Tag: omniglot

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




Once in a Blue Moon

By Simon

If something doesn’t happen very often, you might say that it happens once in a blue moon English. What about in other languages?

Blue Moon Daytime Moon

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] (qiān​zǎi​nán​féng), 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?

The Fastest Way to Learn Japanese Guaranteed with JapanesePod101.com




Burgling Burg(h)ers

By Simon

Are the words (ham)burger, burgher and burglar related? Let’s find out.

Burghers of Calais

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].

The Fastest Way to Learn Japanese Guaranteed with JapanesePod101.com