Tag: omniglot

One Another

By Simon

The other day I came accross the word 彼此 (bǐ​cǐ) in one of my Chinese lessons. It means each other or one another, and while I’d seen both characters before, I hadn’t seen them together like this.

Illustration of the Chinese and Japanese word 彼此

There is also the idiom 彼此彼此 (bǐ​cǐbǐ​cǐ) in Chinese, which means you and me both or that makes two of us [source].

彼 (bǐ) on it’s one means that, there or those in Mandarin Chinese [source].

I’m more familiar the character 彼 in the Japanese words like 彼 (kare – he, him or boyfriend) and 彼女 (kanojo – she, her, girlfriend), 彼ら (karera – they, them) and 彼氏 (kareshi – boyfriend, he, him)

彼 can also appear in Japanese words like:

  • 彼 (are) = that (thing / person / time / place)
  • 彼の (ano) = that, those, the – usually written あの
  • 彼処 (asoko) = there, over there, that place, yonder, you-know-where, private parts, that far, that much – usually written あそこ
  • 彼方 (achira) = that way, that direction, over there, yonder, that (one / person), foreign country (esp. a Western one) – usually written あちら
  • 彼方此方 (achikochi) = here and there, various places, all around, all over, everywhere, throughout, muddled, confused, back to front – usually written あちこち
  • 彼是 (arekore) = this and that, one thing or another, this way and that, around about, roughly, nearly, almost – usually written あれこれ, can also be written 彼此

Source: https://jisho.org/

此 (cǐ) on it’s one means this or these in Mandarin Chinese [source].

In Japanese 此 can appear in words such as:

  • 此れ (kore) = this (one / person) now, this time, here – usually written これ
  • 此の (kono)= this, last, these, parts この
  • 此方 (kochira) = this way, this direction, here, this (one) – usually written こちら
  • 此処 (koko) = here, this place, this point, here, now – usually written ここ
  • 此奴 (koistsu) = he, she, this fellow, this guy, this person, hey you! – usually written こいつ

Source: https://jisho.org/

I’ve seen some of these words written with kanji in subtitles for songs online, perhaps to save space on the screen.

When I first started learning Japanese, I tried to learn all the rarely-used kanji like this, and wanted to know the kanji for every Japanese word, if they existed. I’ve since forgotten a lot of them, but the Mandarin, Cantonese and Japanese lessons I’ve been working on recently have helped.

When I try to read texts in Chinese or Japanese, I can usually understand enough to get some idea of what they mean. However, there are often characters I’ve forgotten, or haven’t learnt yet, which can be frustrating. Fortunately, I can usually find them in a dictionary or translation app on my phone, or I can ask someone.

Language skills in just 10 minutes a day with Ling




Quick Brown Foxes

By Simon

A pangram, or holoalphabetic sentence, is a sentence that includes every letter used to write a particular language at least once. The best-known example in English is “the quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog”.

Illustration of the pangram 'the quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog'

This pangram has been used used since at least the late 19th century. Telegraph companies such as Western Union used it to test the accuracy and reliabilty of their equipment, and these days, pangrams are used to display typefaces in computers, and for other programs.

An even more difficult challenge is to construct a short pangram using – that is, one that contains as few letters as possible.

Here are some examples:

  • Quick nymph bugs vex fjord waltz (27 letters)
  • Waltz, bad nymph, for quick jigs vex (28 letters)
  • Sphinx of black quartz, judge my vow (29 letters)
  • How quickly daft jumping zebras vex (30 letters)
  • The five boxing wizards jump quickly (31 letters)
  • Pack my box with five dozen liquor jugs (32 letters)

A perfect pangram is one that contains each letter of the alphabet once. here are some examples:

  • Blowzy night-frumps vex’d Jack Q
  • Mr. Jock, TV quiz PhD, bags few lynx
  • Cwm fjord-bank glyphs vext quiz

The Finnish word Törkylempijävongahdus, which means “a whinge of a sleazy lover”, is an example of a short pangram in one word. It contain all the letters of Finnish alphabet used to write Finnish words, but not the ones used to write words borrowed from other languages.

Are there similar examples in any other languages?

Another kind of pangram is a phonetic pangram, that is, one that contains all the phonemes of a particular language. Here’s one for English sent in by Murray Callahan, who inspired this post:

That quick beige fox jumped in the air over each thin dog. Look out, I shout, for he has foiled you again, creating chaos.

Can you come up with any others for English or other languages?

Sources and information about pangrams:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pangram

https://clagnut.com/blog/2380/

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/pangram

https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/385085/is-there-such-a-thing-as-pangram-for-phonemes

Language skills in just 10 minutes a day with Ling




Beware your shoes!

By Simon

Here are a few more signs I spotted recently that have ‘interesting’ English versions.

Sign on escalator

I saw this sign on an escalator in the local college campus. If you want to use this escalator, you have to hold the child and the pet, and if you haven’t got them, just borrow or hire them.

The use of handcarts is banned. Handcart is a translation of 手推车 (shǒutuīchē), which, based on the picture, refers to pushchairs, baby buggies, strollers, or whatever you call them. It can also mean trolley, cart, barrow, handcart or wheelbarrow, and literally means “hand push vehicle”. Other translations of pushchair / stroller include 推车 (tuīchē) and 童车 (tóngchē).

You have to watch your sreps to keep safe while waking in the mall, and you must keep your children from plating or running.

Here’s another sign from a different escalator.

Sign on escalator

Here you must hold the child’s hand, carry he pet in your arms, hold the handrail and beware your shoes. The use of carts is banned, the bulky item is forbidden in, and you should not play, slapstick, climb or look at the phone. Most people seem to look at their phones all the time, so the last one is asking a bit much, perhaps.

Rather than slapstick, 打闹 (dǎnào) could also be translated as to quarrel, squabble, be rowdy, play boisterously, or engage in horseplay. So no rowdy or boisterous playing, squabbling or quarrelling with horses on the escalator.

Sign on escalator

This sign, in Chinese, English, Japanese and Korean, forbids you from striding. A better translation might be “No Climbing on/over the fence”. Are the Japanese and Korean versions well-translated?

Here’s a sign I spotted on a litter bin / trash can:

Sign on litter bin

If you have any disposable tableware, old pottery (who carries old pottery around with them?), pericarp skins or the dust, you can dispose of it/them here. I’ve no idea where ‘pericarp’ came from – a better translation of 果皮 (guǒ​pí) would be ‘fruit peel’, and 瓜壳 (guāké) would be better translated as ‘melon rind’.

Merry Christmas, by the way, if that’s something you celebrate.

Language skills in just 10 minutes a day with Ling




Godfathering

By Simon

When I explain to people I meet here that I’m the godfather of my friend’s children, they don’t seem to understand, even though I do so in Chinese.


Me, my friend Malcolm, his mother-in-law and the little monsters (his daughters / my god-daughters)

One person asked me if I was Catholic or Protestant, and seemed to know that being a godfather has something to do with Christianity. I had trouble trying to explain it in Chinese, as I wasn’t entirely sure what being a godparent involved.

The Chinese translation of godfather I’ve been using is 教父 (jiào​fù), however, few people seem familiar with this term. 教父 (jiào​fù) is made up of 教 (jiào​), which means to teach or class, and 父 (fù), which means father. I think 教 in this context might be an abbreviation of 教堂 (jiào​táng – church, chapel) [source]

Another Chinese translation for godfather is 代父 (dàifù) or ‘substitute father’.

According to TheFreeDictionary, a godfather is:

  • A man who sponsors a person at baptism.
  • One that has a relationship to another person or to something that is the equivalent of being a baptismal sponsor.
  • The leader of an organized crime family.

According to Wikipedia:

Within Christianity, a godparent or sponsor is someone who bears witness to a child’s baptism (christening) and later is willing to help in their catechesis, as well as their lifelong spiritual formation. In both religious and civil views, a godparent tends to be an individual chosen by the parents to take an interest in the child’s upbringing and personal development, and to offer mentorship.

Apparently you can only be a godparent to one child, and as my god-daughters haven’t been baptised, I’m not, in a religious sense, their godfather yet.

When I was young I went to our local (Church of England) church with my parents, and was christened and confirmed there, and went to church-aided schools from 5-16. So technically, I am an Anglican Christian. However, I stopped going to church at the age of 16, and these days, only go to occasional weddings, funerals and Christmas services.

There is apparently a Chinese tradition of matching a child with a relative or family friend, who becomes the 义母/义父 (yì​mǔ/yì​fù) or ‘voluntary mother/father’, or the 干妈/干爹 (gān​mā/gān​diē) or ‘dry mother/father’. These terms also mean adoptive mother or father, in the sense of traditional adoption, i.e. without legal ramifications. This is a non-religious tradition, usually involving a childless friend or relative, and helps strengthen ties between families.

Alternatively, a family friend might be known as 叔叔 (shū​shu) – uncle, or 阿姨 (ā​yí) – aunt. Other words for uncle and aunt are available in Chinese [source].

Language skills in just 10 minutes a day with Ling

To me, being a godparent means that you’re a good friend of the family, and get on well with their children. I spend quite a bit of time with my god-daughters and their parents, particularly recently as I’m currently staying with them. The little ones can be monsters at times, and angels at others, but I love them anyway.




Oceanic Lutes

By Simon

My mandolin

When looking for the names of various instruments in Chinese, as you do, I came across 洋琵琶 (yáng​pí​pá) for mandolin. 洋 (yáng) means ocean, sea, foreign or western, and the 琵琶 (pí​pá) is a traditional Chinese string instrument described by the MDBG Chinese dictionary as a ‘guitar-like instrument’. So it’s a ‘foreign pipa’ in Chinese [source].

The Encyclopedia Britannica describes the pipa (see above) it as a ‘short-necked Chinese lute’ that originated in Western Asia, and has been known in China since the 2nd Century AD. Apparently the Chinese name comes from the way it’s played: pí​ originally meant to pluck in a forward motion, and pá meant to pluck in a backward motion. Different characters with the same sounds were later chosen for the instrument’s name [source].

Chinese Pipa

The word 洋 (yáng) also appears in

  • 洋葱 (yáng​cōng) = onion, or ‘foreign scallion / green onion’
  • 洋气 (yáng​qì) = Western style, foreign style, trendy, fashionable, or ‘foreign steam / vapour’
  • 洋葱 (yáng​cù) = potato, or ‘foreign taro’

Another Chinese word that appears in various instrument names is 琴 (qín), which on its own refers to a type of long zither with seven strings, plucked with the fingers, also known as a 古琴 (gǔ​qín). The 琴 (qín) is also translated as a Chinese lute or guitar [source].

Other types of 琴 (qín) include:

  • 钢琴 [鋼琴] (gāng​qín) = piano, or ‘steel qin’.
  • 风琴 [風琴] (fēngqín​) = organ, or ‘wind qin’.
  • 口琴 (kǒu​qín​) = mouth organ, harmonica, or ‘mouth qin’.
  • 竖琴 [竪琴] (shù​qín​) = (Western-style harp). or ‘vertical qin’.
  • 小提琴 (xiǎo​tí​qín​qín) = violin, or ‘small hand-held qin’.
  • 中提琴 (zhōng​tí​qín​) = viola, or ‘medium-sized hand-held qin’.
  • 大提琴 (dà​tí​qín​) = cello, or ‘big hand-held qin’.
  • 低音大提琴 (dī​yīn​(dà)​tí​qín​) = double bass or ‘low sound (big) hand-held qin’.
  • 班卓琴 (bān​zhuó​qín​) = banjo, or ‘banjo qin’ – the Chinese characters sound similiar to the word banjo

I think it’s interesting that in Chinese, non-Chinese instruments and other things are referred to as variants on traditional Chinese instruments, etc, while in English, Chinese instruments are referred to as versions of ‘Western’ instruments like guitars, lutes and zithers.

Language skills in just 10 minutes a day with Ling




A Complete Canard!

By Simon

One of the words that came up in the French conversation group last night was canard, which means duck in French, but is also used in English.

canard

In French, meanings of canard [ka.naʁ] include:

  • A duck, duckling, drake (male duck)
  • A canard, hoax, fake news, a lie
  • A newspaper (of little value), a rag (slang)
  • A lump of sugar dipped in a liquid, especially coffee or brandy, before being eaten.
  • A high-pitched, false note produced by a wind instrument, most often a reed instrument [source].

It comes from Middle French canard (duck), from Old French canart, quanart (duck), from cane (female duck, boat), perhaps from caner (to cackle, prattle), or from Frankish *kanō (boat, floating vessel), from Proto-Germanic *kanô (vessel, vat, tub, boat), from Proto-Indo-European *gan(dʰ)- (vessel, tub) [source].

Some expressions featuring canards include:

  • canard boîteux = lame duck
  • vilain petit canard = ugly duckling
  • ne pas casser trois pattes à un canard = not worth writing home about, not all it’s cracked up to be – to be very ordinary, to be on the verge of mediocrity
  • faire le canard = to suck up to; to flatter too much
  • froid de canard = bitter cold, brass monkeys weather
  • il y a plusieurs façons de plumer un canard = there’s more than one way to skin a cat [a problem generally has more than one solution] [source].

Ce matin, il a fait froid de canard ici à Bangor avec du givre partout. (This morning it was rather chilly here in Bangor with frost everywhere).

Words from the same roots include can in English, kanna (jug, pot, can) in Swedish, kane (swan-shapped vessel) in Norwegian, Kahn (a small flat-bottomed boat such as a punt, used on inland waters; a ship, especially when old or in need of repair) in German, and canot (dinghy) in French [source].

In English, canard [kəˈnɑːd / kəˈnɑɹd] can mean:

  • A false or misleading report or story, especially if deliberately so.
  • A type of aircraft in which the primary horizontal control and stabilization surfaces are in front of the main wing.
  • Any small winglike structure on a vehicle, usually used for stabilization.

Apparently, the meaning of a hoax or false or misleading story comes from the Medieval French expression “vendre un canard à moitié”, which means ‘to sell half a duck’ or ‘to half-sell a duck’. It perhaps comes from a joke or story [source].

Language skills in just 10 minutes a day with Ling




Better Safe than Sorry

By Simon

In the past week or so I’ve had a number of vaccinations to prepare for my trip to China, and have more to come. As they say, better safe than sorry, but what do they say in other languages?

The Big Spill

The phrase better safe than sorry means it is preferable to be cautious in one’s choices and actions than to act recklessly and suffer afterwards.

Phrases with similar meanings in English include:

  • err on the side of caution
  • measure twice, cut once
  • play it safe
  • prevention is better than cure
  • an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure

Equivalent phrases in other languages include:

  • Azerbaijani – htiyat igidin yaraşığıdır
    (“prudence is the adornment of a brave man”)
  • Bulgarian – който сам се пази и Бог го пази (koĭto sam se pazi i Bog go pazi) – (“He who protects himself and God protects him”)
  • Chinese (Mandarin) – 小心驶得万年船 [小心駛得萬年船]
    (xiǎoxīn shǐ dé wànnián chuán) – (“If you are careful, you can steer your ship safely for a myriad of years”)
  • French – mieux vaut prévenir que guérir
    (“prevention is better than cure”)
  • German – Vorsicht ist besser als Nachsicht
    (“caution is better than clemency”)
  • Greek – κάλλιο γαϊδουρόδενε παρά γαϊδουρογύρευε (kállio gaïdouródene pará gaïdourogýreve) – (“Better to tie a donkey than to ride a donkey.”)
  • Irish – is fearr glas ná amhras
    (“better a lock than a doubt”)
  • Japanese – 転ばぬ先の杖 (korobanu saki no tsue) – (“a walking stick before stumbling”)
  • Korean – 돌다리도 두들겨 보고 건너라 (doldalido dudeulgyeo bogo geonneola) – (“even if you cross a stone bridge, test it first.”)
  • Polish – żeby kózka nie skakała, toby nóżki nie złamała
    (“if the goat had not been jumping, it would not have broken its leg”)
  • Welsh – gwell diogel nac edifar
    (“better safe than sorry”)

Source: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/better_safe_than_sorry

How about in other languages?

Language skills in just 10 minutes a day with Ling