I can't quite remember how I ran across this hardback book but I'm glad I did. I enjoyed its anecdote packed pages warning against various types of miscommunication. A good subject for a preacher to be up on.
A blog featuring whatever I fancy, often on the Christian faith but not exclusively
Showing posts with label Language. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Language. Show all posts
Failure to Communicate by Kreuz
I can't quite remember how I ran across this hardback book but I'm glad I did. I enjoyed its anecdote packed pages warning against various types of miscommunication. A good subject for a preacher to be up on.
10 puns for remembering Welsh words
1. Crud - From his cradle, he was taught the creed
2. Crys - My shirt has a crease
3. Byd - The world is round like a bead
4. Caws - Cheese is made from the milk of cows
5. Duw - In all things give God his due
6. Ffordd - He came along the road driving a Ford(d)
7. Dim - He knows nothing; he's rather dim
8. Wedyn - The barn dance was afterwards - later the barn dance but first the weddin'
9. Ateb - Question: When do I look for shells on the beach? Answer: When the tide is at ebb
10. Bedd - Teach me to live, that I may dread the grave as little as my bed
10 Names in Welsh for English Towns
1. Llundain (London)
2. Caer or Caerlleon (Chester)
3. Llwydlo (Ludlow)
4. Rhosan-ar-Wy (Rosson Wye))
5. Caerwynt (Winchester)
6. Yr Amwythig (Shrewsbury. It means "the fort in scrubland")
7. Croesoswallt (ie "Oswald's cross" Oswestry means "Oswald's tree" which could be referring to a cross)
8. Bryste (Bristol)
9. Lerpwl (Liverpool)
10. Llanllieni (Leominster)
(One erroneous "translation" is Rhydwely for Bedford, which is really Beda's ford)
10 interesting words for the first meal of the day
1. Breakfast (from to break your fast Spanish desayuno has the same etymology)
2. Morgenmad (Danish morning meal Esperanto uses Matenmango on the same basis as do modern Hebrew and Greek)
3. Fruhstuck (German early piece Swedish and Norwegian use the same idea Frukost, frokost, as do Malay and Chinese)
4. Ontbijt (Dutch begin to bite or starting bite)
5. Petit dejeuner (French small dinner, although the second word means to stop fasting Romanian is similar Mic dejun)
6. Asa Gohan (Japanese morning rice)
7. Café da manhã (Portuguese in Brazil morning coffee)
8. Kahvalti (Turkish under ie before coffee)
9. Almusal (Tagalog, from Spanish almorzar now used for lunch though can mean breakfast. Almorzar from Latin admorsus from admorere to bite into).
10. Doručak (Serbian before or until lunch)
Afrikaans
Every time I meet Afrikaans speakers, which I do from time to time and did again recently, I try to remember the sentence that is written the same in English and Afrikaans. In fact there are two sentences which I relocated today. Here it says
Most interestingly, consider these two sentences:
My hand is in warm water.
My pen is in my hand.
These two sentences can be either English or Afrikaans, and both have exactly the same meaning in both languages. But despite this, Afrikaans has significant differences from English. It might not be as easy to learn for an English speaker as, say, Esperanto, but it is still considered a relatively easy language to learn, and is advocated by some as a good introduction to learning Dutch and other Germanic languages in general.
Kenyan Language
Kenya's national languages are English and Kiswahili, which are widely spoken. Kiswahili is a trade language and a mix mainly of Arabic and Bantu. The name literally means coastal language as that is where it began.
There are over 60 other languages spoken. Anyone who has seen The Lion King knows the Swahili words Simba and Hakuna Matata and may be realises Rafiki is friend. From other sources, jambo, bwana, safari, daktari and jenga are known. Some words are fun - pikipiki (motorbike), koukou (chicken) mimi (I). Essential are "sawa sawa" (okay) and Asante sana (thank you very much) to which the answer is Karibu (welcome).
A car, interestingly, is a Gari! As for saying my name, some wanted to say Carey (which is good) or Gray (which my nan used to write in my birthday cards). Some liked to change the surname to Brandy (not so good). In fact there is a real thing about "n" before consonants, which (like other Africans) they like to introduce. I met a girl who pronounced the word "eager" as "hinger". Like the Chinese, some confuse "l" and "r".
English Evolving
I should have mentioned that Rhodri and I enjoyed a nice free exhibiition at the British Library last Monday. (Tip off from Principal S - thanks!). Called Evolving English it is a very well done cruise through the history and development of the language in conjunction with a book by good old David Crystal. See the website here. Have a go at the quiz. Rhodri and I drew 5 all.
Bilingual Brains
Paul Burgess drew attention to this over on facebook. It can be found here. It's interesting but I don't think it proves anything very much.
The ability to speak a second language isn’t the only thing that distinguishes bilingual people from their monolingual counterparts - their brains work differently, too. Research has shown, for instance, that children who know two languages more easily solve problems that involve misleading cues. A new study published in Psychological Science reveals that knowledge of a second language - even one learned in adolescence - affects how people read in their native tongue. The findings suggest that after learning a second language, people never look at words the same way again.
Eva Van Assche, a bilingual psychologist at the University of Ghent in Belgium, and her colleagues recruited 45 native Dutch-speaking students from their university who had learned English at age 14 or 15. The researchers asked the participants to read a collection of Dutch sentences, some of which included cognates - words that look similar and have equivalent meanings in both languages (such as “sport,” which means the same thing in both Dutch and English). They also read other sentences containing only noncognate words in Dutch.
Van Assche and her colleagues recorded the participants’ eye movements as they read. They found that the subjects spent, on average, eight fewer milliseconds gazing at cognate words than control words, which suggests that their brains processed the dual-language words more quickly than words found only in their native language.
“The most important implication of the study is that even when a person is reading in his or her native language, there is an influence of knowledge of the nondominant second language,” Van Assche notes. “Becoming a bilingual changes one of people’s most automatic skills.” She plans to investigate next whether people who are bilingual also process auditory language information differently. “Many questions remain,” she says.
Eva Van Assche, a bilingual psychologist at the University of Ghent in Belgium, and her colleagues recruited 45 native Dutch-speaking students from their university who had learned English at age 14 or 15. The researchers asked the participants to read a collection of Dutch sentences, some of which included cognates - words that look similar and have equivalent meanings in both languages (such as “sport,” which means the same thing in both Dutch and English). They also read other sentences containing only noncognate words in Dutch.
Van Assche and her colleagues recorded the participants’ eye movements as they read. They found that the subjects spent, on average, eight fewer milliseconds gazing at cognate words than control words, which suggests that their brains processed the dual-language words more quickly than words found only in their native language.
“The most important implication of the study is that even when a person is reading in his or her native language, there is an influence of knowledge of the nondominant second language,” Van Assche notes. “Becoming a bilingual changes one of people’s most automatic skills.” She plans to investigate next whether people who are bilingual also process auditory language information differently. “Many questions remain,” she says.
Cymraeg all the way
Rhodri's feeling nostalgic so he's dug out this clip from BBC 2's Newsnight in the mid-nineties. He's interviewed about a minute in. I think it's good that all children in Wales need to learn some Welsh. I'm of the lost generation that was taught nothing - not even how to pronounce the name of the place we lived in can you believe?!
10 Hungarian/Romanian words we know
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| Franz Xaver Zalder (1815–?), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons |
For obvious reasons
1. Biro - UK word for ball-point pen; named after its Hungarian inventor
(I suppose Rubik Cube could be included here on that basis)
2. Coach - Named after its town of origin
3. Goulash - Herdsman's meat, a type of stew
4. Hussar - Light cavalry soldier
5. Paprika - A spice
6. Sabre - A type of sword
(I suppose Rubik Cube could be included here on that basis)
2. Coach - Named after its town of origin
3. Goulash - Herdsman's meat, a type of stew
4. Hussar - Light cavalry soldier
5. Paprika - A spice
6. Sabre - A type of sword
7. Dracula - The snake. Mythical vampire figure from the Transylvanian region of Romania
8. Halvah - Sweet of sesame, honey and flour
9. Pastrami - A cured meat
8. Halvah - Sweet of sesame, honey and flour
9. Pastrami - A cured meat
I could only get 9 so I've added
10. Vampire - Witch. Mythical European blood sucking human; blood sucking South American bat. The word is apparently from Serbian.
10 Norse words we know
1. Berserk - The name of a warrior who fought with frenzied fury
2. By-law - Town law
3. Husband - House owner
4. Lad - Male servant
5. Mug - Viking drinking vessel
6. Oaf - Goblin
7. Skill - Distinction
8. Skirt - Shirt (English words beginning with Sh- are usually from the same root as Norse Sk-. Skirt and shirt are essentially the same words)
9. Sky - Cloud
10. Ugly - To dread
(Bonus one you all know - Window, Wind eye)
2. By-law - Town law
3. Husband - House owner
4. Lad - Male servant
5. Mug - Viking drinking vessel
6. Oaf - Goblin
7. Skill - Distinction
8. Skirt - Shirt (English words beginning with Sh- are usually from the same root as Norse Sk-. Skirt and shirt are essentially the same words)
9. Sky - Cloud
10. Ugly - To dread
(Bonus one you all know - Window, Wind eye)
10 Algonquian words we know
We are aware of a limited number of Native American words in our vocabulary. Some are not every day words (such as the Algonquin Tomahawk [axe weapon and now missile]; Wigwam [His house - a Native American dwelling] and the Cree word squaw). Apart from place names most of the words seem to be from two Algonquian languages - Algonquin and Cree (my attributions may well be wrong - don't write).
Algonquin
1. Caribou - a type of reindeer
2. Caucus - advisor - a political committee
3. Moccasins - shoes
4. Pecan - a type of nut
5. Racoon - a nocturnal animal
Cree
6. Moose - North American elk
7. Pow wow - he dreams - A big meeting (originally a medicine man's conference).
8. Skunk - American carnivore that emits a strong smell
9. Squash - the vegetable
10. Chipmunk - North American ground squirrel
2. Caucus - advisor - a political committee
3. Moccasins - shoes
4. Pecan - a type of nut
5. Racoon - a nocturnal animal
Cree
6. Moose - North American elk
7. Pow wow - he dreams - A big meeting (originally a medicine man's conference).
8. Skunk - American carnivore that emits a strong smell
9. Squash - the vegetable
10. Chipmunk - North American ground squirrel
From Algonquin we also get terrapin (a freshwater tortoise) and from Cree, Eskimo (eaters of raw flesh. Eskimos call themselves "Inuit"); Opossum (small tree-dwelling American marsupial).
Other words worth noting here are toboggan (Micmac), totem (Ojibwa) and Tepee (Sioux).
For more see here
10 Englisc words we know
Someone said to me 'what about English words we know in English?'. By that I guess we mean Anglo-Saxon or Old English or Englisc as they called it then. There are plenty of them still in use today - as a Welshman I am aware of the fact (Welsh from wealh - foreigner)! Here are ten that as far as I am aware have remained completley unchanged these 1200 years and more.
1. Storm
2. Flint
3. Corn
4. Fox
5. Up
6. With
7. Great
8. Swift
9. Full
10. Land
10 American words we know
Someone said to me 'What about American words'? 'Sounds good' I said but we couldn't really think of any. There are plenty of American words we know that substitute for English ones and I''ll try and do red Indian words one day but what I want is words coined in America we now use here in England. I've found some. Are there others? 1. Blizzard
2. Hangover
3. Hindsight
4. Joyride
2. Hangover
3. Hindsight
4. Joyride
5. OK
6. Radio
6. Radio
7. Raincoat
8. Rattlesnake
8. Rattlesnake
9. Stunt
10. Teenager
10. Teenager
(Perhaps one can mention airplane here, fast overtaking good old aeroplane)
10 Japanese words we know
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| Andreas Bauer Origami-Kunst, CC BY-SA 2.5 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5>, via Wikimedia Commons |
1. Futon - Sofa that converts into a bed
2. Honcho - Squad leader US slang (so Head Honcho is really tautology)
3. Karaoke - Singing popular songs with recorded musical backing (I think it means empty orchestra. Many people are under the impression that the Japs came up with karaoke. In fact, the idea came from an Indian gentleman from Liverpool called Gerupta Singh)
4. Rickshaw - Man powered vehicle
5. Satsuma - A type of orange named after a province in Japan (Mandarins are Chinese I guess)
6. Sushi - A meal of cold rice sometimes garnished with raw fish
7. Origami - Japanese art of folding paper into intricate designs
8. Soy - A bean used as a meat substitute
9. Tsunami - Harbour wave, also known incorrectly as a "tidal wave"
10. Tycoon - Great lord, a wealthy businessman
2. Honcho - Squad leader US slang (so Head Honcho is really tautology)
3. Karaoke - Singing popular songs with recorded musical backing (I think it means empty orchestra. Many people are under the impression that the Japs came up with karaoke. In fact, the idea came from an Indian gentleman from Liverpool called Gerupta Singh)
4. Rickshaw - Man powered vehicle
5. Satsuma - A type of orange named after a province in Japan (Mandarins are Chinese I guess)
6. Sushi - A meal of cold rice sometimes garnished with raw fish
7. Origami - Japanese art of folding paper into intricate designs
8. Soy - A bean used as a meat substitute
9. Tsunami - Harbour wave, also known incorrectly as a "tidal wave"
10. Tycoon - Great lord, a wealthy businessman
10 Hindi words we know
1 Bangle - Glass bracelet
2 Chutney - A side dish for food
3 Dungarees - In the singular a type of coarse cloth
4 Jodhpurs - Riding breeches named after their town of origin
5 Juggernaut - UK word for a large lorry, from "Juganath", the name of an Indian god whose image gets carried around the town in a huge cart once a year
6 Punch - five, as in the drink - from the five ingredients used
7 Pukka - ripe, used in the UK to mean "good" or "right"
8 Pundit - learned, as in a "sporting pundit". Used in the UK
9 Shampoo - massage
10 Thug - From a Hindu sect ("Thugees") that would kill people for the goddess, Kali
2 Chutney - A side dish for food
3 Dungarees - In the singular a type of coarse cloth
4 Jodhpurs - Riding breeches named after their town of origin
5 Juggernaut - UK word for a large lorry, from "Juganath", the name of an Indian god whose image gets carried around the town in a huge cart once a year
6 Punch - five, as in the drink - from the five ingredients used
7 Pukka - ripe, used in the UK to mean "good" or "right"
8 Pundit - learned, as in a "sporting pundit". Used in the UK
9 Shampoo - massage
10 Thug - From a Hindu sect ("Thugees") that would kill people for the goddess, Kali
10 German words we know
1. Angst - Fear - in English, a neurotic feeling of anxiety and depression
2. Delicatessen - Prepared cooked meats, relishes, cheeses, etc.; a shop selling such foods
3. Doppelganger - Double goer - a ghostly double, look-alike, or clone of a person
4. Ersatz - A replacement or substitute, usually implying inferiority to the original, such as "ersatz coffee”
5. Glitz - Glittering, sparkling - gaudiness, glittery, ostentatious
6. Hinterland - Back country - remote area; land bordering on coastal land (also used as a trope)
7. Kindergarten - Children's garden - The first kindergarten was created in Blankenberg (Thüringen) by Friedrich Fröbel (1782-1852) in 1839
8. Poltergeist - a ghost that makes mysterious noises, from poltern, to make noise
9. Rucksack - Back pack
10. Zeitgeist - Spirit of the age/times
10 Russian words we know
2. Matryoshka (nest of dolls)
3. Balalaika (triangular mandolin)
4. Pogrom (slaughter of Jews)
5. Cosmonaut (astronaut)
6. Sputnik (spaceship)
7. Steppe
8. Molotov (as in cocktail - a petrol bomb)
9. Samovar (tea urn)
10. Vodka
10 Irish words we know
1. Bog (from bogach, a bog, or bog, soft) a piece of wet spongy ground
2. Brogues (from bróig, a shoe) a type of shoe (or accent)
2. Brogues (from bróig, a shoe) a type of shoe (or accent)
3. Galore - (from go leor, many) plenty, a lot
4. Slab - (from slaba, mud, itself likely derived from Scandinavian, perhaps via English slab muddy place) piece or slice
5. Whiskey - (from uisce beatha, water of life) distilled alcoholic beverage
6. Leprechaun - (from leipreachán) elf, sprite
7. Slogan - (from sluagh-ghairm) troop-cry/war-cry
8. Spree - (from the Irish word spraoi, meaning fun) as in shopping spree
9. Twig - (from tuig, understand or realise) catch on, realise
9. Twig - (from tuig, understand or realise) catch on, realise
10. Craic - Fun, kicks
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