Urban legend

 

Credit: Cfitzart

This is probably true. Enjoy! From Gemini.

Is it really true that the Aboriginal language Andiljangwa has 3,500 grammatical cases? The source is the Guiness Book of World Records!

This is a classic case of a "linguistic urban legend"! While it sounds like an incredible feat of the human mind, the claim that any language—including the Aboriginal language Anindilyakwa (often spelled Andiljaugwa in older texts)—has 3,500 grammatical cases is factually incorrect.

Here is the breakdown of why this number exists in the Guinness World Records and what it actually means.

1. Where did the "3,500" come from?

The source of this confusion is likely a misunderstanding of polysynthesis. Anindilyakwa (spoken on Groote Eylandt) is a incredibly complex language where a single word can function as an entire sentence.

Instead of having thousands of "cases" (which usually apply to nouns, like he/him/his), the language uses a massive system of prefixes and suffixes on its verbs. These markers track:

• Noun Classes: There are five different genders/classes.

• Person & Number: Who is doing what to whom (subject and object).

• Tense & Mood: When and how it is happening.

If you multiply all the possible combinations of these prefixes and suffixes together, you can mathematically generate thousands of unique forms for a single verb. A Guinness researcher likely saw a figure for the number of prefix combinations and labeled them as "cases," which is a very different linguistic concept.

2. The True Record Holder

If we look at actual noun cases (the way a noun changes its ending to show its role), the numbers are much smaller:

• Tsez (Caucasus): Often cited as having 64 cases (though many are combinations of spatial markers).

• Tabasaran (Caucasus): Famously held the Guinness Record for decades with 48 cases.

• Anindilyakwa: Actually has a relatively standard number of cases for an Australian language (roughly 10 to 15, such as locative, ablative, and allative).

3. Why is Anindilyakwa so famous?

Linguists consider Anindilyakwa one of the most difficult languages in the world because of its morphological density.

Example: A single word can mean: "He-will-again-bring-it-back-to-the-two-of-them-tomorrow."

Because the language uses a "base-5" (quinary) counting system and requires every number to "agree" with the noun class of the object (e.g., the word for "one" changes depending on if you are counting turtles or trees), it creates a level of complexity that is genuinely mind-boggling—just not in the form of 3,500 cases!

Summary

• Is it true? No. No language has 3,500 cases.

• Is it complex? Yes, it is one of the most complex languages on Earth.

• The Error: Guinness likely confused "verb prefix combinations" with "noun cases."

It's a great example of how a technical linguistic fact can be "lost in translation" when it hits mainstream trivia books!

Blood feud

 

- I will *not* fight for the Chechens,
my sweet lord, seriously now!

This British tabloid doesn´t seem *that* objective in its Russian coverage, so don´t expect a "civil war" any time soon. Still, there does seem to be a simmering conflict between Chechnya and Dagestan, two "republics" within the Russian Federation. 

Apparently, Chechnya demands a piece of Dagestani territory only inhabited by Chechens before Stalin´s forced deportations during World War II. Russia has sent federal troops to the North Caucasus to show both sides who´s really boss. Chechen leader Kadyrov is an important Putin asset, which may explain his cocky attitude. If he goes too far, though, I expect a little explosion on his private chopper (rather than a full scale civil war). 

Fun fact: Kadyrov looks like the YouTube content-creator The Amazing Atheist!    

Russia on brink of civil war after Chechen leader declares "blood feud"

Putin´s Black Hundreds

 

The CNN and two Indian news outlets comments on the pogrom-like situation at the airport of Makhachkala in Dagestan, a Muslim-majority "republic" of the Russian Federation. Meanwhile, some other news outlets (invariably Western ones) have chosen to call the pogromists "pro-Palestinian protesters"! Sigh...

It´s difficult to believe that this could have happen without the knowledge of the Russian (and I do mean Russian) authorities. There have been anti-draft protests in Dagestan, and the republic borders Chechnya. Separatist sentiments have existed in Dagestan for a long time. An international airport in Makhachkala seems to be exactly the kind of place where the security presence should be heavy, and yet the crowds could just storm the buildings and the runway! 

I can´t help thinking that Putin let it all happen as a kind of safety valve. Maybe it´s a way of redirecting people´s energy away from anti-Russian protests? 

It seems the Black Hundreds are back, but this time they are "Green" instead! However, there is still "one ring to rule them all"...in the Kremlin.   

Enraged Russians?

 

Some kind of pogrom-like situation is developing in Dagestan as we speak. Trending on X (Twitter) for those who have access to that forum.

Apparently, Muslim "protesters" (pogromists) stormed the local airport when a flight from Israel landed there, searching for Jews. At least one of the protesters carried a Palestinian flag. The mob chanted "Allahu Akbar". A mob have also gathered outside a hotel where a suspected Jew have checked in. 

But sure, I suppose this proves that all Jews really should leave the Russian Federation while there is still time!

PS. According to Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet, "enraged Russians" were looking for "Israelis" after a "rumor" that an Israeli plane had landed on the airport. Yeah, sure. But if you click on their link, they kindly imform you after about a minute that the town "has a Muslim majority" and that the mob "is said to have chanted anti-Semitic slogans". You can also hear them scream "Allahu Akbar" on the video shown, but with no comment from Aftonbladet.

I´m not surprised, since this despicable rag previously "informed" us that "people" (in general) are celebrating Hamas on the streets of Sweden, or that "children" (in general) are sending anti-Semitic messages to each other through TikTok.

Maybe they too were enraged Russians! I´m pretty sure they weren´t Swedish right-wing radicals, since something tells me Aftonbladet would have told us if that had been the case...