Gary Harvey on mon 26 apr 04
Yes, but even dialogs in different dialects of English is different. For
example a small body of water in East Texas is called a "pond". In Dallas
and else where it is called a "tank". A " loo" in England is a rest room
or toilet. Here in East Texas it is a bathroom or restroom and the word
"loo" isn't used at all. In other parts of the USA a large shrimp is a
"Prong" here it is a large shrimp. The small shrimp is called "popcorn
shrimp". We also use some other words that England doesn't have like
"Caboose" (the end of a train). So even dialects have words that can affect
what the meaning is. Texas "Yall" means "you" .Used as in the phrase "Yall
come back now" GH
----- Original Message -----
From: "May Luk"
To:
Sent: Monday, April 26, 2004 4:52 AM
Subject: [spam] OT:Foreign tongues and lost in translation
> Hiya;
>
> This is either overly OT or Off Tangent. But here it goes:
>
> Chinese is my mother tongue, English second and I study Italian for a long
> time [with a few months total immersion] One quarter of my life, half my
> family is italian. On my block, Portugese, Arabic, Spanish and Cockney
> English are spoken.
>
> Language and cultural behaviours are linked. There's an connection between
> language and psychology.
>
> Food is important for the Chinese. Our common greeting is "Have you eaten
> yet?"
>
> Chinese logic is based on correlative duality. Trade or business is
> literally 2 characters - buy/sell. Result is the 2 characters -
> success/failure. Putting the contrasting words together enable one to view
> things from opposite standpoints while evaluate the entire concept.
>
> The type of language used by an individual affects his mentality. Cultural
> behaviour also influence the way one thinks and speaks. The thought takes
on
> a different path when one speaks in a foreign tongue. Literal translation
> often makes no sense if one is not familiar with the other culture. BTW:
> The italians call this phenomenon "Traduttore-traditore"
>
> Dialects are the same:
> "What a wanker!" is not the same as saying "What a master baker!"
>
> Well, I'm still looking for "Nickle and dime" equivalent in british
english.
>
> Have a good day
>
> May
> London, UK
>
> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
> From Lili:
>
> ..... Now this is not about me. This is about the fact that, for reasons
I
> > do
> > not know, writing a language is a totally different kettle of fish from
> > reading it. Among other things--and I hope both Edouard and Janet will
> > help me here--one fears saying something quite dreadful, because words
> > that sound alike are not necessarily the same in meaning--nor is the
> > weight of a word.
> >
> > The other day, and M.le docteur Bastarache corrected my spelling, I
> > wrote that it was ok to call me an "Emmerdeuse" If you look the word
> > up you will be shocked--if you are an English speaker--because NO OLD
> > LADY would call herself that in English (Voila, Edouard, Andre, I have
> > sold several dictionaries!)--but in French that is familiar, but
ok......
> >
>
>
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