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Tag Archives: #language
Dilated
My brilliant friend Holly had mentioned that Ninefox Gambit, the first book in Yoon Ha Lee‘s Machineries of Empire trilogy, had “cracked [her] head open in a good way” which made me want to read it immediately. By the end of the … Continue reading
Legit
Duolingo sent me an email urging me to take up learning a new language in the new year. In the middle of their list of available languages, I found these. But I’ll be damned before I recognize Danish as a … Continue reading
Sticking
One of the chefs at the cafe at work commented on the weather by saying, “It’s snowing, but it isn’t sticking.” This California kid had never heard the term “sticking” used to mean “accumulating” in reference to snow. I have … Continue reading
Excellent
Strange things are afoot at the Circular Quay. (Note: although “kwey” is an accepted pronunciation, the preferred pronunciation is “key”. Just in case my dad wants to make a big deal about this from beyond the grave.)
Little
A pygmy hippo! A 小河马 (xiǎo hémǎ or “little river horse”)!
Clump
Wait a sec. 蓝山丛林游览 (lán shān cónglín yóulǎn) means “Blue Mountain Jungle Tour”. The word for “jungle” 丛林 (cónglín) literally means “clump forest”!
Cladodes
One of the shifts in environment that I noticed driving to Uluru from the South Australia was the how tangled shrubbery gave way to these trees, which looked to me to be some sort of pine. However, I learned that … Continue reading
Autochthonous
The “island mountain” of Uluru made me think of my all-time favorite English word: “autochthonous”. I love that “ch” right next to that “th”. Sublime. The Greek etymology literally means “self from the ground” and the word has two meanings. … Continue reading
Underhill
Coober Pedy is a legendary opal mining town. (Apparently the name is an English corruption of the local Aboriginal term “kupa-piti” meaning “boys’ waterhole”.) Not quite Hobbiton, but the residents famously live in dugouts underground. I stayed the night in the Lookout … Continue reading
Equine
Reassured by this Anglican church with an open door, I stopped for the night in a town called Horsham. Since Gotham means “goat home” I wondered if Horsham meant “horse home”. The town does have racetrack, after all. But apparently … Continue reading
Tucker
My first meal after landing I ate under a giant sign that read “Real Aussie Tucker”. Then, driving down the M31, I saw a sign for “Dog on the Tuckerbox” (which, I discovered later, is apparently a famous statue.) Wikipedia … Continue reading
Toponyms III
Bundanoon. Goobarragondra. Mirrabooka. All the toponyms here sound like they were invented by a child while drawing a crayon map of their paracosm. Wagga Wagga. Tangambalanga. Tumbarumba. Or like they’re the name of a Chumbawumba cover band. (More about my general … Continue reading
Tidal
Driving around the Hudson Valley for the day, I realized that I didn’t know the etymology of the name “Connecticut”. Apparently, it’s from the Mohican (Algonquian) word “quinnitukqut” which means “at the long tidal river” (from *kwen- “long” + *-ehtekw … Continue reading
Double
As I’ve mentioned before, in Chinese the number four is considered unlucky because the word for “four” (四 sì) sounds like the word for “death” (死 sǐ). This why, in an abundance of sensitivity to superstition, I avoided telling older Chinese … Continue reading
Trees
We get the color word tan from the bark used in the tanning of leather. Tannin is the chemical used in tanning. Its astringency is what gives red wine it’s dry and puckery feeling. Tannic acid is the type of tannin … Continue reading