Here’s a recording in a mystery language.
Do you know, or can you guess, the language?
Tag: omniglot
A Complete Canard!
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.
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].
Better Safe than Sorry
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 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 Quiz
Once in a Blue Moon
If something doesn’t happen very often, you might say that it happens once in a blue moon English. What about in other languages?
The phrase once in a blue moon first appeared in first around 1821 and refers to something that happens very rarely, very infrequently or almost never. An alternative version is apparently once in a purple moon [source].
A blue moon is a second full moon during a calendar month, which happens once every 32 months. A blue moon can also refer to a full moon that appears to be blue and bigger than usual [source].
In (Mandarin) Chinese, the equivalent is 千载难逢 [千載難逢] (qiānzǎinánféng), which means “an opportunity difficult to come by even in a thousand years”. This expression comes from folk tales, in which such rare opportunities might lead to success or life-changing events [source].
In Czech, the equivalent is jednou za uherský rok , which means ‘once in a Hungarian year’. Apparently this idiom dates from the Turkish wars, when Czech soldiers were hired in Hungary for a certain period of time, which was constantly extended [source]. The Slovak equivalent, raz za uhorský rok (“once a Hungarian year”), probably comes from the same roots.
In Polish, they say raz na ruski rok (“once in a Ruthenian year”), which refers to the fact that the Gregorian calendar used by East Slavs has longer months [source]. Alternatively, they say od wielkiego dzwonu (“from the big bell”), which refers to The Sigismund Bell, the largest of the five bells in the Sigismund Tower of Wawel Cathedral in Kraków, which is used only on special occasions [source].
In French, you might say tous les trente-six du mois (“every 36th of the month”) or une fois toutes les lunes (“once every moon”) [source].
In German, you could say alle Jubeljahre (“every jubilee year”), which refers to biblical jubliees that come round every 50 years [source].
In Russian, they say раз в сто лет (“once every hundred years”) [source].
In Spanish, they say cada muerte de obispo (“every death of a bishop”), or de Pascuas a Ramos (“from Easter (Day) til Palm Sunday”) – Palm Sunday comes before Easter Day [source].
In Welsh, one equivalent is unwaith yn y pedwar amser (“once in the four seasons”) and another is unwaith yn y pedwar gwynt (“once in the four winds”) [source].
Are there interesting similar idioms in other languages?
Language Quiz
Burgling Burg(h)ers
Are the words (ham)burger, burgher and burglar related? Let’s find out.
Burger [ˈbɜː(ɹ)ɡə(ɹ)] is a rebracketing of the word hamburger, which is:
- A hot sandwich consisting of a patty of cooked ground beef or a meat substitute, in a sliced bun, usually also containing salad vegetables, condiments, or both.
- The patty used in such a sandwich.
Hamburger is an abbreviation of Hamburger sandwich / steak, which comes from Hamburg steak, a patty of ground beef [source].
The idea of the Hamburg steak was brought to America by German immigrants in the 19th century, and is based on similar German dishes such as the Frikadelle, which have existed since the 17th century. It first appeared on menus in restaurants in New York in 1873. By the the 1930s, Hamburg steaks were being served as parts of sandwiches, and became known as (ham)burgers [source].
The name Hamburg comes from Old High German Hamme (bend, angle) and burg (castle, city), from Proto-West-Germanic *burg (fortification, (fortified) city), from Proto-Germanic *burgz (fortification, stronghold, (fortified) city), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerǵʰ- (to rise up, to ascend, be elevated, to be up high) [source].
A burgher [ˈbɜː(ɹ)ɡə(ɹ)] is
- A citizen of a borough or town, especially one belonging to the middle class.
- A member of the medieval mercantile class.
- A citizen of a medieval city.
- A prosperous member of the community
It comes from Middle English burgher (a freeman of a borough, a burgess), likely merged with and reinforced by Middle Dutch burgher, from Middle High German burger, from Old High German burgāri (inhabitant of a fortress), from burg (fortress, citadel), from Proto-West-Germanic *burg (fortification, (fortified) city), etc. [source].
A burglar [ˈbɜːɡlə(ɹ) / ˈbɝɡlɚ] is
- A person who breaks in to premises with the intent of committing theft.
It comes from Medieval Latin burglātor (a freeman of a borough, a burgess), from burgō (to commit burglary), from Latin Latin burgus (fortified town), probably from Frankish *burg (fortress), from Proto-Germanic *burgz (fortification, stronghold, (fortified) city), etc. It was possibly influence by the Latin word latro (thief) and/or the Old French word burgeor (burglar), which comes from Latin [source].
So, burger and burgher are related, and burglar is probably related to them.
Other words that share the same roots include: barrow, borough, burrow, comfort, force and fort in English, bourgeois in French, Burg (castle) in German, burcht (citadel, castle, borough, burrow) in Dutch, bwrw (to cast, throw, hit, precipiate) and brenin (king, monarch, sovereign) in Welsh, forte (fort(ress), strength, talent, strong, stressed) in Italian, fuerte (strong, loud, hard) in Spanish [source].
Language Quiz
Sylvan Forests
When is a forest not a forest?
In modern English, the word forest [ˈfɒɹɪst / ˈfɔɹəst] means:
- A dense uncultivated tract of trees and undergrowth, larger than woods.
- Any dense collection or amount – e.g. a forest of criticism
Historically it referred to ‘defined area of land set aside in England as royal hunting ground or for other privileged use’, and didn’t necessarily contain trees.
It comes from Middle English forest (forest, wood, a preserve for hunting exclusive to royalty), from Old French forest (royal hunting ground, forest), from Early Medieval Latin forestis (a large area reserved for the use of the King or nobility, often a forest and often for hunting or fishing, forest), from Proto-West-Germanic *furhisti (forest), from *furhiþi (forest, woodland) and *hursti (thicket, wood, grove, nest) [source].
*furhiþi (forest) comes from *furhu (fir, pine), from Proto-Germanic *furhō (fir, pine, forest [of fir or pine trees]), from Proto-Indo-European *pérkus (oak), from *perkʷ- (oak) [source].
Words from the same roots include pērkons (thunder) in Latvian, perkūnas (sound of thunder, god of thunder) in Lithuanian, perth (bush, hedge) in Welsh, quercia (oak) in Italian, forêt (forest) in French, vorst (copse, grove, woodland) in Dutch, fjör (vitality, energy, fun, life) in Icelandic, and cork, fir and farm in English [source].
*hursti (thicket, wood, grove, nest) comes from Proto-Germanic *hurstiz, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷr̥s-ti-s, from *kʷres- [source].
Words from the same roots include hirst (a barren, unproductive piece of ground, usually a hillock, knoll or ridge) in Scots, horst (an elevated land overgrown with shrub) in Dutch, Horst (the nest of a bird of prey, eyrie, bush, thicket, small forest) in German, and hurst (wood, grove – found mainly in place names such as Sissinghurst) in English [source].
The Irish word crann (tree, mast), the Welsh word pren (timber, wood, tree), and related words in other Celtic languages also come from the same roots, via Proto-Celtic *kʷresnom (tree, wood) [source].
In Middle English, the word wode was used to refer to a living tree, a group of trees, a grove, a copse, a wood, a forest, wood, etc. As a verb, it meant to hunt, to take to the woods, or to hide oneself in the woods, and a wodeward was a forester or forest warden.
Wode comes from Old English wudu / ᚹᚢᛞᚢ (wood, forest, woods, tree), from Proto-Germanic *widuz (wood, tree, forest), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁widʰ-u-s [source].
Words from the same roots include wood in English, viður (trees or brambles, forest, wood, timber) in Icelandic, viita (a thicket of young deciduous trees) in Finnish, gwedhen (tree) in Cornish, gwezenn (tree) in Breton, and fiodh (wood, timber) in Scottish Gaelic [source].
Another forest-related word in English is sylvan, which means pertaining to the forest or woodlands, residing in a forest or wood, wooded, or covered in forest.
Related words include silviculture (forestry – the care and development of forests in order to obtain a product or provide a benefit), silvology (the scientific study of forests), and names such as Syliva, Transylvania (“across the forest”), Spotsylvania and Pennsylvania (“woodland of William Penn”).
It comes from Medieval Latin sylvanus, from Latin silvanus, from silva (forest), from Proto-Indo-European *s(w)el- (beam, board, frame, threshold) [source]. Words from the same roots include selva (forest, wood, mass, multitude) in Italian, selva (jungle, woods, forest) in Portuguese, and silva (bramble, blackberry bush) in Galician [source].