Best Of MetaFilter

#81 Signal by Trevor King 66 (cc by)

Great comment from pemberkins about what botanists mean when they talk about "invasive" species (and social concerns about the terms) in the Giant Hogweed discussion.

koko_holds_smoky2 by sidknee23 (cc by-nc-nd)

ChuraChura reflects on the apes involved in language experiments in the passing of Koko obit thread.

All roads lead to Rome series by Nick Kenrick. (cc by)

But what's The Peutinger Map? Also known as Tabula Peutingeriana, it is a Medieval copy of highly stylized 4th Century map of the Roman road network, extending to India.

Kattullus invites us to explore the roads leading to Rome via "The Peutinger Map Reconsidered" with a variety of ways to view this ancient artifact, including overlays and lists of geographical features, while BWA offers What Latin Sounded Like and How We Know, and other linguistic treats from Nativlang.

Harvesting Palm Sugar by edbrambley (cc by-sa)

Join Mefites for a deep dive on some arts and culture from outside the west:

Catchy song and an intro to Kriol language and culture from an Indigenous Australian singer

A new movie provides a window into the unique culture, language, and politics of multigenerational Tamil-Malaysians

Classic short story from "one of Bengal's greatest writers"

Men's fashion from a prizewinning Indian designer

Regional politics, arts and music from Sudanese and South Sudanese journalists

Monkey by Jennie Robinson Faber (cc by)

An odd FPP is fun and a hit; can you add a new bit of apt wit – but on top of all, eke it out to fit?

inside elevation by parramitta (cc by)

Why does Wyoming have such a low population compared to neighboring states? barchan explains, jeb adds: "everything in the West comes back to water".

Ever wonder what a "nor'easter" is? Check out the great answers from Seymour Zamboni, plastic_animals, and weathergal in rules of thumb for weather patterns in the USA.

Lots of different places have unique colloquial weather terms too. (Gullywashers, the foxes' wedding, and lots of wind terms again from barchan.)

Also in language surveys: What are some antiquated place nicknames (like the Borscht Belt)? What do other languages call it when your foot "falls asleep"?

Different cultures also have their own languages of flower-meanings. Plus some cool info from sukeban on how new imported flowers like roses made their way into kimono designs in the late 19th century.

For geography/history detectives: How can I tell, just from clues in the document itself, when a world map was made or figure out when a photograph was taken?

Did you see the new photos from the formerly-hidden-from-visitors North Korean subway system?

Some great answers in travel threads recently: Italy: non-traditional but amazing?, and also Scotland: what not to miss.

Styven Magnes : Speech balloons by Marc Wathieu (cc by-nc)

Getting hip with the lingo, on Ask Me: When did the phrase "Garbage People/Person" become popular? | Did people actually say "shwench"? | In words like normcore, What is the meaning of the -core suffix?

... and recently on the blue, D'ya get me, bruv?; a new London accent called MLE has emerged in the last few years | A Tart My Dears, A Tart – how British gay men used to talk, featuring Polari, the cult language of UK homosexuals derived from theatre and circus slang

talking again by mediamolecule (cc by-nc-nd)

From The Vaults:

How do you fake American?, 2008

... what if you're not an English speaker, and you want to fake-speak English, or more precisely, American? How does it sound?

And more: Imitation English, 2003

What are the stereotypes of the native English speaker's accent as perceived by non-English-speakers?, 2004

How does one speak "pretend English"?, 2005

Linguaesthetics, 2006

Manuscript by Muffet (cc by)

An amazing thread on Ask MetaFilter has a simple premise: What are some current-sounding phrases that go back further than you would think--used the way we use them today? The thread is filled with gems like this jawdropper:

"Newfangled" appears in Chaucer's works, circa 1390