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 Language Learning Forum : Language Learning Log |  | |
| Ogrim Heptaglot Senior Member France Joined 4631 days ago 991 posts - 1896 votes  Speaks: Norwegian*, English, Spanish, French, Romansh, German, Italian Studies: Russian, Catalan, Latin, Greek, Romanian | Message 81 of 109 08 January 2015 at 10:07am | IP Logged |
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JE SUIS CHARLIE 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| Ogrim Heptaglot Senior Member France Joined 4631 days ago 991 posts - 1896 votes Speaks: Norwegian*, English, Spanish, French, Romansh, German, Italian Studies: Russian, Catalan, Latin, Greek, Romanian | Message 82 of 109 20 January 2015 at 6:06pm | IP Logged |
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Romontsch sursilvan
Uss legel jeu in cudisch cul tetel “Nus duas”, da Leontina Lergier-Caviezel. Igl ei la historia da duas dunnauns che eran bunas amitgas ella affonza, aber zatgei ei capitau che ha mess fin all’amicezia. Jeu sai aunc buc quei che seigi schabegiau, aber jeu tertgel que jeu vegnel a saver pli tard. Il roman ei bien screts ed buca grev da leger. Radiotelevisiun Svizra Rumantsche (RTR) ha sviluppau in “app” cul qual ins po uardar ils programs da televisiun sil iPad. Per mei eisi ina fetg buna notizia, e jeu hai viu in program sulla cantadura Corin Curschellas, in auter sul pli vegl pur dalla Svizra e finalmein in program sul mazzament d’in catschadur, il qual ei mai daventaus sclarius. (Currently I am reading a book in Romansh called “The two of us”, by Leontina Lergier-Caviezel. It is the story of two women who were good friends when they were kids, but something happened that ended the friendship. I still don’t know what it was, but I guess I will know later on. The book is well written and easy to read. The Swiss Romansh broadcaster RTR has developed an app with which one can watch their TV programmes on the iPad. That is very good news for me, and I have already watched a programme about the singer Corin Curschellas, another about the oldest farmer in Switzerland and finally one about the killing of a hunter, a mystery that has never been solved.) Russian I keep steady progress with my Russian studies. The last couple of classes we have obviously been talking about the tragic events in Paris almost two weeks ago and the impact that has had in France and the world. That meant learning a whole new set of vocabulary linked to terrorism, killings, brutal death and law enforcement. Not the happiest of themes, but necessary. With regard to grammar are we doing a quick repetition of how to form comparative and superlative - nothing new for me, but a useful reminder of those adjectives that have special forms in the superlative. Besides the course work have I worked through another few pages of the book I mentioned a couple of posts up in the log, and I've also done another repetition of how to decline numerals. 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| Ogrim Heptaglot Senior Member France Joined 4631 days ago 991 posts - 1896 votes Speaks: Norwegian*, English, Spanish, French, Romansh, German, Italian Studies: Russian, Catalan, Latin, Greek, Romanian | Message 83 of 109 20 February 2015 at 5:00pm | IP Logged |
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Català:
L’última setmana vaig terminar de llegir la novel•la “Memòries d’uns ulls pintats” de Lluis Llach. És la primera novel•la que en Lluis va escriure, perquè és mes conegut com a cantautor. Té una llarga carrera en el món de la música, amb cançons de protesta contra el regim de Franco, i als anys setanta va haver d'exiliar-se un temps a París. El llibre és interessant, és escrit en forma d’un monòleg – un ancià que conta la seva història a un director de cine. Descriu la seva infantesa en el barri obrer de la Barceloneta durant el temps de la República, més tard com a adolescent quan comença la guerra civil, i finalment la fugida a França amb seu pare, ferit en la guerra, i la mare, que és francesa, originari de Sète. També és la història del seu amor per el millor amic, que va morir en circumstàncies dramàtiques després de la guerra. El narrador va descobrir el seu homosexualitat amb un mariner rus i aquest descobriment va despertar el seu desig per el “amic amat”. És un roman escrit amb un llenguatge poètic, com era de esperar de un compositor de cançons, però conta una història trista, dramàtica encara que no sense humor i tendresa. Español: Y ya paso al español, porque las próximas dos semanas voy a estar en México. Vamos a visitar Yucatán, la península “maya” donde todavía hay una minoría que habla el maya yucateco. Ahora, no creo que tenga mucha posibilidad de familiarizarme con esta lengua, porque vamos a una zona muy turística, donde, a parte del español, se habla sobre todo americano y canadiense. Van a ser unas vacaciones principalmente de descanso, de sol y playa, cervezas frías y cocteles a base de tequila. Aunque por supuesto pienso aprovechar el tiempo de ocio para avanzar mucho en mis estudios de ruso y leer libros en otras lenguas también. En mi lista hay libros en catalán, retorrománico, francés, español y alemán, a parte del libro que estoy leyendo lentamente en ruso, Как жить с францусом (Cómo vivir con un francés). Ya veremos cuánto puedo hacer en dos semanas – por lo menos tengo un viaje en avión de diez horas que pienso aprovechar bien. (The last week I have finished reading the novel “Memories of painted eyes” by Lluis Llach. It is his first novel, and he is more known as a singer/songwriter. He has a long career in music, known for writing protest songs against the Franco regime, and he had to go into exile in Paris for some years because of this. The book is interesting, it is written in the form of a monologue, an old man who tells his story to a film director. He describes his childhood under the republic, then later as a young man when the Civil War breaks out, and finally how he escapes to France with his family, his father wounded in the war, and his mother who is of French origin with family in Sète. It is also the story of his love for his best friend, who died in dramatic circumstances after the war. The storyteller discovered his homosexuality with a Russian sailor, and this leads to the awakening of his desire for his “beloved friend”. It is a book written in a poetic language, as you could expect from a songwriter, but it tells a sad and dramatic story, although not without a sense of humour and tenderness. And in Spanish I say that I am going to weeks to Yucatán, Mexico, where there are still Mayas speaking the Mayan language. However, I´ll probably hear more “American” and “Canadian”, as it is usually full of tourists at this time of year. We go there to relax and have a nice time, but I will also take advantage of the holidays to read in Catalan, Romansh, French, Spanish, German and Russian.) 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| Ogrim Heptaglot Senior Member France Joined 4631 days ago 991 posts - 1896 votes Speaks: Norwegian*, English, Spanish, French, Romansh, German, Italian Studies: Russian, Catalan, Latin, Greek, Romanian | Message 84 of 109 08 June 2015 at 11:03am | IP Logged |
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I just realised that I have not written anything in my log for almost four months. I had a break from the forum for a couple of months, but now that the inspiration is back I will start writing again, hopefully a bit more regularly.
Español Empezamos, pues, en español, para un sumario muy breve del viaje a Cozumel, México. Desde el punto de vista lingüístico, no era un viaje especialmente interesante, ya que, como era de suponer, en el hotel se oía más inglés que español. Casi todos los clientes eran estadounidenses o canadienses, aunque había algunos argentinos también. Cozumel es un buen sitio sobre todo para bucear y hacer deportes de mar. Si buscas paz y tranquilidad, es muy recomendable. Ahora, si quieres cultura, o “marcha” por la noche, es mejor ir a Playa del Carmen o Cancún, desde donde es fácil hacer excursiones a los monumentos maya. Français Entre les canadiens qui se logeaient à l’hôtel, il y avait aussi pas mal de québécois. Je dois avouer que parfois j’avais quelques difficultés à comprendre leur français, mais j’ai quand même pu avoir une conversation intéressante avec deux messieurs de Montréal sur les différences culturelles entre les français et les québécois, et plus généralement, entre les européens et les américains. De retour en Europe, j’ai suivi avec intérêt le débat sur la réforme du collège en France. Le Gouvernement Valls a lancé une réforme qui, entre autre, doit renforcer l’enseignement des langues vivantes avec plus d’heures pour l’enseignement d’une deuxième langue après l’anglais. Or, cette réforme est très contestée, pas seulement par l’opposition, mais aussi par des professeurs et des « intellos » de gauche, comme Michel Onfray. Une des raisons de cette opposition est que la réforme envisage l’annulation des classes « bilangues » français/allemand ainsi que la suppression du latin et du grec comme disciplines optatives – des éléments de latin et grec seront intégrés dans un sujet interdisciplinaire consacré aux langues et aux cultures de l’Antiquité. Je ne veux pas juger ici si la réforme est mauvaise ou pas, mais force est de constater qu’en France, toute proposition de réforme de l’école suscite beaucoup de réactions, et possiblement à l’exception de M Jacques Lang, les ministres d’éducation n’ont pas eu beaucoup de succès avec leur initiatives de réforme. A savoir si l’actuelle ministre, Mme Najat Vallaud-Belkacem va réussir cette fois-ci. About Russian Turning to my studies, Russian is the only language I have been studying actively over the last four-five months, but I feel that I am making real progress, not least when it comes to passive understanding while reading or listening to spoken Russian. As I’ve mentioned over on the Book Club, I started reading a book in Russian and found that I could actually understand most of it without having to look up lots of words in the dictionary for every page. That was a great feeling. I also feel that I am progressing, although more slowly, when it comes to speaking – my weekly classes help a lot, and I also try to speak to myself from time to time. I do need to practise writing more – lack of time and a tendency to procrastinate means I keep putting it off. I really want to make an effort on that front, so that I can write about Russian in Russian here in the log. 2 persons have voted this message useful | |
| Ogrim Heptaglot Senior Member France Joined 4631 days ago 991 posts - 1896 votes Speaks: Norwegian*, English, Spanish, French, Romansh, German, Italian Studies: Russian, Catalan, Latin, Greek, Romanian | Message 85 of 109 09 June 2015 at 11:47am | IP Logged |
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Deutsch
Die letzte Woche haben wir Besuch von meinen Schwiegereltern aus Spanien gehabt, und am Wochenende sind wir mit ihnen in den Schwarzwald gefahren. Dort haben wir ein kleines Dorf besucht, das Sasbachwald heißt. Man sagt, es ist eines der schönsten Dörfer Deutschlands, und das kann ich auch glauben, es ist eine kleine Siedlung in Mitte von Weinbergen, alle Häuser sind sehr nett und sauber, mit schönen Gärten voll von Pflanzen und Blumen. Es gibt nur etwa 2000 Einwohner, aber es gibt fast immer viele Besucher, nicht nur aus Deutschland und Frankreich, sondern auch aus der Schweiz, Österreich und den Niederlanden. Wir haben in einem Restaurant, das Knusperhâuschen heißt, sehr gut gegessen, und danach sind wir in das Freibad des Dorfes gegangen, weil es ein heißer Tag war. Als meine Frau und ihre Eltern kein Deutsch sprechen, habe ich als Dolmetscher und Übersetzer funktioniert, und daran habe ich mich gefreut, obwohl es nicht immer einfach ist, den lokale Dialekt zu verstehen. (Last week my parents-in-law were visiting, and at the weekend we went for a trip to the Black Forest and visited a village called Sasbachwalden. It is supposed to be one of Germany's prettiest villages, and I can believe it. It lies between green hills and vineyards, all the houses are very clean and well kept, with beautiful gardens filled with flowers and plants. There are about 2000 inhabitants, but a lot of tourists from Germany, France, but also Switzerland, Austria and the Netherlands. We ate very well in a local restaurant, and went for a swim in the village's open-air swimming pool, as it was a very hot day. As my wife and her parents don't speak any German, I had to work as interpreter and translator, which was fine with me, although I sometimes have difficulties with understanding the local dialect. 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| Ogrim Heptaglot Senior Member France Joined 4631 days ago 991 posts - 1896 votes Speaks: Norwegian*, English, Spanish, French, Romansh, German, Italian Studies: Russian, Catalan, Latin, Greek, Romanian | Message 86 of 109 16 June 2015 at 5:38pm | IP Logged |
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The other day I picked up an old book I used at university: "The Romance languages", by Martin Harris. I read a couple of chapters, and this lead me to reflecting upon how in many cases the various Romance languages have chosen very different words for certain things, in particular for "new" products or inventions (and with new I refer to stuff introduced over the last 2-300 years). I'll just take one example, the thing that goes fast on four wheels, pollutes the air and causes thousands of deaths every year.
I will not go into the history of the car but just notice that it seems that when first created, the preferred term was automobile, a word first coined in France based on Greek "auto" and Latin "mobile". So you could expect that this word, or a variation of it, would be the word for car in all or most Romance languages, right? After all, it is the origin of German "Auto", and even the Norwegian "bil" i a shortened version of automobile. However, the Romance languages, including French, finally chose quite different words for this object: French: voiture, which comes from Latin "vectura", meaning "carrying". Italian: macchina, from Latin "machina". Spanish: coche, which according to RAE comes from Hungarian(!) kocsi, meaning a wagon. Catalan: cotxe, same as in Spanish. Romanian: maşină, from Latin via Italian, probably. Portuguese: carro, from Latin "carrus", meaning a wagon. Romansh: auto, from German "Auto". Of course, the word "automobile" or an abbreviation thereof exists as well in French, Italian and Spanish, but it is not the word in everyday use. I think it is quite fascinating to see how in different languages the users "invent" new words which then somehow become established as the common term for a particular object. I must say I wonder who came up with "voiture" as an alternative to "automobile" in the first place, and how that word finally became the preffered choice in French. And I wonder even more how on earth Spanish decided to pick a Hungarian word to denote the same thing, instead of e.g. doing like the Portuguese and use the word "carro", which after all exists in Spanish, although with the meaning of a cart, pulled by animals. 2 persons have voted this message useful | |
| tarvos Super Polyglot Winner TAC 2012 Senior Member China likeapolyglot.wordpr Joined 4699 days ago 5310 posts - 9399 votes Speaks: Dutch*, English, Swedish, French, Russian, German, Italian, Norwegian, Mandarin, Romanian, Afrikaans Studies: Greek, Modern Hebrew, Spanish, Portuguese, Czech, Korean, Esperanto, Finnish | Message 87 of 109 16 June 2015 at 5:48pm | IP Logged |
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The Romanian word may also have come through the Russian/Slavic influence. Russian uses
машина 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| iguanamon Pentaglot Senior Member Virgin Islands Speaks: Ladino Joined 5254 days ago 2241 posts - 6731 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian Creole, Creole (French) | Message 88 of 109 16 June 2015 at 6:20pm | IP Logged |
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Interesting about voiture. In most of Spanish-speaking Latin America, carro is the preferred, everyday, word for car, in Brazil as well. In Haitian Creole the word is machin nan or oto a. In Ladino the word is koche, otomobil, karu or araba. I hear koche most on the Kol Israel broadcasts. Araba comes into djudeo-espanyol from Turkish (accent on the last syllable) and is the word used for a horse drawn carriage. I'm pretty sure the word in French-speaking Quebec is char.
1 person has voted this message useful |
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