20 Untranslatable Words... and some translations....

20 Untranslatable Words

I suppose by untranslatable, they mean not translated by a single equivalent word in another language.

Some of them embody interesting concepts from another culture and other are just simply a piece of the mundane for which most of us just don't have a specific word.

The BBC: Destroyers of the English Language

Participatory
Normal: PAR-tih-sih-pah-toh-ree
BBC: par-tih-sih-PAY-toh-ree

Regulatory
Normal: REG-yoo-lah-toh-ree
BBC: reg-yoo-LAY-toh-ree
 
Syracuse
Normal: SEE-rah-cue-suh
BBC: SYE-rah-cue-seh

Osaka
Normal: OH-saw-kah
BBC: aw-SAY-kah

There was another one from tonight I can't remember.

And the uniformity of their crappy pronunciation shows an attention and focus upon getting it wrong consistently.

They are awful. They have posh sounding accents but sound remarkably backward when they can't correctly pronounce common english words. 

English is a wonderful language. Who is going to teach it to the English?

Word of the Day: Sybilline

http://dictionary.reference.com/wordoftheday/archive/2010/07/08.html

This word has a classical, although somewhat murky derivation. I like it because of that classical tie in and the fact one of its definition involves another word I quite enjoy - oracular.

Writ of Certiorari

I love Latin. I also like some concepts embedded in legal codes. This particular one fits both my word-lover side and my legal-nerd side.

Writ of Certiorari

Language: Using i.e. versus e.g. - why, when?

I have a fascination for language. New words I find exciting and understanding the phonetic history and etymology of words is an insatiable source of curiousity for me.

This is one of the reasons the Lord of the Rings and the entirety of the works of Middle Earth struck me. It's why articles from the early part of the last century (some pulpy sci-fi, for instance) and things from even further back draw me in, despite simplicity of plot and sometimes the characters themselves.  They draw me in because of the language - different enough from the spoken word of today, yet cloyingly familiar. I find Broad Scots, Medeival English, and Latin all give me elements of that feeling as well.

I'm also amused and fascinated by the rules of grammar; The conventions of grammar are sometimes esoteric or opaque, but being educated into their mysteries means understanding the value in breaking them and when and where it makes sense to do so, as well as why!

One of the areas I've always had a bit of a fight with myself over (other than the correct spelling of guard... my trouble word of many years....) was when it was appropriate to use i.e. (id est) and when it was appropriate to use e.g. (exempli gratia).

Well, I wonder no more, thanks to the wonders (not to overuse a word) of Google. I have found a brilliant article that makes very clear the distinction in usage between i.e. ane e.g. and I think that I shall not confuse the two again because of it.

Perhaps you already know the distinction, or think you do, but I recommend you check out the link.

id est versus exempli gratia

The world is a wonderful place!

New Words, New Books

Reading has a variety of benefits, not the least of which is the discovery of new words with which to expand ones lexicon. My recent acquisitions have included: Twee, belletristic, and tarn.

As I love the non-sequitur, I'll now move into talking about new books.

Bookstores are, for me, something closely akin to Kryptonite. Or perhaps an Achilles' Heel. I walk in and I cannot escape without a backpack full of new books. This last trip, I went in to get one specific book for my dear mother, and lo and behold, out I come with that plus three bags more for myself.

I blame geography. The bargain book shelves stood between me and the atlas I was seeking. Me walking through the bargain shelves with hardcovers for less than the cost of a softcover novel is a lot like a serial philanderer passing down a side street in the red light district with an ungainly wad of currency.... it can only end one way....

This time, my 'waiting to read' list acquired:

• Tales of the Grand Tour (Ben Bova), trade paperback, $4.99
• Lord Stanley, the Man Behind The Cup (Kevin Shea and John J. Wilson), hardcover, $4.99
• Great Tastes: Chicken (Bay Books), softcover, $7.99
• High Seas (anthology, editor Clint Willis), $5.99, trade paperback
• Stanley: The Impossible Life of Africa's Greatest Explorer (Tim Jeal), hardcover, $7.99
• Dragon Harper (Ann and Todd McCaffrey), hardcover, $5.99
• Hell and High Water: Canada and the Italian Campaign (Lance Goddard), softcover, $6.99
• Halting State (Charles Stross), hardcover, $6.99
• The Curious Case of the Misplaced Modifier (Bonnie Trenga), paperback, $10.99
• The Power of Point of View (Alicia Rasley), trade paperback, $18.75
• Crock Pot: Chicken (Pil Publications), ringed hardcover, $12.99
• Empires of the Sea: The Final Battle for the Mediterranean, 1521-1580 (Roger Crowley), trade paperback, $20.00

I contemplated two related biographies from the 'full price' section - one on Ghenghis Khan and one on Kublai Khan. I decided I wasn't yet into the Mongol phase to the tune of $23 per book. But someday....

So, we have two cookbooks, two books on writing, 4 history books, 2 sci-fi books, 1 fantasy book, and perhaps a book of historical fiction (or perhaps a 5th history book - not quite sure yet). We've got coverage of WWII, Mediterranean history leading up to and including the battle of Lepanto, the story of Lord Stanley and his cup and the early days of Canada, some age of sail reading, and Colonial Africa, as well as a number of worlds that weren't.

It's a good thing my interests aren't any more eclectic than they are... I eyeballed a bunch of books on heiroglyphics, egyptian history, the Canadian Navy, further books on food (particular meats), books on photography, philosophy, and Javascript.

The only reason I want to live to a very old age is to finish reading (or having read to me) all of my many books.... then I could probably die a happy man......