetan & Arabic come to mind). One major parallel between Latin & Mongol, though, is that they both ...
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Alex von Tunzelmann @alexvont.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Sing if you’re glad to be an exquisite intellectual who revels in delusions of personal superiority
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Pavel @spavel.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Oh shit is this why the USSR, was extremely into phys ed to a neurotic degree
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Yossi Bartal @yossibartal.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Es kursiert derzeit online auf Hebräisch ein eindeutiger Aufruf zur Gewalt gegen jüdische Berliner, die den Brief zur Unterstützung von Elif und der Linkspartei unterzeichnet haben; einige bekommen auch Hassnachrichten. Solche konkreten Drohungen erlebe ich in diesem Zusammenhang zum ersten Mal.
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Daniel Bellingradt @dbellingradt.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Are you aware that the AI-generated online encyclopedia #Grokipedia is creating and publishing entries on academics and their work? I recently found my entry, and some is correct, some is wrong, and all of this is collected from various websites only. #academicchatter grokipedia.com/page/Daniel_...
grokipedia.com
Daniel Bellingradt — Grokipedia
Daniel Bellingradt is a German historian and communication scholar known for his research on early modern media history, book history, paper markets, and the materiality of communication flows. He spe
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elisa freschi @elisafreschi.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Can we stop talking about the "Western model of X" (moral responsibility/belief in the self/any other philosophical theory)? There is no uniform "East" nor any uniform "West".
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Sheila Sitalsing @sheilas.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Lieve schrijvers en journalisten, kom in verzet tegen de proleten van AI. Vecht mee tegen de diefstal van onze ziel, tegen het machtsmisbruik en hun grote blender waarin ze alles wat mooi is pureren tot middelmatige shit. Teken en kom de 29ste naar Facebook, met of zonder bril opstand.ai#meedoen
opstand.ai
Stop het misbruik van onze teksten door big tech!
AI-bedrijven gaan massaal aan de haal met creatief werk. De teksten van schrijvers, journalisten en vertalers worden gebruikt voor het trainen van AI-taalmodellen. Zonder voldoende transparantie over ...
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Steffen Hope @hopesteffen.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Generative AI is a homogenising technology, which is also one reason why it is particularly beloved by authoritarians. Resisting homogenisation of one's own voice is crucial to creating the kind of variety that keeps society healthy. To do this, we must resist generative AI. Fin.
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𝕋𝕙𝕖 ℍ𝕚𝕤𝕥🎃𝕣𝕪 𝕠𝕗 ℂ𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕒 ℙ💀𝕕𝕔𝕒𝕤𝕥 @thoc.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
無為 Do nothing. Win.
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Adam Bremer-McCollum @acbm.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Thanks to my baritone-sax-playing friend, Tim, for introducing me to John Coltrane's music in ninth grade. /Giant Steps/ was the first thing I got into. Today's Coltrane's birthday. If the spirit moves you, devote some of your listening to him today (& tomorrow). en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Co...
The label for John Coltrane's album, /Giant Steps/, side 1Text from the inside of John Coltrane's /Giant Steps/:
DEAR LISTENER:
ALL PRAISE BE TO GOD TO WHOM ALL PRAISE IS DUE.
Let us pursue Him in the righteous path. Yes it is true; "seek and ye shall find". Only through Him can we know the most wondrous bequeathal.
During the year 1957, I experienced, by the grace of God, a spiritual awakening which was to lead me to a richer, fuller, more productive life. At that time, in gratitude, I humbly asked to be given the means and privilege to make others happy through music. I feel this has been granted through His grace. ALL PRAISE TO GOD.
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Nathan Goldwag @goldwagnathan.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
This was the Salem Lutheran Church until it was sold to the Eastern Buddhist Association in 2019, as I think you can tell from the renovations. :)
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Lameen Souag @lameensouag.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
A nice sketch of Hadza, a isolated language with clicks spoken in northern Tanzania journals.flvc.org/sal/article/...
journals.flvc.org
A sketch of Hadza grammar | Studies in African Linguistics
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Dr. Valerie @drvalerieisin.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
If you’ve been studying Ancient Greek on your own for a while and you’d appreciate this accountability of a group class, we’re offering a grammar class as well as a reading class this fall. Learn more + sign up at the link in my pinned post/bio!
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Joseph Cox @josephcox.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
New: OpenAI has thousands of contractors improving its AI, including reading ChatGPT users' prompts We've found many of those contractors have been fired for themselves using AI to train the AI. People using AI "all the time and people are let go for it all the time" www.404media.co/people-train...
404media.co
People Training OpenAI’s AI Fired for Using AI to Train the AI
OpenAI has thousands and thousands of contractors helping improve the company's AI models. Multiple contractors have been fired for using AI to train the AI.
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Philological Essayist @pessayist.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
It has been a while since I last did an album recommendation. This one is lovely: UK Neo-Folk from the band Spirogyra (not to be confused with the US Jazz-band Spyro Gyra, though that one is also without any trace of Ed Sheeran, I am happy to report). www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTtN...
youtube.com
Spirogyra (1973) Bells Boots & Shambles [Full Album]
YouTube video by musick2138
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Philological Essayist @pessayist.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Just a message within a nice thread/convo amongst people within the "BSky Sinosphere" about Chinese grammar and, if that does not make that language hard, then what does?
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𝕋𝕙𝕖 ℍ𝕚𝕤𝕥🎃𝕣𝕪 𝕠𝕗 ℂ𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕒 ℙ💀𝕕𝕔𝕒𝕤𝕥 @thoc.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Ironically, one of the reasons I switched from French to Mandarin in college was I was sick of the conjugations. Chinese is - grammatically - so much easier. All the *other* parts of the language? Well...
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Lydia Bremer-McCollum @lcbmphd.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Bible teaching folk: what resource suggestions do y'all have for students who are struggling with theological discomfort stemming from class content (first introduction to critical biblical studies, feminist/queer interpretation, and queer eros and the bible).
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CedarBough T. Saeji @thekpopprof.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
15 Oct 4pm MELBOURNE Dr. #LeeDongbae #이동배 #DPRK #NorthKorea #textbooks #Korea #education register: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
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edin h @edinh.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
get the M out of STEM, welcome to the humanities comrades spectrum.ieee.org/ai-in-mathem...
spectrum.ieee.org
What it Means to Be a Mathematician When AI Does the Math
Researchers debate motivation, purpose, and the field’s future
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Alexander Jabbari @ajab.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Camel fight Iran, 17th century Opaque watercolor on paper
Camel fight
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Tobias Orfgen @tobias-o.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
"Günter Grass, der auch gerne auf Parteitagen sprach, hätte nach den für die SPD triumphalen Willy-Wahlen 1972, für die er mit vielen Autoren im Wahlkampf getrommelt hatte, gerne ein Regierungsamt bekommen, die Genossen hörten jedoch lieber weg – ob zum Glück oder Schaden für Land beziehungsweise Literatur, das mag jeder selbst bewerten."
https://www.zeit.de/2026/40/die-kanzler-und-die-intellektuellen-peter-andre-alt-friedrich-merz
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Paul Bernal @paulbernal.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
These risks are real. As are those when the military uses AI. It’s not the autonomous super-intelligent AI that creates the risk, it’s the human morons using it.
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Myriah Williams @myriahwilliams.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
This was less than three years ago. www.heraldscotland.com/news/2394267...
An article from The Herald titled “Celtic Studies students make the happiest graduates”, dated 23rd November 2023. The header image is a picture of the cloisters at the University of Glasgow.
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Rick Perlstein @rickperlstein.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
We're staking our economy on forcing a technology down people's throats that outputs misinformation as a matter of course. Someone asked me about my interview with Gil Duran. This is happened when I googled our names together. I have not interviewed Gil Duran. This path: civilizational death.
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damniel spookradski @self.agency · 18/09/2026
for the record, yes, you can download sefaria's entire dataset with this python script github.com/Sefaria/Sefa...
github.com
GitHub - Sefaria/Sefaria-Export: Structured Jewish texts and metadata exported from Sefaria's database.
Structured Jewish texts and metadata exported from Sefaria's database. - Sefaria/Sefaria-Export
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Daniel Bellingradt @dbellingradt.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
They need money, and land for the data centers, and energy. Of course, they want to be partly nationalized. THE. BUBBLE. IS. ABOUT. TO. BURST.
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Dan Batovici @danbatovici.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
I'm pretty chuffed by this collab with Giorgia Nicosia!
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Karl Bode @karlbode.com · 17/09/2026
have I mentioned lately that oligarch-owned media consolidation is bad
hollywoodreporter.com
Universal Is Getting Cold Feet on Releasing the Elon Musk Documentary (Exclusive)
The Comcast-owned studio is not yet committing to rolling out Alex Gibney's movie that it paid millions to acquire for non-North American release before the political winds shifted.
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