Omniglot

Omniglot (/ˈɒmnɪˌɡlɒt/) is an online encyclopedia focused on languages and writing systems.^[2]

Omniglot

Type of site	Encyclopedia
Key people	Simon Ager[1]
URL	omniglot.com
Commercial	Yes
Launched	1998
Current status	Active

Etymology

The name "Omniglot" comes from the Latin prefix omnis (meaning "all") and the Greek root γλωσσα (glossa, meaning "tongue").

History

The website was launched by British author Simon Ager in 1998, originally intended to be a web design and translation service. As Ager collected and added more information about languages and various writing systems, the project evolved into an encyclopedia.^[3]

It provides reference materials for some 300 written scripts used in different languages,^[4][5] over 1,000 constructed, adapted and fictional scripts, and materials for learning languages.^[6][7]

It also has reference materials in numerous languages.^[8]

Its material was the source for a compendium of characters used for development of artificial intelligence, the Omniglot Challenge.^[9][10] The Omniglot compendium has been used widely since it was first released.^[11][12][13]

As of November 2024, the number of languages detailed on the site is over 2,100.^[14]

See also

• List of online encyclopedias
• Ethnologue

References

1. Moore, Melanie (June 13, 2016). "Interview with the Omniglot". Mango Languages. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
2. Ager, Simon (2002). "Omniglot – writing systems and languages of the world". Library of Congress. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
3. Ager, Simon. "Omniglot – a potted history". Omniglot. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
4. Brookes, Tim (June 29, 2013). "First Person: Save a Language, Save a Culture". National Geographic. Archived from the original on February 18, 2022. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
5. Sheehan, Jennifer (September 4, 2020). "Celtic Cultural Alliance art class offers chance to learn and create using ancient Irish alphabet, Ogham". The Morning Call. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
6. Steinkopf-Frank, Hannah (December 21, 2020). "How to Learn French: A U.S. News Guide". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
7. "B. Board: One fowl could be a goose, and two are called geese; Yet the plural of moose should never be meese". Twin Cities Pioneer Press. September 25, 2016. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
8. Sarkodie, Alex (March 4, 2020). "The Origins Of The Akan-Speaking People Of Ghana". Modern Ghana.
9. Lake, Brenden M.; Salakhutdinov, Ruslan; Tenenbaum, Joshua B. (December 11, 2015). "Human-level concept learning through probabilistic program induction". Science. 350 (6266). American Association for the Advancement of Science: 1332–1338.
10. Markoff, John (December 10, 2015). "A Learning Advance in Artificial Intelligence Rivals Human Abilities". The New York Times. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
11. Press, Gil (December 16, 2019). "Would You Trust A Self-Driving Car? 70% Of Americans Say 'No,' 72% Of Chinese Say 'Yes'". Forbes. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
12. Lake, Brenden M.; Salakhutdinov, Ruslan; Tenenbaum, Joshua B. "The Omniglot challenge: a 3-year progress report". Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences. arXiv:1902.03477.
13. Heck, Stephen; Lewis, Phil; Draelos, Tim (July 1, 2018). Survey of Few-Shot Learning Techniques. MLDL Conference (Sandia Internal). OSTI 1572926 – via Office of Scientific and Technical Information.
14. Ager, Simon. "Languages". Omniglot. Retrieved November 20, 2024.