Here’s a recording in a mystery language.
Do you know, or can you guess, the language?
Foreign Eggplants
When is a tomato not a tomato?
Recently I’ve been brushing up my knowledge of Mandarin Chinese by doing some Chinese lessons on Duolingo. The kind of Chinese taught there is Mandarin from Mainland China, which differs somewhat from the Mandarin of Taiwan that I’m more familiar with.
One difference is the word for tomato. In Mainland China it’s 西红柿 [西紅柿] (xīhóngshì), and in Taiwan it’s 番茄 (fānqié). 西红柿 means literally “western red persimmon”, and was borrowed into Tibetan as ཞི་ཧུང་ཧྲི (zhi hung hri) [source]. 番茄 means literally “foreign eggplant / aubergine”, and was borrowed into Zhuang as fanhgez [source].
Is 番茄 used at all in Mainland China, or in other Chinese-speaking regions?
Incidentally, the word tomato comes from Spanish tomate (tomato), from Classical Nahuatl tomatl (tomatillo), from Proto-Nahuan *tomatl (tomatillo) [source].
A tomatillo is “A plant of the nightshade family originating in Mexico, Physalis philadelphica, cultivated for its tomato-like green to green-purple fruit surrounded by a thin papery skin.” and is a diminutive of tomate – see above [source].
Other words that differ include:
| Mainland China | Taiwan |
|---|---|
| 土豆 (tǔdòu) = potato (“earth bean”) | 馬鈴薯 (mǎlíngshǔ) = potato (“horse bell potato / yam”) |
| 自行车 (zìxíngchē) = bicycle (“self go vehicle”) | 腳踏車 (jiǎotàchē) = bicycle (“pedal vehicle”) |
| 公交车 (gōngjiāochē) = bus (“public transport vehicle”) | 公共汽車 (gōnggòngqìchē) = bus (“public car”) 公車 (gōngchē) = bus |
| 出租车* (chūzūchē) = taxi (“vehicle for hire”) | 計程車 (jìchéngchē) = taxi (“vehicle caculated by mileage”) |
| 计算机** (jìsuànjī) = computer (“calculating machine”) | 電腦 (diànnǎo) = computer (“electric brain”) |
*出租車 (chūzūchē) = rental car in Taiwan.
**計算機 (jìsuànjī) = calculator in Taiwan.
Language Quiz
Hosting Hostages
Are the words hostage and host related? Let’s find out.
A host of daffodils
A hostage [ˈhɒs.tɪʤ / ˈhɑs.tɪʤ] is:
- A person given as a pledge or security for the performance of the conditions of a treaty or similar agreement, such as to ensure the status of a vassal.
- A person seized in order to compel another party to act (or refrain from acting) in a certain way, because of the threat of harm to the hostage.
other meanings are available.
It comes from Middle English (h)ostage (hostage), from Old French (h)ostage, either from Old French oste (innkeeper, landlord, host), or from Latin obsidāticum (condition of being held captive), from Latin obses (hostage, captive, security, pledge), from ob- (in front of) and sedeō (to sit) [source].
A host [həʊst / hoʊst] is:
- One which receives or entertains a guest, socially, commercially, or officially.
- A person or organization responsible for running an event.
- A moderator or master of ceremonies for a performance.
other meanings are available.
It comes from Middle English hoste (host), from Old French oste (innkeeper, landlord host), from Latin hospitem, from hospes (host, guest, visitor, stranger, foreigner, unaware, inexperienced, untrained), from Proto-Italic *hostipotis (host), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰóstipotis (lord, master, guest), from *gʰóstis (stranger, host, guest, enemy) and *pótis (master, ruler, husband) [source].
Host can also refer to a multitude of people arrayed as an army (e.g. a Heavenly host (of angels)). This comes from the same PIE root (*gʰóstis) as the other kind of host, via Middle English oost (host, army), Old French ost(e) (army), Latin hostis (an enemy of the state, a hostile), Proto-Italic *hostis (stranger, guest) [source].
Another meaning of host is the consecrated bread of the Eucharist. This comes from Middle English (h)oist (a sacrificial victim, the Eucharistic wafer), from Old French hoiste, from Latin hostia ( sacrifice, offering, victim, sacrificial animal, the consecrated bread), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰostiyo-, from *ǵʰes- (hand, to take, to give in exchange) [source].
So hostage and host might be related, at least in the first two senses.
Other words related to host include guest in English, Gast (guest) in German, gäst (guest) in Swedish, and gjest (guest) in Norwegian [source].
In Old English, the word ġīs(e)l [jiːzl] meant hostage, and comes from Proto-West Germanic *gīsl (hostage), from Proto-Germanic *gīslaz (hostage), from Proto-Celtic *geistlos (hostage, bail), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰeydʰ- (to yearn for). So a hostage is “one who yearns for (release)” [source].
Words from the same Proto-Celtic root (*geistlos), include giall (hostage) in Irish, giall (hostage, pledge) in Scottish Gaelic, gwystl (pledge, pawn, hostage) in Welsh, gijzelen (to take hostage) in Dutch, and Geisel (hostage) in German, gidsel (hostage) in Danish and gísl (hostage) in Icelandic [source].
Another word from the same Proto-Celtic root is kihlata (to betroth) in Finnish, which comes via Proto-Finnic *kihla (pledge, bet, wager, engagement gift), and Proto-Germanic *gīslaz (hostage) [source].
Language Quiz
Rustling Frou-frous
The word frou-frou came up last night at the French conversation group and I thought I’d find out more about it.
In French, frou-frou [fʁu.fʁu] refers to a rustling sound, as of silk fabric. It also means rustle, frilly, frilliness or frills. Related words include froufrouter (to swish, rustle), and froufroutement (rustle, scroop, swish) [source]. It is of imitative origin [source].
Scroop? Apparently it means a rustling sound like that produced from friction between silk fibres; to produce a harsh scraping, grating sound, as of friction; to make sounds such as of a chair on the floor or chalk on a blackboard; or to produce a rustling sound, like that from friction between silk fibres, and is of imitative origin [source].
Frou-frou [ˈfɹuːfɹuː] was borrowed into English and means:
- A rustling sound, particularly the rustling of a large silk dress.
- Liable to create the sound of rustling cloth, similar to 19th-century dresses.
- Highly ornamented, overly elaborate; excessively girly.
- Unimportant, silly, useless.
- To move with the sound of rustling dresses [source].
It has also been borrowed into Portuguese as frufru, where it means overly decorated or colourful, or a ruff, rustle or rustling (of fabrics) [source], and into Spanish as frufrú (rustle, rustling (of fabrics)) [source]
Other ways to say rustle in French include:
- froissement [fʁwas.mɑ̃] = rustle, rustling, crumpling, wrinkling (of paper, fabric, etc)
- bruissement [bʁɥis.mɑ̃] = rustling (of paper), murmuring, swish
- bruire [bʁɥiʁ] = to rustle, rattle, roar, murmur, whisper, hum, swish
- froisser [fʁwa.se] = to crease, wrinkle, rustle, ruffle (feathers), strain (a muscle) hurt, offend, take offence [source].
If you want to talk about rustling cattle or other animals, the word voler (to steal, rob, fly) is used in French, and the French equivalent of to rustle up (to prepare quickly) is préparer en vitesse (“to prepare / make hurriedly”).
Language Quiz
Knotted Knitting
What do the words knot and knit have to do with King Canute, and how do they connect to Bluetooth? Let’s find out.
A knot [nɒt, nɑt] is:
- a looping of a piece of string or of any other long, flexible material that cannot be untangled without passing one or both ends of the material through its loops
- A tangled clump of hair or similar.
- The whorl left in lumber by the base of a branch growing out of the tree’s trunk.
- A unit of speed, equal to one nautical mile per hour.
(other meanings are available)
It comes from Middle English knotte [ˈknɔt(ə)] (knot, tie, binding, link), from Old English cnotta [ˈknot.tɑ] (knot), from Proto-West Germanic *knottō, from Proto-Germanic *knuttô (knot), probably from Proto-Indo-European *gnod- (to bind) [source].
Words from the same roots in other languages include knot [knɔt] (knot, (hair) bun, skein) in Dutch, knútur [ˈknʉuːtʊɹ] (knot, lump) in Faroese, knude [ˈknuːðə] (knot, node) in Danish, knut [ˈknʉːt] (knot, an exterior corner of a (wooden) building) in Swedish, and maybe knead and node in English [source].
The English word knit comes from the same roots, via Middle English knytten [ˈknitən] (to wrap, secure, join, unite, fix, repair), from Old English cnyttan [ˈknyt.tɑn] (to tie, bind, knot, knit), from Proto-West Germanic *knuttijan (to bind, tie, knit), from Proto-Germanic *knuttijaną (to bind/tie into a knot), from *knuttô (knot) [source].
Canute, a.k.a. Canute the Great, Cnut or Knut, was King of England (from 1016), King of Denmark (from 1018) and King of Norway (from 1028) until his death in 1035. His name comes from Middle English Canut, from Anglo-Norman *Canut, Kenut, from Old Norse Knútr, from knútr (knot, hump), from Proto-Germanic *knuttô (knot) [source].
How does this all connect to Bluetooth? Well, King Canute was the son of Sweyn Forkbeard (Sveinn Haraldsson tjúguskegg), who was King of Denmark from 986-1014, and grandson of Harald “Bluetooth” Gormsson (Haraldr Blátǫnn Gormsson), who was King of Denmark from c. 958-986 and King of Norway from c. 970-985/986. The Bluetooth wireless technology is named after Harald Bluetooth as it unites devices like Harald united the tribes of Denmark into a single kingdom. The Bluetooth logo is made up of the Younger Futhark runes for his initials ᚼ (H) and ᛒ (B) [source].
Language Quiz
Dog Days
What does the word canicule have to do with heat waves and dogs? Let’s find out.
In French, canicule [ka.ni.kyl] refers to a heat wave or hot spell, the dog days of summer, or Sirius (Canis Major / the Dog Star). A heat wave is also known as une vague de chaleur. In English, it’s an old word for dog days. It comes from Latin canīcula (puppy), from canis (dog, hound), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱwṓ (dog) [source].
Related words include caniculaire (scorching), chenille (caterpiller), chien (dog) and chiot (puppy) in French, and canine (of or pertaining to a dog), cynophile (a dog lover) and kennel (a dog house) in English.
What are the dog days (of summer)?
- (archaic) The days following the heliacal rising of Sirius, now in early August at dates varying by latitude.
- The unpleasantly hot days of late summer.
- Any similar period of inactivity, laziness, or stagnation.
The expression dog days is a calque of Latin diēs caniculārēs (puppy days), a calque of Ancient Greek κυνάδες ἡμέραι (kunádes hēmérai – dog days). The return of Sirius to the night sky (its heliacal rising), occurred in antiquity around 25th July in Athens and 29th July in Rome, and was considered by the Greeks and Romans to herald what were considered the hottest, least healthy, and least lucky days of summer [source].
Bad weather is also associated with dogs in French: temps de chien (‘dog weather’) means bad, filthy, dreadful or awful weather. Similar associations are made in Italian: tempo da cani (‘dog weather’ – bad or rotten weather); German: Hundewetter (‘dog weather’ – bad weather), and Dutch: hondenweer (‘dog weather’ – particularly bad or rough weather, the kind of weather when it is raining cats and dogs) [source]. In Welsh, unsettled weather is tywydd llwynog (‘fox weather’) [source].
Is bad weather associated with dogs, or other canines, in other languages?
Incidentally, the letter R was known as littera canīna (‘dog’s letter’) in Latin because its trilled pronunciation sounds a bit like a dog [source].