Jenneke van der Wal
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jennekevanderwal.bsky.social
Jenneke van der Wal
@jennekevanderwal.bsky.social
Linguist in Leiden, with a passion for African languages.
Reposted by Jenneke van der Wal
Taalbazen hebben rare dingen bedacht.
In Noorse woorden wordt de medeklinker verdubbeld aan het end als de klinker kort is - behalve de m.
In het Duits mocht - tot de laatste spellinghervorming - de combinatie st niet worden afgebroken. Andere combinaties wel (pf, nt, ss, etc.), maar deze niet. 1/3
February 16, 2026 at 12:27 PM
Reposted by Jenneke van der Wal
The word ‘kitchen’ has the same Latin origin as French ‘cuisine’.

Every culture cooked, but the Romans introduced their separate cooking room – and the word for it – to the Germanic tribes. This word became ‘kitchen’ in English.

The Latin word gradually spread to dozens of other languages as well:
February 15, 2026 at 6:55 PM
Reposted by Jenneke van der Wal
Wat een belachelijk en #misleidend artikel! Wie de moeite neemt de wetenschappelijke publicatie waarnaar verwezen wordt, er op na te lezen, trekt een hele andere conclusie. Uit dat artikel blijkt dat er helemaal geen sprake is van een duidelijke linkse dominantie op de universiteiten!
1/4
February 14, 2026 at 7:25 PM
Reposted by Jenneke van der Wal
Roses are red
"Wordness" is debatable
So let's reconsider
How we use "untranslatable"
February 14, 2026 at 6:34 PM
Wat een verlies! Vincent heeft menig student meegenomen naar de (toen) TiNdag en gepubliceerd met velen van hen. Een voorbeeld van het begeleiden van een nieuwe generatie.
February 13, 2026 at 2:19 PM
World Congress of African Linguistics 7-10 July in Vienna!
Mark your calendars and submit your abstract by 30 May 2026 🌍

univie.eventsair.com/wocal2027/
Home - WOCAL 12 - World Congress of African Linguistics 2027 - University of Vienna, Main Building
univie.eventsair.com
February 12, 2026 at 11:21 AM
@karolina-grzech.bsky.social invites postdoc Marie Curie applications on embodied epistemicity (UFP Barcelona) 🤩

euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/hosting...
MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships candidates: Embodied epistemicity
euraxess.ec.europa.eu
February 12, 2026 at 9:52 AM
Reposted by Jenneke van der Wal
Tickled to see the eminent Malawian-American linguist Sam Mchombo accidentally cited as McHombo. Parochial assumptions about how to parse names can be misleading!

africam.berkeley.edu/people/sam-a...
February 11, 2026 at 11:12 AM
Reposted by Jenneke van der Wal
Happy International Day of Women in Science! #WomenInScience #11February
February 11, 2026 at 8:35 AM
Reposted by Jenneke van der Wal
Anglo-linguists really need to be slapped.
February 10, 2026 at 7:15 PM
@pareidolia.bsky.social
Are you really gonna eat me?
February 10, 2026 at 6:27 PM
Reposted by Jenneke van der Wal
February 9, 2026 at 9:03 AM
Reposted by Jenneke van der Wal
February 6, 2026 at 6:50 PM
Reposted by Jenneke van der Wal
i heard both of these today:

"what are we solutioning here"

"we don't have a solve for that"

nouns and verbs, two ships passing in the night
February 5, 2026 at 2:58 AM
Reposted by Jenneke van der Wal
Sir Ian McKellen performing a monologue from Shakespeare’s Sir Thomas More on the Stephen Colbert show. Never have I heard this monologue performed with such a keen sense of prescience. Nor have I ever been in this exact historical moment.TY Sir Ian, for reaching us once again.
#Pinks #ProudBlue
February 5, 2026 at 11:50 AM
Reposted by Jenneke van der Wal
DONG DONG DONG DONG DONG DONG DONG DONG DONG DONG DONG DONG
February 5, 2026 at 11:00 AM
Reposted by Jenneke van der Wal
For some reason a PhD trajectory tests whether you can focus on one thing for years on end, but when you continue in academia the main skill you need is being able to juggle an infinite number of different projects and tasks at any time.
February 5, 2026 at 10:01 AM
The 8th African Linguistics School will be taking place in Tanzania!

Apply before the 15th of March to be part of this exciting opportunity: sites.google.com/view/als6/ap... And share with your colleagues and students!

For further information about the ALS, see sites.google.com/view/als6/home
ALS
African Linguistics School
sites.google.com
February 3, 2026 at 6:53 PM
Reposted by Jenneke van der Wal
New paper out 🥳
Joint work with @danielaltshuler.bsky.social on monosyndetic and bisyndetic conjunction in Gizey. I keep coming back to this reviewer’s comment: “Absolutely publishable as is… no suggestions for improvement (first time in 20+ years!)” 🤣🤣. It's here: journals.flvc.org/sal/article/...
Monosyndetic and bisyndetic conjunction in Gizey | Studies in African Linguistics
journals.flvc.org
February 2, 2026 at 11:28 PM
Reposted by Jenneke van der Wal
Do Inuit languages really have hundreds of words for snow? ❄️ If so, does it even matter?

A recent study uses data from 616 languages to claim that Inuit languages really do have disproportionately more words for snow than other languages.
February 2, 2026 at 11:36 PM
‘Iets nieuws over hetzelfde’ schreef Peter Arno Coppen over het promotieonderzoek van Irina Morozova - waarom zeg je wel dezelfde twee huizen maar niet verschillende twee huizen? (En kan het allebei als je ‘twee’ vooraan zet?) @lucl-leiden.bsky.social

www.trouw.nl/cultuur-medi...
Iets nieuws over hetzelfde
www.trouw.nl
February 2, 2026 at 5:56 PM
Reposted by Jenneke van der Wal
Waarom betalen miljardairs minder belasting dan gewone mensen?

@gabrielzucman.bsky.social wil een 2% vermorgensbelasting voor de allerrijksten.

Vandaag sprak hij in de Tweede Kamer, op uitnodiging van @lucstultiens.bsky.social

Kijk: www.tweedekamer.nl/debat_en_ver...

Of vanavond @nieuwsuur.nl
February 2, 2026 at 4:34 PM
Reposted by Jenneke van der Wal
Waarom verstaan Spanjaarden Portugezen doorgaans beter dan omgekeerd? Taalkundige en schrijver Marco Neves legt het uit.
Por que razão os espanhóis não nos compreendem tão bem?
February 1, 2026 at 1:45 PM
Reposted by Jenneke van der Wal
Call for Abstracts:

The T.W.I.S.T. conference is back again, and we're looking for linguists! Whether you're undergraduate (BA), graduate (MA) or postgraduate (PhD), we want you to present your findings!

If this seems interesting to you, please fill out the form below!
forms.gle/U648GG813EjJ...
January 31, 2026 at 4:59 PM
Reposted by Jenneke van der Wal
DigiD is van ons! Teken de petitie, want dan kunnen we de overname stoppen. De druk vanuit de samenleving werkt zeggen techexperts. We moeten dus druk blijven zetten. Help strijder Karin. Samen maken we van haar petitie een nog groter succes. Teken hier: actie.degoedezaak.org/petitions/st... #trump
January 30, 2026 at 6:13 AM