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Mark S.
March 19, 2005
# Msgs: 1
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Re:The Art of language
> “Zhu4 ni3 hao3” could mean have a nice
> day (and does in Chinese). “Stop picking
> your nose, you ugly bobo” could mean have
> a nice day.
>
Onomatopoetic words are a special case
that do not yield as easily to arbitrary
choices as the other words. Most people
agree that "boom" is a good word for
describing an explosion, while "splosh"
and "tweet" are not. These words may get
new meanings besides the previously
existing ones, but the sounds cannot
easily get new such words to describe
them, as the words are defined by the
properties of our ears and brains.
These descriptive words are not limited
to sounds, but they can also be used
for visual and other types of impressions.
Japanese language has a wealth of such
words describing not only how a thing
sounds, but also how it looks or feels,
or what kind of general impression it
gives. Some nouns and adjectives in
western languages may actually have
similar background, too.
Puti
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Language pair: English; German
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Juha-Petri T.
March 14, 2005
# Msgs: 10
Latest: March 16, 2005
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Re:Hilf mir, Bitte? Ich habe ein Frage! II of III
Part II of III
But ignore the comedies and adventure movies you’ve seen. I met many very interesting and kind people, and I felt safe throughout my stay.
One experience in particular that I had was on a visit to the Black Forest where some friends of my family, Trudy and Otto Fetzner, had invited me to come and stay with them. After taking the train to Gernsbach, I was walking around with a sign in front of me, that said “Fetzner,” because I’d never met the Fetzner’s and wanted them to recognize me when they arrived. The platform slowly cleared of passengers and people picking them up, and I began to worry.
A couple of other people there noticed me wandering around looking like an Auslander, and began to offer help, speaking in English. They showed me how to use the phonebook and encouraged me to try calling the Fetzners. They even offered to drive me to the Fetzner’s house. But it was shortly after this that Otto showed up, and everything was fine. But I was really impressed with how friendly and helpful everyone was there at the train station in Gernsbach.
But getting back to the customs officials, they’re people with families and jobs to do. For the most part, the best thing to do is know your rights and obligations, and be prepared to answer any questions they may have. Usually, it will be things like, “are you coming to Germany for business or pleasure? How long will you be staying? Do you have anything to declare (In other words, are you bringing anything into the country that you are legally obligated to inform me about). They usually won’t dig into your luggage unless they have some reason to be suspicious of you. Don’t make any jokes that might put them in an awkward position “Anything to declare? No, nothing really, unless you count my two pounds of C4 explosives, but those don’t count, do they?” They have to take that stuff really seriously, just because the consequences of assuming you’re joking and finding out they were wrong could be so dire.
Sometimes, in times of elevated security—and now may be a good example, with war in the Middle East and so much tension in the world about terrorism, they may find it necessary to randomly search, for example, every 20th passenger, or even every passenger. It’s a real drag if that happens, but there’s nothing to be done. Remember that the customs officials aren’t enjoying it any more than you are. I can’t imagine that I would enjoy rummaging through the underwear of random strangers, and I’m sure they don’t either. They just do what they have to do to keep security. Just be patient and cooperate so you can get it over with quickly. And of course, make sure there’s nothing in your suitcase you don’t want anyone else to see. You may want to leave your Teletubbies pajamas home. Just kidding :-)
(Continued)
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Language pair: English; German
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Mark S.
March 12, 2005
# Msgs: 4
Latest: March 12, 2005
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The Art of language
Yes. But even more so than that. “Zhu4 ni3 hao3” could mean have a nice day (and does in Chinese). “Stop picking your nose, you ugly bobo” could mean have a nice day.
Yes, letters change over time, and they change quite a bit. Compare Modern English to Middle English. There was a letter in the alphabet that we don’t use anymore, what we call a “thorn” which used to represent the th sound, and looked like this þing (thing). There was another one for the voiced th sound we use in the word ðis (this). You know all of those silent letters that plague us through grammar school? Guess what? They weren’t always silent. The e’s at the ends of words, the k’s preceding n’s at the beginning? We used to pronounce them all. There were no such things as silent gh’s, because gh was always pronounced like the German “ch”.
But words change, too, and in remarkable ways. “He” used to mean “she.” And it would be really interesting if it were more widely known that “man” used to mean “human being”, and that the individual genders were called “wereman” (yes, just like “werewolf” which comes form the same word and really means “male person wolf”.) and wifeman (which later changed to woman).
And although we do resist change quite a bit, it happens anyway in spite of our best efforts. It used to be really important to know when to use “who” and when to use “whom” for example. Nowadays, we’d kind of rather everyone just use “who” in any case.
The word, “different” used to require the preposition “from” when you wanted to distinguish one thing from another: “Snow is different from sleet.” “Different than” used to work only in a comparison of differences. “Compared to water, snow is more different than sleet is” But now, people seem to prefer different than in both cases.
And there are problems when changes happen. Old farts like me get uncomfortable when you whippersnappers run around saying, “different than”s and “who should I give this to?” And we may argue about it sometimes— at least those more ornery than I who think there is such a thing as “the right way” to speak. The rest of us just feel uncomfortable, and we either get used to it or we don’t, but either way, the world spins on, and there ain’t a damn thing we can do about it.
The good thing, though, is that the language doesn’t change too fast, not like that great Mark Twain citation in message 20053. Pretty much, we can keep up with the changes if it’s important to us to do that.
But I think it’s pretty fascinating watching them happen.
Nice to see you again Dwyn! Talk to you soon.
Mark Springer
Sacramento, CA USA
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Language pair: English; German
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Mark S.
March 11, 2005
# Msgs: 10
Latest: March 16, 2005
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Re:Hilf mir, Bitte? Ich habe ein Frage! Part III of III
Part III of III
Just take it easy. Be patient and cooperative. Bring an i-pod or a good book to read in case the line ends up moving slowly.
As far as what you should do while you’re there, I’m afraid I was a little too much work and not enough play while I was there. I got out some. I ate lots of Jägerschnitzel, which I would eat every day for the rest of my life if I could. My trip to the Black Forest and to Karlsrühe was amazing. See a castle or two while you’re there. I regret that I never went to see a concentration camp or the Berlin wall when I had the chance. Such things aren’t fun, but they are very important history, and it would have had an impact on me that I would never forget. But Karlsrühe was good for me in that sense, too. Otto was showing me around, and pointing out to me where a block of buildings that all had a medieval style of architecture were suddenly broken by newer buildings. He explained to me that the newer buildings marked the sites that were struck by bombs during the war. That was pretty heavy, too, to look around and imagine firebombs falling on Karlsrühe while I stood there.
Other than that, I sadly wasted my trip to Germany, at least in the sense of getting around and enjoying Germany. I actually saw more of other parts of Europe. I was in Copenhagen and Malmö for a couple of weeks; I went to Paris a couple of times (my father-in-law-to be was there on business and my then-fiancée and I would go to meet him there. After we were married, we spent our honeymoon in Italy, and we saw Rome and a town called Paestum, a place much more popular among German tourists than those of us from the US, but Jennie and I enjoyed it a lot. I also learned how to ski in the Alps of Engleberg, Switzerland, a pleasure I’ll never forget. So it wasn’t a total loss.
I understand Eurail passes are still available. Everyone I ever knew who had been to Europe raved about what a great deal they were. You could buy a pass that would let you take the train anywhere in Europe you wanted to go over a period of time. People would travel to eight countries in two weeks, sleeping on the train and saving themselves hotel costs. I never tried it myself, but if you’ll be there a while, it could be a great deal for you too.
Anyway, I hope I’ve been of some help. I hope you have a wonderful trip. I think it is so great that you are going to Europe. Gute Fahrt!
(end)
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Language pair: English; German
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Mark S.
March 11, 2005
# Msgs: 4
Latest: March 12, 2005
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Re:Hilf mir, Bitte? Ich habe ein Frage! Part III of III
Part III of III
Just take it easy. Be patient and cooperative. Bring an i-pod or a good book to read in case the line ends up moving slowly.
As far as what you should do while you’re there, I’m afraid I was a little too much work and not enough play while I was there. I got out some. I ate lots of Jägerschnitzel, which I would eat every day for the rest of my life if I could. My trip to the Black Forest and to Karlsrühe was amazing. See a castle or two while you’re there. I regret that I never went to see a concentration camp or the Berlin wall when I had the chance. Such things aren’t fun, but they are very important history, and it would have had an impact on me that I would never forget. But Karlsrühe was good for me in that sense, too. Otto was showing me around, and pointing out to me where a block of buildings that all had a medieval style of architecture were suddenly broken by newer buildings. He explained to me that the newer buildings marked the sites that were struck by bombs during the war. That was pretty heavy, too, to look around and imagine firebombs falling on Karlsrühe while I stood there.
Other than that, I sadly wasted my trip to Germany, at least in the sense of getting around and enjoying Germany. I actually saw more of other parts of Europe. I was in Copenhagen and Malmö for a couple of weeks; I went to Paris a couple of times (my father-in-law-to be was there on business and my then-fiancée and I would go to meet him there. After we were married, we spent our honeymoon in Italy, and we saw Rome and a town called Paestum, a place much more popular among German tourists than those of us from the US, but Jennie and I enjoyed it a lot. I also learned how to ski in the Alps of Engleberg, Switzerland, a pleasure I’ll never forget. So it wasn’t a total loss.
I understand Eurail passes are still available. Everyone I ever knew who had been to Europe raved about what a great deal they were. You could buy a pass that would let you take the train anywhere in Europe you wanted to go over a period of time. People would travel to eight countries in two weeks, sleeping on the train and saving themselves hotel costs. I never tried it myself, but if you’ll be there a while, it could be a great deal for you too.
Anyway, I hope I’ve been of some help. I hope you have a wonderful trip. I think it is so great that you are going to Europe. Gute Fahrt!
(end)
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Language pair: English; German
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Mark S.
March 11, 2005
# Msgs: 4
Latest: March 12, 2005
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Re:Hilf mir, Bitte? Ich habe ein Frage! Part I of III
Part I of III
Guten Morgen, Dwyn,
Wie Gehts?
Ich habe zwo yahren in Deutschlant gewohnt.
It was many years ago, and I’m sure a lot of people can give you much more current information than I can, but I’m happy to pass along what I’ve got, such as it is.
I lived in Germany from 1984-1986. The last time I was there was in 1991, the day they took down the Berlin wall. I was on my way back to the U.S. from Turkey with an overnight stopover in Frankfurt, so I spent that night in Germany. That was really incredible.
Customs is a combination of administration and security. Customs agents are paid to enforce Germany’s laws (and those of the USA, when you speak to our own customs agents on the way back) regarding foreign citizens entering their country. They ensure that you have met all legal requirements before entering the country, and that you are not illegal importing any materials that the country finds it prudent to prohibit or to control.
The best thing you can do to make your trip through customs smooth and easy is to be educated. Check with your travel agent or your airline and make sure you know what the laws are regarding visiting Germany. For some countries, all you need is a passport. For others, you need a visa, which is a stamp in your passport that signifies that an official of German Customs has ensured that you meet all of the legal requirements to visit Germany. This is usually very basic stuff like, you’re not a convicted criminal and you have a ticket to go back home, etc. Since it’s been almost twenty years, I have no idea what the rules would be now, especially since the establishment of the EU.
Bringing things into the country is also pretty basic and straightforward. Many countries have laws regarding how much cash you can bring in with you. Certain products are often controlled for health or business reasons. You may be able to bring items into the country that are controlled but not prohibited, but you would have to pay an “import duty” or a tax for bringing such items into the country. Many countries impose “protective tariffs” in order to protect their own businesses from unfair competition by countries who are able to produce certain products much more cheaply than they can in their own country. Tariffs may be imposed on certain products, and your travel agent should have a list of such things. If you plan to bring just your clothes and personal items into the country, you should have nothing to worry about.
For most of us, this is much more of a problem coming back. We got really excited about the wonderful cheeses in the Black Forest, or spent €100 on a wonderful cuckoo clock, only to discover that we have to pay customs another $60 to bring it home into the US. Be sure you know the rules that will apply to you before you make such purchases if you want to avoid some very unpleasant experiences.
(Continued)
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Language pair: English; German
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Mark S.
March 11, 2005
# Msgs: 4
Latest: March 12, 2005
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Re: What would you choose? Why?
> Enjoying the material possessions of life, and never taking major risks, or living with immaterial values and taking big risks.
Quite many people fall outside of both categories.
However, thinking just the "risk" part of the question, I would take some level of risk, if I can gain something useful (like skills or knowledge) in exchange. Therefore I would consider jumping with a parachute, but probably would not take a benji jump. Flying with a glider parachute would be yet better, because it would teach me how to fly.
Puti
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Language pair: English; German
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Juha-Petri T.
March 9, 2005
# Msgs: 5
Latest: March 30, 2005
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Re:Something to think about.
As far as I know, the Roman letters,
together with all other scripts of same
origin, are descendants of images or
hieroglyphs. The letter A was originally
a head of an ox, and B was a house; even
its Hebrew name "beth" can be taken
to mean "house". The letters went through
many transformations before they ended up
into the shape in which we use them now.
Therefore also the strange-looking Greek,
Hebrew, or other letters are actually the
same A's and B's we use, they have just
gone through a slightly different changes
in their shape.
A similar process exists in Chinese, too.
A Chinese character corresponds one
monosyllabic word, and the character is
more or less the image of the object
the word describes. However, when
a Chinese writer writes foreign words
whose meaning he does not understand,
he must use the characters phonetically,
regardless of what objects they depict.
This is why the name "Finland", pronounced
in Chinese as "Fenlan", is written with
two characters meaning "the fragrance of
an orchid", even though orchids have
no real relationship with our northern,
snowy country. However, many Chinese have
become interested in Finland, because
"it has so beautiful name".
Korean script is a conscious and sudden
invention, and therefore the shape of the
letters has also been decided in
a definite manner: at least the consonants
are supposed to describe the shape of lips
or tongue when the consonant is
pronounced.
Puti
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Language pair: English; German
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Juha-Petri T.
March 3, 2005
# Msgs: 10
Latest: March 16, 2005
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Re:What would you choose? Why?
1.) Cats or Dogs?
Neither. I prefer to have a pet only if the pet prefers to have me. If I am forced to pick one, I will take the cat, as it is easier to keep, and with no loyalty to its keeper it is probably better equipped to make itself comfortable with human beings.
2.) A female [...] or a male president meeting your requirements?
What is wrong with emperors? :-)
We could also try a government with no single leader.
3.) A car or a truck?
A truck. It can serve as a car, while a car cannot serve as a truck. A helium blimp might be yet better.
4.) To study abroad, or in the U.S?
Abroad. "Abroad" is many countries, while U.S. is only one country.
5.) To learn 20 languages [...] or just 1 language [...] ?
20 languages, provided I have time to learn them. In practice I already have to satisfy with less.
6.) To go back in time and fix a mistake, [...] or leaving the past behind [...]
A third option would be to create something beneficial in the present time to compensate for the mistake.
7.) Reading or writing?
8.) Teaching or learning?
These cannot and should not be mutually exclusive alternatives.
9.) Indoors or outdoors?
My hobbies are indoors, but if I were forced to choose, I would feel like a prisoner in both.
10.) Enjoying what you have in life, or enjoying life itself?
"Life itself" contains plenty of "having". Do you mean to contrast material things with immaterial ones? This world is made of materials even though its people may have immaterial values. Therefore the choice cannot be made in a pure, absolute form.
Puti
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Language pair: English; German
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Juha-Petri T.
March 2, 2005
# Msgs: 5
Latest: March 30, 2005
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