Monthly Archives: January 2010

Today’s Modern Words From A Dying Language

The Nixyaawi  language is spoken by fewer than sixty tribal elders, mostly on the Umatilla indian reservation, in northeastern Oregon. Here are a few of the more recent words in this ancient language:

Sapa’ayayaswit – “tool to cause stupidity” — television

Taymusiya – “tattle tale” – cell phone, because it’s always ringing and you can never hide from it.

Today’s Poem

Blest is the mortal who has stayed

at fateful moments on this sphere,

for him the very gods have bade

sit on their banquet as their peer.

–by Fyodor Tyuchev (translated by Nabokov)

Happy Birthday William Stafford

“Everyone is a conscientious objector to something. Are there things you wouldn’t do?”

–William Stafford (poet, conscientious objector 1941-45)