Able Indeed
Posted 16 Aug 2010
Daily Life, Language | 5 Comments
-ABLE
Now that’s a quirky suffix.
When it’s used, sometimes it just indicates a possibility…
Survivable = possible to survive it
Drinkable = possible to drink it
And other times it leaves no doubt…
Laughable = makes you laugh at it
Enjoyable = you enjoy it
No deep conclusion on this one, just an observation of this quirky linguistic back-flip.
Slang In Slang Out
Posted 3 Aug 2010
Daily Life, Language, Weird | 7 Comments
That equals that.
And blow is the opposite of suck.
Yet that “that blows” and “that sucks” mean pretty much the same thing.
Anyone else out there that is kind of odd?
Last To Be Learned
Posted 22 Jul 2010
Friends of mine who are fluent in more than one language have told me that understanding humor in a second (or third or fourth) language often comes long after they are “fluent” in that language. Apparently the subtleties of the language and the culture that define what is humorous often take longer to learn than just learning the correct vocabulary and grammar.
So I am wondering, is humor the “hardest” thing to learn in a new language or is there something that takes even more familiarity and understanding?
Communication on the field
Posted 23 Jun 2010
Football/Soccer, Language, People | 3 Comments
For years I have been wondering about this and today I’m bringing the question to you, good readers of chickenmonkeydog.
Watching World Cup Soccer reminded me of a question I’ve had about how teammates who do not share a common language communicate on the field.
When one team has players who do not share a common language, how do they communicate on the field? In the World Cup, I imagine it is less of an issue, since the players on each team are from the same country. However, in most professional leagues each team is made up of players from all over the world.
If David Beckham gets hired by AC Milan, does he need to take Italian language as part of his contract? Even if players do try to pick up the native tongue of the country where they are to play, in the heat of the game do they still have issues with using the newly learned language? When you have more than a few different “native tongues” on one team, does the team try to use a common language? Is there some abbreviated set of terms that teams learn to simplify communication?
The possible solutions are endless, but do you know what solutions are actually used?
Finally.
Posted 16 Jun 2010
Daily Life, Events, Language, People | 1 Comment
After 20+ years of quotidian watching of Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy, my two heroes finally meet. And I must say, it was a minor letdown — Pat really disappointed me with his lackluster performance in the “Before & After” category.
However, I guess now I can officially stop watching…
Hmm, wait, how about Alex on Wheel of Fortune? He’s a smart one with great pronunciation, but can he spell?
N.B.: I learned how to pronounce “quotidian” from Jeopardy and how to spell it from Wheel of Fortune.
P.S.: I learned how to use “nota bene (N.B.)” from outside the U.S.
