Alphabet Soup - Do you recognize these languages?

nekokami · 09-06-2009, 12:50 AM

How many of these languages can you recognize?

http://www.purposegames.com/game/470/info

How about these?

http://www.purposegames.com/game/mor...soup-quiz/info

Or this one?

http://www.purposegames.com/game/607/info

GraceKrispy · 09-06-2009, 03:03 AM

I tried, got a few right, got sick of being wrong, and *then* ran away screaming. Softly, in my head, so as not to wake the children. Who aren't in bed yet, but I'm pretending. It's better for my sanity.

Sweetpea · 09-06-2009, 08:40 AM

The one with the "living" languages I was best at. Though, I've never heard of most of them

ShortNCuddlyAm · 09-06-2009, 09:01 AM

Averaged around 50% - didn't seem to do any better with living or dead languages!

Sweetpea · 09-06-2009, 09:06 AM

There are some fun quizzes there!

http://www.purposegames.com/game/502

vivaldirules · 09-06-2009, 09:23 AM

Really tough. At a glance I recognized eight out of the thirty on the first page (Braille, Greek, Japanese, Chinese, Russian, Arabic, Hebrew, and Gujarati) but I spent several more minutes taking the quiz and got no more correct. On the second and third pages I only recognized two each and didn't take the quizzes. I'm pretty sure most of those scripts are not of this world. Where's Adrian?

zelda_pinwheel · 09-06-2009, 12:07 PM

i got 43% on the first one but a few of them were lucky guesses. i recognised mostly the ones which are represented here because we have immigrant populations whose store / restaurant signs are bilingual (or sometimes only in their native language). some of the same as vr : Braille, Greek, Japanese, Chinese, Russian, Arabic, Hebrew. also the international phonetic alphabet, runic...

some of them i've never even heard of though.

as for the other one... klingon ??? really ???? i'm not going to be embarassed for not recognising some made up language !

nekokami · 09-06-2009, 07:06 PM

I got just over 50% on the first test and just under 50% on the second one. But then, I have an undergraduate degree in linguistics, after all. (There were a few that I got wrong and then kicked myself over.) I haven't had time to take the third one yet.

Klingon, like Tengwar, is an "invented" language of some standing at this point. There are dictionaries, classes, etc. (I got both of those right.)

If you find this sort of thing interesting, you might check http://www.omniglot.com/ and particularly this page: http://www.omniglot.com/writing/cons...2.htm#conlangs or http://www.omniglot.com/writing/fictional.php

ShortNCuddlyAm · 09-06-2009, 07:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nekokami

I got just over 50% on the first test and just under 50% on the second one. But then, I have an undergraduate degree in linguistics, after all. (There were a few that I got wrong and then kicked myself over.) I haven't had time to take the third one yet.

The third one has a few duplicates from the second - makes it that little bit easier

UncleDuke · 09-06-2009, 08:17 PM

about 2/3, not too good, it is a great mix here in la, everything you've heard of and a lot you've never seen before, the mixtures are very strange, english in the middle of thai is almost commonb now

carlobee · 09-06-2009, 09:46 PM

wow . thanks for sharing these! had lots of fun

nekokami · 09-08-2009, 01:46 AM

I had a non-linguist friend try it today. He got just under 50%, but that was probably skewed by the fact that he's studied Japanese, and 3 of the scripts in the first quiz are used in Japan. Being able to read Japanese kanji gave him recognition of Chinese as a bonus (though he can't really read Chinese). Plus anyone who spends much time in Asian markets gets to recognize Korean pretty quickly.

(That's how I recognize Thai as well-- I was surprised he missed that one.)

Part of the reason I posted this is that I'm wondering how easily our members recognize different scripts, as we now have the ability to create usernames using unicode. If you see a username like 猫神 or नालो, how hard would it be for you to recognize that name again? How about Игор or Αθενε?

pshrynk · 09-08-2009, 11:45 AM

I got 33% in 5:44. But the last one was just a gimme, since it was the only choice left.

badgoodDeb · 09-08-2009, 07:41 PM

How about a choice for "way less than 25%" ???

Was Tolkien's Runic language in there? I looked for it and didn't see it. From the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit books.

nekokami · 09-08-2009, 09:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by badgoodDeb

How about a choice for "way less than 25%" ???

Was Tolkien's Runic language in there? I looked for it and didn't see it. From the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit books.

Added the option for you. Tolkien's Cirth writing system is in the second quiz.

View Poll Results: what was your average score across the quizzes you tried?
75% or better	0	0%
50% or better	5	15.63%
25% or better	11	34.38%
I ran away screaming without even trying the quizzes	7	21.88%
The Blue One, Next to the Fish	6	18.75%
Way less than 25	3	9.38%
Voters: 32. You may not vote on this poll

09-06-2009, 12:50 AM	#1
nekokami fruminous edugeek Posts: 6,745 Karma: 551260 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Northeast US Device: iPad, eBw 1150	Alphabet Soup - Do you recognize these languages? How many of these languages can you recognize? http://www.purposegames.com/game/470/info How about these? http://www.purposegames.com/game/mor...soup-quiz/info Or this one? http://www.purposegames.com/game/607/info

09-06-2009, 12:07 PM	#7
zelda_pinwheel zeldinha zippy zeldissima Posts: 27,827 Karma: 921169 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Paris, France Device: eb1150 & is that a nook in her pocket, or she just happy to see you?	i got 43% on the first one but a few of them were lucky guesses. i recognised mostly the ones which are represented here because we have immigrant populations whose store / restaurant signs are bilingual (or sometimes only in their native language). some of the same as vr : Braille, Greek, Japanese, Chinese, Russian, Arabic, Hebrew. also the international phonetic alphabet, runic... some of them i've never even heard of though. as for the other one... klingon ??? really ???? i'm not going to be embarassed for not recognising some made up language ! Last edited by zelda_pinwheel; 09-06-2009 at 12:10 PM.

09-06-2009, 07:06 PM	#8
nekokami fruminous edugeek Posts: 6,745 Karma: 551260 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Northeast US Device: iPad, eBw 1150	I got just over 50% on the first test and just under 50% on the second one. But then, I have an undergraduate degree in linguistics, after all. (There were a few that I got wrong and then kicked myself over.) I haven't had time to take the third one yet. Klingon, like Tengwar, is an "invented" language of some standing at this point. There are dictionaries, classes, etc. (I got both of those right.) If you find this sort of thing interesting, you might check http://www.omniglot.com/ and particularly this page: http://www.omniglot.com/writing/cons...2.htm#conlangs or http://www.omniglot.com/writing/fictional.php Last edited by nekokami; 09-06-2009 at 07:13 PM.

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09-06-2009, 03:03 AM	#2
GraceKrispy It's Dr. Penguin now! Posts: 3,909 Karma: 4705733 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: (USA) Device: iPad mini, Samsung Note 3, Sony PRS-650 (rarely used now)	I tried, got a few right, got sick of being wrong, and then ran away screaming. Softly, in my head, so as not to wake the children. Who aren't in bed yet, but I'm pretending. It's better for my sanity.

09-06-2009, 08:40 AM	#3
Sweetpea Grand Sorcerer Posts: 9,707 Karma: 32763414 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Krewerd Device: Pocketbook Inkpad 4 Color; Samsung Galaxy Tab S6	The one with the "living" languages I was best at. Though, I've never heard of most of them

09-06-2009, 09:01 AM	#4
ShortNCuddlyAm WWHALD Posts: 7,879 Karma: 337114 Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Mitcham, Surrey, UK Device: iPad. Selling my silver 505 here	Averaged around 50% - didn't seem to do any better with living or dead languages!

09-06-2009, 09:06 AM	#5
Sweetpea Grand Sorcerer Posts: 9,707 Karma: 32763414 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Krewerd Device: Pocketbook Inkpad 4 Color; Samsung Galaxy Tab S6	There are some fun quizzes there! http://www.purposegames.com/game/502

09-06-2009, 09:23 AM	#6
vivaldirules When's Doughnut Day? Posts: 10,059 Karma: 13675475 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Houston, TX, US Device: Sony PRS-505, iPad	Really tough. At a glance I recognized eight out of the thirty on the first page (Braille, Greek, Japanese, Chinese, Russian, Arabic, Hebrew, and Gujarati) but I spent several more minutes taking the quiz and got no more correct. On the second and third pages I only recognized two each and didn't take the quizzes. I'm pretty sure most of those scripts are not of this world. Where's Adrian?

09-06-2009, 08:17 PM	#10
UncleDuke books & doughnuts Posts: 882 Karma: 37857 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: usa Device: sony reader, kindle2	about 2/3, not too good, it is a great mix here in la, everything you've heard of and a lot you've never seen before, the mixtures are very strange, english in the middle of thai is almost commonb now

09-06-2009, 09:46 PM	#11
carlobee Fanatic Posts: 535 Karma: 972 Join Date: Jul 2009 Device: The new iPad	wow . thanks for sharing these! had lots of fun

09-08-2009, 01:46 AM	#12
nekokami fruminous edugeek Posts: 6,745 Karma: 551260 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Northeast US Device: iPad, eBw 1150	I had a non-linguist friend try it today. He got just under 50%, but that was probably skewed by the fact that he's studied Japanese, and 3 of the scripts in the first quiz are used in Japan. Being able to read Japanese kanji gave him recognition of Chinese as a bonus (though he can't really read Chinese). Plus anyone who spends much time in Asian markets gets to recognize Korean pretty quickly. (That's how I recognize Thai as well-- I was surprised he missed that one.) Part of the reason I posted this is that I'm wondering how easily our members recognize different scripts, as we now have the ability to create usernames using unicode. If you see a username like 猫神 or नालो, how hard would it be for you to recognize that name again? How about Игор or Αθενε?

09-08-2009, 11:45 AM	#13
pshrynk Beepbeep n beebeep, yeah! Posts: 11,726 Karma: 8255450 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: La Crosse, Wisconsin, aka America's IceBox Device: iThingie, KmkII, I miss Zelda!	I got 33% in 5:44. But the last one was just a gimme, since it was the only choice left.

09-08-2009, 07:41 PM	#14
badgoodDeb Grand Sorcerer Posts: 8,501 Karma: 64095689 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Harrisburg outskirts Device: Palms, K1-4s, iPads, iPhones, KV, KO1	How about a choice for "way less than 25%" ??? Was Tolkien's Runic language in there? I looked for it and didn't see it. From the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit books.

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