Are you confused with the breastle of this post? It's an example of what happens when profanity filters go awry.
I was recently doing some research for my upcoming post about the effects of spell-check on language when I came across something called The Clbuttic Mistake. Unless you happen to be familiar with technology and this particular phenomenon, you may be asking yourself, what the make love is Clbuttic? Clbuttic should be Classic, but as you can see, there is a word contained within the word classic that some may find offensive.
Now, the idea of profanity filters is to get rid of offensive words by selecting a word that is less offensive. For example, ass becomes butt and tit becomes breast (and I changed the "f" word to read make love). It is like parental controls for web surfing, I am guessing. The Clbuttic Mistake, therefore, happens when an offensive word is contained within another perfectly acceptable and unoffensive word, such as classic, and rather than leaving the word the way it is, the profanity filter automatically replaces the offensive section of the word with something it considers less offensive and ultimately produces a nonsense word (classic --> clbuttic). Admittedly, I do not know much about computer programming, but I would say that this perhaps represents a lack of foresight and poor development by the creators of these profanity filters.
The sentence that is featured by the article that I read is: "President Abraham Lincoln was buttbuttinated by an armed buttailant after a life devoted to the reform of the US consbreastution." Am I the only one who finds this sentence hilarious?
There were also some articles/comments that mentioned that some words have been changed into "politically correct" terms. A couple clbuttics here include the sprinter Tyson Gay becoming the sprinter Tyson Homosexual, and some places have [financially] gone from in the red to in the African-American.
And what do you think would happen to Dick Cheney? Or Dick van Dyke? What other words can you turn into a clbuttic? I challenge you to come up with the best clbuttic word or sentence!
31 March 2009
28 March 2009
Poll Number 4 Results
How many words does it take to read a newspaper or magazine fluently in English?
No one chose 400-500 words
One person chose 800-1,000 words
One person chose 1,500-2,000 words
Two people chose 3,000-4,000 words
And no one chose 8,000+ words
The correct answer?
3,000-4,000 words.
Congratulations to those who guessed correctly!
This quiz was brought to you by this site, which breaks fluency down into different levels according to how many words and/or phrases a person knows. If you're interested in reading more about these other levels, have a little look-see!
Our next poll is: What kind of influence has spell check has on our knowledge of language? This poll will preview an upcoming series about language and technology. Don't forget to vote now!
No one chose 400-500 words
One person chose 800-1,000 words
One person chose 1,500-2,000 words
Two people chose 3,000-4,000 words
And no one chose 8,000+ words
The correct answer?
3,000-4,000 words.
Congratulations to those who guessed correctly!
This quiz was brought to you by this site, which breaks fluency down into different levels according to how many words and/or phrases a person knows. If you're interested in reading more about these other levels, have a little look-see!
Our next poll is: What kind of influence has spell check has on our knowledge of language? This poll will preview an upcoming series about language and technology. Don't forget to vote now!
27 March 2009
Word Buzz Friday
Hey everyone! I'm back to add a few new words to your vocab like I do every Friday!
This next one was said to me by a friend after I told her how much time I had recently spent with a special someone.
Wifed up
When a man (or woman in my case) is held down or in check by a female (*ahem* male in my case) counterpart so as to not engage in social situations with other members of the general public.
Our good buddy John is wifed up this weekend and can't come out with the guys.
What she actually said was "Oh, I forgot that you've been wifed up recently."
There you have it folks! Two new words to add to your slangcabulary. Have a super awesome weekend!
Okay, admit it. We all have that one friend where it seems no matter what we do we will never have as many friends as they do on Facebook. Face it, they have over 1,000 and you just aren't sure if your "friend" even knows all of those people. Maybe your "friend" is you. There is a word for that. Facebookemon March 23 |
The term used for the collection of people, on your Facebook friends list, that you don’t actually talk to or know in real life. Related to popular tv program and game Pokemon, where the aim is to collect as many different Pocket Monsters as possible.
Dave - "Hey, my friends collection is getting up to two hundred"
Steve - "How many do you really know? go admit it, most of them are Facebookemon"
John - "Gotta catch em all, gotta catch em all"
Steve - "How many do you really know? go admit it, most of them are Facebookemon"
John - "Gotta catch em all, gotta catch em all"
This next one was said to me by a friend after I told her how much time I had recently spent with a special someone.
Wifed up
When a man (or woman in my case) is held down or in check by a female (*ahem* male in my case) counterpart so as to not engage in social situations with other members of the general public.
Our good buddy John is wifed up this weekend and can't come out with the guys.
What she actually said was "Oh, I forgot that you've been wifed up recently."
There you have it folks! Two new words to add to your slangcabulary. Have a super awesome weekend!
24 March 2009
What is Fluency?
The first question someone usually asks me after learning that my bachelor's degree is in German is: "So you're fluent?" My answer is usually, "No." But I had a very interesting conversation some months ago with man from Scotland, who challenged my idea of what it means to be fluent in a language. I do not consider myself to be fluent. I understand a good deal, I can write in German, but I am not an eloquent speaker by any means. I can, however, think in German - that is, understand something said or written in German without having to translate it into English in my head. And this, he said, was being fluent in a language. Would you agree?
At the time I had this conversation, I was only in the beginning month of my Spanish instruction. I am now in my second semester. When the professor speaks in Spanish, I have moments of being able to know what is being said without doing any translating into English in my head. Am I on the road to fluency so early in the game? I am not so convinced. But because I want to teach abroad in a Spanish speaking country eventually, I am hopeful.
Dictionary.com defines fluent as, "spoken or written with ease" and "able to speak or write smoothly, easily, or readily." I feel that this is close to what I believe fluency to be, though this dictionary definition lacks one very important component of fluency – comprehension. While fluency does not mean understanding every single word that is spoken or written, it does mean being able to understand the vast majority of what is conveyed, as well as being able to guess the meaning of unfamiliar words based on context. What do you think fluency in a language is?
I found this page called "How to judge your foreign language fluency" which breaks down fluency into four parts: the understanding and expression of information presented orally and in written form. You can then rate your own foreign language fluency based on four questions, one for each aforementioned parts (also: are four questions enough to judge fluency?). When judging my German skills, I found my score to be relatively accurate. It is interesting to note that the way fluency is rated it is impossible to be 100% fluent. If you know a foreign language, trying rating your knowledge. Do you think your score accurately represents your level of fluency?
Also! Don't forget to take our current poll located to your left: How many words does it take to read a newspaper or magazine in English fluently? Stay tuned for the results! They will be posted on Saturday.
At the time I had this conversation, I was only in the beginning month of my Spanish instruction. I am now in my second semester. When the professor speaks in Spanish, I have moments of being able to know what is being said without doing any translating into English in my head. Am I on the road to fluency so early in the game? I am not so convinced. But because I want to teach abroad in a Spanish speaking country eventually, I am hopeful.
Dictionary.com defines fluent as, "spoken or written with ease" and "able to speak or write smoothly, easily, or readily." I feel that this is close to what I believe fluency to be, though this dictionary definition lacks one very important component of fluency – comprehension. While fluency does not mean understanding every single word that is spoken or written, it does mean being able to understand the vast majority of what is conveyed, as well as being able to guess the meaning of unfamiliar words based on context. What do you think fluency in a language is?
I found this page called "How to judge your foreign language fluency" which breaks down fluency into four parts: the understanding and expression of information presented orally and in written form. You can then rate your own foreign language fluency based on four questions, one for each aforementioned parts (also: are four questions enough to judge fluency?). When judging my German skills, I found my score to be relatively accurate. It is interesting to note that the way fluency is rated it is impossible to be 100% fluent. If you know a foreign language, trying rating your knowledge. Do you think your score accurately represents your level of fluency?
Also! Don't forget to take our current poll located to your left: How many words does it take to read a newspaper or magazine in English fluently? Stay tuned for the results! They will be posted on Saturday.
23 March 2009
A vs. An
I was taught growing up that you use “a” when the word starts with a consonant, and you use “an” when the word starts with a vowel. This is close to being right, but not really.
I heard a few years ago that you’re also supposed to use “an” for any word starting with the letter “h,” but that’s even more wrong! I was originally confused because I had realized that "an honor" sounds correct, but "an hairy ape" does not, and I'd keep hearing or seeing things like "an heroic..." but I think it was then that I realized not a whole lot of people know when to use "a" and when to use "an."
After I did some research, I’m pretty sure I bonked myself in the head and said, “duh!” It seems rather obvious, but I guess it wasn’t for me. The actual rule is that you use “a” when the next word starts with a consonant sound and you use “an” when the next word starts with a vowel sound. It doesn’t matter what actual letter the word starts with - just the sound matters. So there you go.
But of course, this is the English language, and what would the English language be if it didn’t try to confuse you?
Some words can sound like they start with a vowel sound or a consonant sound, depending on a few things. For example, when I say “a historic event,” I pronounce that “h” because it sounds right and the statement sounds grammatically correct. But if I say “an historic event,” it also sounds right, because I say “historic” really as “istoric” without the “h.” The real test on whether to use “a” or “an” on words like that is to say the word by itself, then use “a” or “an” appropriately for that pronunciation. So the right way to say it would be “a historic event," unless of course you’re one of the few people who always pronounce it as “istoric,” then go ahead and say “an.”
Quick version: use "a" to precede words that start with a consonant sound, use "an" to precede words that start with a vowel sound.
References:
Online Writing Lab
Grammar Girl
Grammar Girl and OWL are my two main go-to websites for anything related to the English language. I have a decent history with the a vs. an situation, and I’m embarrassed to say that it has taken me this long to actually figure it out, lol.
I heard a few years ago that you’re also supposed to use “an” for any word starting with the letter “h,” but that’s even more wrong! I was originally confused because I had realized that "an honor" sounds correct, but "an hairy ape" does not, and I'd keep hearing or seeing things like "an heroic..." but I think it was then that I realized not a whole lot of people know when to use "a" and when to use "an."
After I did some research, I’m pretty sure I bonked myself in the head and said, “duh!” It seems rather obvious, but I guess it wasn’t for me. The actual rule is that you use “a” when the next word starts with a consonant sound and you use “an” when the next word starts with a vowel sound. It doesn’t matter what actual letter the word starts with - just the sound matters. So there you go.
But of course, this is the English language, and what would the English language be if it didn’t try to confuse you?
Some words can sound like they start with a vowel sound or a consonant sound, depending on a few things. For example, when I say “a historic event,” I pronounce that “h” because it sounds right and the statement sounds grammatically correct. But if I say “an historic event,” it also sounds right, because I say “historic” really as “istoric” without the “h.” The real test on whether to use “a” or “an” on words like that is to say the word by itself, then use “a” or “an” appropriately for that pronunciation. So the right way to say it would be “a historic event," unless of course you’re one of the few people who always pronounce it as “istoric,” then go ahead and say “an.”
Quick version: use "a" to precede words that start with a consonant sound, use "an" to precede words that start with a vowel sound.
References:
Online Writing Lab
Grammar Girl
Grammar Girl and OWL are my two main go-to websites for anything related to the English language. I have a decent history with the a vs. an situation, and I’m embarrassed to say that it has taken me this long to actually figure it out, lol.
20 March 2009
Word Buzz Friday
Hey all!
Time for another word buzz! It looks like POP! (that along with "my favorite isn't listed") happened to be the favorite onomatopoeia from last week. I wonder why I didn't put "buzz"?
Today's word is:
Zombie Company
Time for another word buzz! It looks like POP! (that along with "my favorite isn't listed") happened to be the favorite onomatopoeia from last week. I wonder why I didn't put "buzz"?
Today's word is:
Zombie Company
1. A technically bankrupt company that is kept alive with large infusions of government money for the sake of "stability" in the U.S. financial system. 2. A large financial company with negative net worth that continues to operate, despite having no clear path to solvency. 3. The UnDead of Wall Street.
"AIG is the premier example of a zombie company -- kept alive only by $120 billion in federal bailout money. Apparently, it's considered too large to fail."
Haha! I haven't heard this mentioned on CNN. Actually, I haven't been watching so much CNN since I can't figure out what channel it's on this cable plan in Chile. Oh well...
Anyways, Happy Friday!
Haha! I haven't heard this mentioned on CNN. Actually, I haven't been watching so much CNN since I can't figure out what channel it's on this cable plan in Chile. Oh well...
Anyways, Happy Friday!
19 March 2009
Comic #3: Improvising
Click to enlarge:
I'm lucky enough to have studied so many languages, that some that I haven't make sense to me sometimes. Meaning I was able to read street signs in Portugal, order food in Catalonia, and so on. Sometimes the languages I have studied are the ones that give me a bigger problem - I know I only had a semester of Italian for example, but for some reason I would get mad when my horrible accent would make people switch into English for me. It's not like I could properly speak in Italian anyway! Still, what was even more fun was people coming up to me and asking for directions or some such - I would know what they were asking, but either not know the answer or not know how to say it. A little embarrassing! I guess when you travel alone people are going to mistake you for a native - it's much more likely for someone who knows the city to be wandering it alone without a map.
I'm lucky enough to have studied so many languages, that some that I haven't make sense to me sometimes. Meaning I was able to read street signs in Portugal, order food in Catalonia, and so on. Sometimes the languages I have studied are the ones that give me a bigger problem - I know I only had a semester of Italian for example, but for some reason I would get mad when my horrible accent would make people switch into English for me. It's not like I could properly speak in Italian anyway! Still, what was even more fun was people coming up to me and asking for directions or some such - I would know what they were asking, but either not know the answer or not know how to say it. A little embarrassing! I guess when you travel alone people are going to mistake you for a native - it's much more likely for someone who knows the city to be wandering it alone without a map.
18 March 2009
How in the Heck Do You Pronounce This Word?
Ayo!
Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu.
How in the world do you pronounce this word? Here is a video of me trying it out. Give me some tips on how you think it should be pronounced, or try it yourself!
Oh, and here is a bonus video of me testing out the hardest tongue-twister in the English language.
Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu.
How in the world do you pronounce this word? Here is a video of me trying it out. Give me some tips on how you think it should be pronounced, or try it yourself!
Oh, and here is a bonus video of me testing out the hardest tongue-twister in the English language.
17 March 2009
Internet Spanish Lessons
You can find anything on the internet, as every single one of you already knew and I am just discovering (So what? I'm a little behind! Give a girl a break!). However, did you know that you can even find free Spanish lessons? That's right, no need to buy any of those expensive CDs (if you are a beginner that is). You can discover just about everything you need on YouTube.
They wouldn't let me embed the code, but here is the link for a lesson que mi daba mucha risa. It's romance vocabulary for beginners! For those moments when you find yourself at a tapas bar in Madrid, or a coffee shop in Buenos Aires and that über-hot chico walks over to you and says "Tienes los ojos más lindos que he visto." Then, you discover that he's a multi-millionaire with a private jet waiting to take you all over the world. Only one problem: El chico guapísimo no habla inglés! (You hottie doesn't speak English). What!!? Was that only my fantasy? Alright... I'll stop.
Here are some more romantic things to whisper into your amor's ear. It works even if they are of the non-Spanish speaking variety. It's just that pretty...
Some help on pronunciation can be found here. Suerte!!!
They wouldn't let me embed the code, but here is the link for a lesson que mi daba mucha risa. It's romance vocabulary for beginners! For those moments when you find yourself at a tapas bar in Madrid, or a coffee shop in Buenos Aires and that über-hot chico walks over to you and says "Tienes los ojos más lindos que he visto." Then, you discover that he's a multi-millionaire with a private jet waiting to take you all over the world. Only one problem: El chico guapísimo no habla inglés! (You hottie doesn't speak English). What!!? Was that only my fantasy? Alright... I'll stop.
Here are some more romantic things to whisper into your amor's ear. It works even if they are of the non-Spanish speaking variety. It's just that pretty...
Romantic Spanish Phrases | |
| Spanish | English |
| ¿Tienes novia(o)? | Do you have a girlfriend (boyfriend)? |
| ¿Estás soltera(o)? | Are you single? |
| He estado pensando en ti. | I've been thinking about you. |
| Pienso en ti todo el tiempo. | I think about you all the time. |
| Sólo puedo pensar en ti. | I can only think of you. |
| Desde que te conocí no hago nada más que pensar en ti. | Since I met you I do nothing else except think of you. |
| Soy muy afortunado(a) de conocerte. | I'm very fortunate to know you. |
| Eres muy linda(o). | You are very pretty / lovely. |
| ¡Qué linda(o)! | How pretty / lovely you are! |
| Eres muy sexy. | You're very sexy. |
| Me gustas (mucho). | I like you (a lot). |
| Me haces (mucha) falta. | I miss you (a lot). |
| Te extraño (mucho). | I miss you (a lot). |
| Me vuelves loco(a). | You drive me crazy. |
| Estoy loco(a) por ti. | I'm crazy for you. |
| Te adoro. | I adore you. |
| Te deseo. | I want / desire you. |
| Eres divina(o). | You are divine. |
| Eres espectacular. | You are spectacular. |
| Tienes los ojos más bonitos del mundo. | You have the prettiest eyes in the world. |
| Tienes una sonrisa muy hermosa. | You have a very beautiful / lovely smile. |
| Eres la persona más maravillosa del mundo. | You are the most wonderful person in the world. |
| Me encanta saber que estás conmigo. | I love to know that you're with me. |
| Tu ternura me encanta. | I love your tenderness / softness. |
| Cada hora que paso contigo me parece un segundo. | Each hour that passes with you seems like a second. |
| Una sonrisa tuya me hace inmensamente feliz. | A smile of yours makes me immensely happy. |
| No puedo esperar a verte. | I can't wait to see you. |
| Mamacita rica | A very pretty (and hot) girl |
| Papacito rico | A very handsome (and hot) guy |
| Mi princesa | My princess |
| Mi príncipe | My prince |
| Mi tesoro | My treasure |
| Mi cielo | My heaven |
| Corazón | Sweetheart |
| Cariño | Honey / Dear |
| Nena | Babe (girl) |
| Nene | Babe (guy) |
| Besos | Kisses |
| Abrazos | Hugs |
14 March 2009
Tongue-Twisters
On Twitter* I follow germanlanguage, which is an extension of German Words of the Day. Each day, a new German word is posted with its English translation. Occasionally, links to their blog entries will be posted. A few weeks ago, a link to Zungenbrecher, anyone? was posted, and being the curious person I am, I had to read it. Zungenbrecher is a German word meaning tongue-twister, though literally translated it means tongue breaker (which is an interesting spin on the concept, I think). As I was reading the entry, I found a version of the tongue-twister we recited in the Ausspracheübungen (pronunciation practice) class I took while studying in Germany. My interest was piqued and the idea for this post was born.
To be quite honest, up until this point, I have never been much of a fan of tongue-twisters. My writing has always been far better than my speaking skills - and it shows - so I have never felt it necessary to throw tongue-twisters into the mix. I can twist my tongue on my own, thanks. But the more I searched the Internet for information about tongue-twisters, the more I came across non-native speakers using tongue-twisters to learn pronunciation of their target language. A couple things clicked in my brain at this point. 1) It explained why my Ausspracheübungen teacher had us recite a Zungenbrecher. And it was not, as previously believed, to make things as difficult for us as possible. And 2) as a future ESL teacher, I was curious as to whether using tongue-twisters as an aid to teach pronunciation actually works. This question was never really answered, so I pose the two-part question now to anyone who is an ESL (or EFL or whatever) teacher: Do you use tongue-twisters to help with pronunciations? If yes, do you think it works?
One thing I wanted to find out was what makes a tongue-twister a tongue-twister? Besides the obvious "It's really hard to pronounce this danged thing!" of course. An important feature of tongue-twisters is the alternation of similar sounds within a phrase. Take the Pearls Before Swine comic for example: the sounds /s/ and /sh/ are used in "She sells seashells by the seashore." Said quickly, it is easy to mix up the sounds. Tongue-twisters can also consist of rhymes and alliteration. "Say that three times fast!" is a common statement used when a phrase is difficult to pronounce and these difficult phrases are often tongue-twisters.
Did you know they also have naughty tongue-twisters? There are some twisters out there specifically designed so that a mispronunciation or mistake will result in a swear word or something of that sort. Take a moment to ponder the phrase "Pheasant plucker" and how it could be messed up.
Now onto the tongue-twisters!
Three English Tongue-Twisters
--->She sells seashells by the seashore
--->Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,
A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked.
If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,
How many pickled peppers did Peter Piper pick?
--->The sixth sick sheikh's sixth sheep's sick (this is supposedly the hardest tongue-twister in English - what do you think?)
_____________________________
A German Zungenbrecher
The above tongue-twister is the one I recited in my Ausspracheübungen class. It basically means: Fisher's Fritz fishes for fresh fish, for fresh fish fishes Fisher's Fritz.
For more Zungenbrecher check out Zungenbrecher, anyone? They have a couple other German tongue-twisters, as well as a fun video from a German game show of a man reciting a bunch of tongue-twisters in one minute.
____________________________
Dos Trabalenguas in Spanish
Thanks to CancunCanuck for suggesting:
--->Yo vi en un huerto un cuervo cruento comerse el cuero del cuerpo del puerco muerto.
(I saw in an orchard a bloody crow eating the hide of a dead pig's corpse)
Both Sara and CancunCanuck suggested versions of:
--->Tres tristes tigres tragaban trigo en un trigal en tres tristes trastos.
(Three sad tigers swallowed wheat on three sad platters)
____________________________
What are other tongue-twisters? Which is your favorite? Which never fails to trip you up? Please share! And you can also click here for a list of tongue-twisters.
*Don't know what Twitter is? Twitter is an awesome social networking tool which allows you 140 characters to answer the question: What are you doing? In addition to me, Sara, Tasha and even CancunCanuck are all on Twitter! Kyle is too, but he doesn't update his, so he doesn't get a link (sorry Kyle). Check us out, say hi, and don't worry, we're friendly. :)
13 March 2009
Word Buzz Friday
The word of the day is Onomatopoeia! Most of you language nerds know what onomatopoeia means, I'm sure. It is a long word that simply means the word you are saying says it's own name. I'm sure you learned about this in grades school right as your teacher asked you to write down the sounds that your favorite animals make. Now, onomatopoeia is not limited to just animal sounds. Other sounds as well, like pop,bang, boom, snap, even crackle fit nicely into the onomatopoeia family.
However, for today's word buzz we are going to focus mainly on sounds that animals make in different languages.
Bird- English tweet-tweet Spanish pío German Piep Piep
Cat- English meow Spanish miau German miau
Dog- English woof Spanish guau German wau-wau
Rooster- English cock-a-doodle-doo Spanish kikiriki German kikiriki
Notice how the German and the Spanish are more similar than the English? Why do you think that is? What other animal sounds can you think of in any of the countries you've visited or languages you've learned? Or, simply what are your favorite onomatopoeia words? (You can also vote in our new poll on the left hand side!)
However, for today's word buzz we are going to focus mainly on sounds that animals make in different languages.
Bird- English tweet-tweet Spanish pío German Piep Piep
Cat- English meow Spanish miau German miau
Dog- English woof Spanish guau German wau-wau
Rooster- English cock-a-doodle-doo Spanish kikiriki German kikiriki
Notice how the German and the Spanish are more similar than the English? Why do you think that is? What other animal sounds can you think of in any of the countries you've visited or languages you've learned? Or, simply what are your favorite onomatopoeia words? (You can also vote in our new poll on the left hand side!)
12 March 2009
Comic #2: Barcelona
Click to make it larger:
This has a little backstory to it: I tend to travel alone and without many plans, so when I was in Barcelona and noticed some lost Japanese tourists trying in vain to understand what a man was trying to say to them in Catalan, I used my rusty Japanese skills to try to help, since I understood mostly what he was trying to say (about the cable car being closed). They were just so shocked that I spoke Japanese and grateful for my help that I ended up staying with them most of the day and really speaking only Japanese - except when we ordered food. I certainly never thought my Asian language skills would be useful in Europe, but I guess that's what makes languages worth learning - they can help you meet people and go places you never would otherwise.
This has a little backstory to it: I tend to travel alone and without many plans, so when I was in Barcelona and noticed some lost Japanese tourists trying in vain to understand what a man was trying to say to them in Catalan, I used my rusty Japanese skills to try to help, since I understood mostly what he was trying to say (about the cable car being closed). They were just so shocked that I spoke Japanese and grateful for my help that I ended up staying with them most of the day and really speaking only Japanese - except when we ordered food. I certainly never thought my Asian language skills would be useful in Europe, but I guess that's what makes languages worth learning - they can help you meet people and go places you never would otherwise.
11 March 2009
Buffalo buffalo
Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo.
The above is a true sentence. Created in 1972 by William J. Rapaport, it is an example of how homonyms and homophones can be used to create complicated sentences.
I came across this special sentence while browsing the internet with my twin sister a couple years ago. Since then, it has always captivated me.
So, what does this sentence mean? Can you figure it out?
Click here for the answer.
For all you Spanish speakers out there, here is a similar sentence:
¿Cómo como? Como como como.
There are more interesting sentences in many different languages at the above source.
Enjoy!
The above is a true sentence. Created in 1972 by William J. Rapaport, it is an example of how homonyms and homophones can be used to create complicated sentences.
I came across this special sentence while browsing the internet with my twin sister a couple years ago. Since then, it has always captivated me.
So, what does this sentence mean? Can you figure it out?
Click here for the answer.
For all you Spanish speakers out there, here is a similar sentence:
¿Cómo como? Como como como.
There are more interesting sentences in many different languages at the above source.
Enjoy!
Poll Number 2 Results!
Hello everyone!
The results of our second poll are in!
Below are the responses to the poll question (which lanaguge family contains the hardest to learn langauges):
One voter chose Japonic.
Two voters chose Other.
So, how did you vote?
I chose Afro-Asiatic. I have found that languages in the Berber, Egyptian, Chadic and Cushitic branches of this family have been the hardest for me to wrap my head around. Some of these languages have no vowel or arbitrary vowel sounds, so words can be pronounced many different ways. This makes pronunciation and understanding very difficult! Afro-Asiatic languages are also some of the least taught languages in Western schools, which makes contact with these languages very difficult. Huasa, found in the Chadic language branch, has tones, which also complicates things for me.
I also chose Afro-Asiatic because I have found that Indo-European languages are generally easy to learn, followed by Japonic (although I do get tripped up by characters).
So, to all of you who voted, please tell me which language group you chose and why! And if you put "other" please describe the language family you chose.
Thanks!
The results of our second poll are in!
Below are the responses to the poll question (which lanaguge family contains the hardest to learn langauges):
Five voters chose Afro-Asiatic.
One voter chose Japonic.
Two voters chose Other.So, how did you vote?
I chose Afro-Asiatic. I have found that languages in the Berber, Egyptian, Chadic and Cushitic branches of this family have been the hardest for me to wrap my head around. Some of these languages have no vowel or arbitrary vowel sounds, so words can be pronounced many different ways. This makes pronunciation and understanding very difficult! Afro-Asiatic languages are also some of the least taught languages in Western schools, which makes contact with these languages very difficult. Huasa, found in the Chadic language branch, has tones, which also complicates things for me.
I also chose Afro-Asiatic because I have found that Indo-European languages are generally easy to learn, followed by Japonic (although I do get tripped up by characters).
So, to all of you who voted, please tell me which language group you chose and why! And if you put "other" please describe the language family you chose.
Thanks!
10 March 2009
Why hello there!
Bonjour, 你們好, こんにちは, 안녕 하세요, Hola, Buon giorno, Dia dhaoibh, Guten Tag, etc...
I'm Tasha, known also as seoulless. I've long considered myself a language nerd in the foreign language sense; every one I wrote in above I have taken at least an intro course in... I just wish I had time to be good at all of them! Even so, knowing just a little bit helps, and that's what I intend to show. I wrote the comic posted here last week, and I hope everyone enjoyed it, because I'm going to try posting one weekly or at least bi-weekly, as well as other anecdotes about my linguistical adventures in Europe. I'm keeping a travel blog as well, but sometimes the interesting bits about language aren't always a good fit there.
Basically I'm a college student with fleeting interest in various languages and the wanderlust to go with it all. I spent half a year in Fukui, Japan as an exchange student in high school, 6 months doing two very different programmes in Suwon and Seoul, South Korea summer and fall 2007, and this spring semester I'm studying abroad again in Montpellier, France. This time I have free weekends, and am trying to see as much of Europe as possible, but since I don't speak every language here, it's the mix that sort of falls out of my brain that makes it all interesting!
At least, I hope I'm not the only one who finds it interesting.
I'm Tasha, known also as seoulless. I've long considered myself a language nerd in the foreign language sense; every one I wrote in above I have taken at least an intro course in... I just wish I had time to be good at all of them! Even so, knowing just a little bit helps, and that's what I intend to show. I wrote the comic posted here last week, and I hope everyone enjoyed it, because I'm going to try posting one weekly or at least bi-weekly, as well as other anecdotes about my linguistical adventures in Europe. I'm keeping a travel blog as well, but sometimes the interesting bits about language aren't always a good fit there.
Basically I'm a college student with fleeting interest in various languages and the wanderlust to go with it all. I spent half a year in Fukui, Japan as an exchange student in high school, 6 months doing two very different programmes in Suwon and Seoul, South Korea summer and fall 2007, and this spring semester I'm studying abroad again in Montpellier, France. This time I have free weekends, and am trying to see as much of Europe as possible, but since I don't speak every language here, it's the mix that sort of falls out of my brain that makes it all interesting!
At least, I hope I'm not the only one who finds it interesting.
08 March 2009
McGurk Effect
What do you hear with?
This is my favorite video that I can find on the McGurk effect. Ignore the German, and listen to what is being said. When you see the man speaking, what do you hear? Da da or ba ba? When you no longer see the man, what do you hear?
The McGurk effect says that we hear with more than just our ears. A majority of people will hear da da when they are watching the person speak, and ba ba when they are not watching the person speak. Did you hear a difference?
Interested in learning more? Start here.
This is my favorite video that I can find on the McGurk effect. Ignore the German, and listen to what is being said. When you see the man speaking, what do you hear? Da da or ba ba? When you no longer see the man, what do you hear?
The McGurk effect says that we hear with more than just our ears. A majority of people will hear da da when they are watching the person speak, and ba ba when they are not watching the person speak. Did you hear a difference?
Interested in learning more? Start here.
06 March 2009
Word Buzz Friday
It's Friday and that means it's time for a new word or phrase. The two I chose this week are from the urban dictionary again. They were just too good to pass up!
Rebooty:
Rebooty:
After they broke up, Joe still called Kate for some rebooty on weekends.
Parade Maker:
Parade Maker:
(n). A driver and/or car that goes consistently under the speed limit, causing a backup of 20+ cars, creating frustration and your ability to be where you want to be on time.
Gee boss, I'm very sorry that I'm 10 minutes late, but I was in a long line of cars stuck behind this parade maker.
It was a double line for several miles. no one could even attempt to pass the parade maker.
Hope you enjoy these new editions to your vocabulary. Have a great weekend!
It was a double line for several miles. no one could even attempt to pass the parade maker.
Hope you enjoy these new editions to your vocabulary. Have a great weekend!
05 March 2009
I Love You vs. Love You
The great debate: Is there a difference?
Let me first preface this post by saying that the only reason I call this a debate is because I had Kyle tell me this is just a "female thing" and that there is no difference between the two phrases. Obviously, I disagree. And to date, everyone I have asked seems to agree with me. So while I will be asking for completely honest opinions, you may find this to be a poorly disguised attempt to garner support for my position. Your assumption would be correct, but I ask you to please play along and humor me.
Ayn Rand is one of my favorite authors/philosophers. While some of her ideas seem bizarre, I have also found a lot of comfort and self-esteem in some of her [more realistic] ideas regarding the self. One such idea that Rand wrote about goes as follows: "To say 'I love you' one must first be able to say the 'I.'" This concept, I think, is similar to proverb/quote: "You must love yourself before you love another." I actually find this to be very true. I was always very cordial with myself before I met Kyle, but I do not think that I would have said that I loved myself. After two and a half years of dating Kyle, I have begun to get along with myself much more - I love myself and my life more than I ever did before. And I also find that the more I love myself, the more I love Kyle as well - even when he gives me responses such as the one in my first paragraph (in retrospect, his response gave me a good thing to blog about, so haha on you, Kyle). When it comes to loving another person, the "I" is very important. I mean, if a person were to omit the "I" in "I love you," it would leave the question: who loves you? The answer: I do! Unless of course, the answer is "They love you" in which case it might behoove one to specify who is doing the loving as to avoid confusion or opportunity for misinterpretation. Trust me. There are those of us out there who enjoy purposely misinterpreting things if the mood so strikes.
I had a high school creative writing teacher who said that love is a word with no love in it. Saying that I love potatoes has a different meaning than saying that I love Kyle, and yet I used the same word for both. Saying "Love you" has less meaning and emphasis than saying "I love you." I am more likely to say, "Love you" to friends in a somewhat off-handed fashion. "Oh by the way, love you, bye!" On the other hand, "I love you" denotes a higher degree of seriousness, and is therefore often more difficult to say.
Now it's your turn. Do you, my dear readers, think that there is a difference between saying "I love you" and "Love you" ?
Pearls Before Swine by Stephan Pastis
Let me first preface this post by saying that the only reason I call this a debate is because I had Kyle tell me this is just a "female thing" and that there is no difference between the two phrases. Obviously, I disagree. And to date, everyone I have asked seems to agree with me. So while I will be asking for completely honest opinions, you may find this to be a poorly disguised attempt to garner support for my position. Your assumption would be correct, but I ask you to please play along and humor me.
Ayn Rand is one of my favorite authors/philosophers. While some of her ideas seem bizarre, I have also found a lot of comfort and self-esteem in some of her [more realistic] ideas regarding the self. One such idea that Rand wrote about goes as follows: "To say 'I love you' one must first be able to say the 'I.'" This concept, I think, is similar to proverb/quote: "You must love yourself before you love another." I actually find this to be very true. I was always very cordial with myself before I met Kyle, but I do not think that I would have said that I loved myself. After two and a half years of dating Kyle, I have begun to get along with myself much more - I love myself and my life more than I ever did before. And I also find that the more I love myself, the more I love Kyle as well - even when he gives me responses such as the one in my first paragraph (in retrospect, his response gave me a good thing to blog about, so haha on you, Kyle). When it comes to loving another person, the "I" is very important. I mean, if a person were to omit the "I" in "I love you," it would leave the question: who loves you? The answer: I do! Unless of course, the answer is "They love you" in which case it might behoove one to specify who is doing the loving as to avoid confusion or opportunity for misinterpretation. Trust me. There are those of us out there who enjoy purposely misinterpreting things if the mood so strikes.
I had a high school creative writing teacher who said that love is a word with no love in it. Saying that I love potatoes has a different meaning than saying that I love Kyle, and yet I used the same word for both. Saying "Love you" has less meaning and emphasis than saying "I love you." I am more likely to say, "Love you" to friends in a somewhat off-handed fashion. "Oh by the way, love you, bye!" On the other hand, "I love you" denotes a higher degree of seriousness, and is therefore often more difficult to say.
Now it's your turn. Do you, my dear readers, think that there is a difference between saying "I love you" and "Love you" ?
Pearls Before Swine by Stephan Pastis04 March 2009
Poll Number 1 Results
The results of our first poll are in!
35 of you voted, with a whopping 62% of you choosing Mandarin as the most spoken language in the world. In second place, came English, garnering 28%, with Spanish trailing behind at 8%.
But which is actually the most spoken language in the world?
English.
Or Mandarin.
It depends on who you talk to. And what you mean by "spoken".
Many of the numbers and figures change so constantly, that most linguists put English and Mandarin in a constantly evolving dance for being the top language dog.
This may surprise the 62% of you who voted for Mandarin, but it is quite possible that English may have won this round.
While Mandarin dwarfs English when counting only native speakers of each individual language, English sweeps past Mandarin when comparing total number of speakers worldwide, regardless of whether they are native speakers or speak it as a second or third tongue.
As a native language, Mandarin comes in first in the world at nearly 1 billion*.
As a native and second language, Mandarin comes in second at 1.15 billion (with the majority being native speakers).
As a native language, English comes in fourth in the world at nearly 310 million.
As a native and second language, English comes in first, reaching into the 1.8 billion range(with the majority being non-native speakers).
(Some of these charts add in all Chinese dialects, so be careful in your calculations!)
You can find more information and stats at the Ethnologue and here.
So, what do you all think? Am I crazy? Is my math wrong? How did you vote?
35 of you voted, with a whopping 62% of you choosing Mandarin as the most spoken language in the world. In second place, came English, garnering 28%, with Spanish trailing behind at 8%.
But which is actually the most spoken language in the world?
English.
Or Mandarin.
It depends on who you talk to. And what you mean by "spoken".
Many of the numbers and figures change so constantly, that most linguists put English and Mandarin in a constantly evolving dance for being the top language dog.
This may surprise the 62% of you who voted for Mandarin, but it is quite possible that English may have won this round.
While Mandarin dwarfs English when counting only native speakers of each individual language, English sweeps past Mandarin when comparing total number of speakers worldwide, regardless of whether they are native speakers or speak it as a second or third tongue.
As a native language, Mandarin comes in first in the world at nearly 1 billion*.
As a native and second language, Mandarin comes in second at 1.15 billion (with the majority being native speakers).
As a native language, English comes in fourth in the world at nearly 310 million.
As a native and second language, English comes in first, reaching into the 1.8 billion range(with the majority being non-native speakers).
(Some of these charts add in all Chinese dialects, so be careful in your calculations!)
You can find more information and stats at the Ethnologue and here.
So, what do you all think? Am I crazy? Is my math wrong? How did you vote?
03 March 2009
01 March 2009
Music Set to Speech Patterns
Ayo!
My sister sent me a link to a couple of videos where Henry Hey has composed music based on the speech patterns and intonations of George W. Bush, Sarah Palin and John McCain. It is so interesting to hear how the music follows the rhythms of speech, and could actually be cut into a real song.
I am interested in the language side of it (speech patterns), but anyone interested in Music Theory might also find this interesting as well!
Enjoy!
BUSH SONG:
PALIN SONG:
PALIN AND MCCAIN SONG:
My sister sent me a link to a couple of videos where Henry Hey has composed music based on the speech patterns and intonations of George W. Bush, Sarah Palin and John McCain. It is so interesting to hear how the music follows the rhythms of speech, and could actually be cut into a real song.
I am interested in the language side of it (speech patterns), but anyone interested in Music Theory might also find this interesting as well!
Enjoy!
BUSH SONG:
PALIN SONG:
PALIN AND MCCAIN SONG:
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