Here’s a recording in a mystery language.
Do you know or can you guess the language and where it’s spoken?
Hung parliament
Here are few more election-related words:
Hung parliament – a parliament in which no political party has an absolute majority of seats, as is the case with the UK parliament after yesterday’s election. This term was first used in Britain in 1974, but hang or hung has been used to indicate a situation that’s indecisive since at least the 14th century, when it was became linked to the idea of suspense. The phrase ‘hung jury’, i.e. one that cannot agree, has been used in the USA since 1848 [source].
Coalition – was first used in a political sense in 1715 and comes from the Latin Latin coalitus (fellowship) via the French coalition. Coalitus was originally the past participle of Latin coalescere, which is a combination of com- (together) plus alescere (to grow up).
The Welsh equivalents of these words are:
Senedd grog = hung parliament: senedd = parliament, senate; crog = hanging, pendant, suspended, pendent, pendulous, pensile
Clymblaid = clique, coterie, coalition: clym- probably comes from clymu = to tie; plaid = party, faction.
Plaid is also the root of pleidlais = vote (llais = voice); pleidleisio = to vote; pleidleisiwr = voter.
Votes and elections
With the UK general election coming up tomorrow, I thought I’d look at the origins of a few election-related words.
Vote comes from the Latin votum (a vow, wish, promise, dedication), which can be traced back to the PIE root *ewegwh- (to speak solemnly, vow). It first appeared in writing during the 15th century.
Election, which dates from the late 13th century, comes via the Anglo-Norman eleccioun (choice, between legal alternatives), from the Latin electionem, which is derived from eligere (to pick out, select).
Hustings comes from the Old Norse húsþing (council) from hus (house) plus þing (assembly). Hustings was first used to mean “a temporary platform for political speeches” during the early 18th century, and its meaning later expanded to include the whole election process.
The Alþingi or Althing is Iceland’s parliament and comes from the Old Norse al (all) plus þing. The name of the Isle of Man’s parliament, the Tynwald, comes from the Old Norse Þingvellir (assembly fields).
Parliament comes from the Old French parlement, which originally meant “speaking, talk,” from parler (to speak). The origins of parler can be traced back to the Late Latin parabolare (to speak (in parables)), from parabola (speech, discourse).
[update 06.05.10]
Candidate comes from the Latin candidatus (one aspiring to office), which originally meant “white-robed”, and is the past participle of candidare (to make white or bright). Office-seekers in ancient Rome traditionally wore white togas to symbolise their purity and worthiness for office. Every day togas were off-white or tan coloured.
The origins of candidare can be traced back to the PIE root *kand- (to glow, to shine) via the Latin candidum (white; pure; sincere, honest, upright) from candere (to shine). Other words that come from the same root include candle, candid, incandescent and incense.
Word of the day – dibble
Dibble, verb = to drink like a duck, lifting up the head after each sip.
This is a definition of this word that I heard on the radio today. Officer Dibble in Top Cat was also mentioned.
However in my English dictionary a dibble is defined as:
- a small hand tool used to make holes in the ground for planing bulbs and seeds
- to make a hole with such a tool
- to plant with such a tool, which is also known as a dibber.
It first appeared in writing during the 15th century and is of obscure origin. There’s nothing about ducks there, but the drinking like a duck meaning does appear in lists of obscure words like this one.
Language quiz
Here’s a recording in a mystery language.
Do you know or can you guess the language and where it’s spoken?
More on videos
I watched some more of the polyglot videos I mentioned yesterday, and a few others, and one thing I noticed is that in most cases they people in them are talking about things like their languages, and how and why they learned them. One exception is this one by Richard Simcott in which he mentions 50 interesting things about himself in a variety of languages and accents. I also found some videos of a multilingual singer and actor from Vancouver who speaks four languages and sings in eight, including Mandarin, Cantonese, Tagalog, French and English.
Today I thought of a few other things you could try on videos and audio recordings in languages you’re learning: talk about a subject that really interests you, make a video/audio diary, read poetry or prose, tell stories or jokes, sing songs, or make lessons for languages or other subjects or skills that you’d like to share. They say that a good way to learn is to teach, and learning how to explain the intricacies a language or other subject in a foreign language is good way to improve your command of that language.
For example, I’ve been thinking about making some Irish lessons in Welsh, some Welsh lessons in French, or maybe even some tin whistle lessons in one or more of my languages. Don’t hold your breath though – I’m good at coming up with ideas, but it can take we awhile to do anything about them.
Videos by polyglots
A number of people have posted videos on YouTube featuring them speaking various languages. In some cases they speak many different languages in the same video, in others they speak different languages in different videos. Some videos appear to be spontaneous, while others have a more scripted feel to them. There is also perhaps an element of showing off and one-upmanship involved.
Some examples include:
- Burkhard Lee: speaks German, English, French, Mandarin, Thai, Japanese and Indonesian
- Richard Simcott: speaks English, French, Spanish, German, Dutch, Macedonian, Swedish, Italian, Portuguese, Welsh, Catalan, Czech, Serbian/Croatian/Bosnian, Romanian, Esperanto, Icelandic, Russian and has some knowledge of quite a few others
- Steve Kaufmann: speaks English, Cantonese, Mandarin, French, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, German, Italian, Russian, Portuguese and Swedish
- Stuart Jay Raj: speaks over 15 languages, including Thai, Mandarin, Japanese, Hindi, Indonesian and Vietnamese
- Luca the Italian Polyglot: speaks Italian, Portuguese, Swedish, Engilsh, French, German, Dutch and Russian
- Benny the Irish Polyglot: speaks English, Irish, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and Esperanto
There are quite a few others and you can find more examples here.
Videos like this, and audio recordings, are one way to demonstrate that you can speak the languages you claim to speak, and your level in each language. They could also be used to demonstrate your progress to yourself and others. You could make one or more every so often and compare them to see improvements in your language abilities.
Old Irish joke
Here’s an Old Irish joke I found today that’s been translated into many languages, including Classical Nahuatl, Sanskrit and Cherokee.
This is the Modern Irish version:
Triúr manach a thug diúltú don saol.
Téann siad ins an fhásach chun aithrí a dhéanamh ina gcuid peacaí roimh Dhia.
Bhí siad gan labhairt lena chéile go ceann bliana.
Ansin dúirt fear díobh le fear eile bliain amháin ina dhiaidh sin, “Táimid go maith,” ar seisean.
Mar sin go ceann bliana.
“Is maith go deimhin,” arsa an dara fear.
Bhí siad ann ina dhiaidh sin go ceann bliana.
“Dar m’aibíd,” arsa an treas fear, “mura ligeann sibh ciúnas dom fágfaidh mé an fásach uile daoibh!”
And the English version:
Three monks turned their back on the world.
They went into the wilderness to repent their sins before God.
They did not speak to one another for a year.
At the end of the year, one of them spoke up and said, “We’re doing okay.”
Another year passed in silence.
“Yes we are,” said the second man.
And so another year passed.
“I swear by my robe,” said the third man, “if you two don’t be quiet I’m out of here!”
There is also background information about the joke in English, Irish, French, Spanish and a number of other languages, and even a recording of it in Old Irish (mp3).
Arran as bannyn phrash
Ren mee arran jea, as haink eh lane via y cheayrt shoh – dirree eh as ta blass mie er. Riyr hie mee dys cuirrey kiaull yindyssagh syn ollooscoill – va bannyn phrash voish Beaumaris, Menai Bridge as Deiniolen cloie ry-cheilley as ry-shaghey.
Arán agus bannaí práis
Rinne mé arán inné, agus tá sé réasúnta maith – d’ardaigh sé an uair seo agus tá blas maith air. Aréir chuaigh mé chuig ceolchoirm iontach san ollscoil – bhí bannaí práis ó Beaumaris, Menai Bridge agus Deiniolen ag seinm le chéile agus ina n-aonar.
Bara a bandiau pres
Mi nes i bara ddoe, ac roedd o’n ddim yn ddrwg – mi gododd o y tro hwn ac mae genno fo blas da. Neithiwr es i i gyngerdd wych yn y brifysgol – roedd bandiau pres o Fiwmares, Porthaethway a Deiniolen yn chwarae gyda’i gilydd ac ar eu pennau eu hunain.
