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Spanky - Freutsch - the Shallow End | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Language Learning Log |  | |
| Spanky Senior Member Canada Joined 5957 days ago 1021 posts - 1714 votes  Studies: French | Message 33 of 54 15 February 2012 at 8:14am | IP Logged | |||||
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I watched most of the film “Z” on television yesterday – a French film from the late
60s which I watched with English subtitles, but for some reason I found the French in this film to be easier to follow than other French language films I have seen, or perhaps I was just having a good day. I came across it by chance – I had never heard of it before (the film, not the letter – the letter I have heard of plenty before, though the cousins down south pronounce it incorrectly; I secretly believe they all do this just to irk me, but then some of the other voices in my head tell me I am being paranoid and all conspiratorial, so who knows). In any event, this film holds the current distinction (unlikely to be beaten in the future, though a tie remains possible), of holding the record for having the shortest title of any Oscar-winning film, at least according to imdb.com Z - so good it does not need more letters. Enough car chases, knife fights and thugs yelling “Vive la bombe” to hold my interest. Special shout-out for most effective use, toward the end of the film by le juge d’instruction, of the phrase “Nom … prénom … profession…” Edited by Spanky on 15 February 2012 at 8:26am 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| Spanky Senior Member Canada Joined 5957 days ago 1021 posts - 1714 votes Studies: French | Message 34 of 54 15 February 2012 at 8:20am | IP Logged | |||||
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Translation time:
VLADIMIR: I'm curious to hear what he has to offer. Then we'll take it or leave it. ESTRAGON: What exactly did we ask him for? VLADIMIR: Were you not there? ESTRAGON: I can't have been listening. VLADIMIR: Oh . . . Nothing very definite. ESTRAGON: A kind of prayer. VLADIMIR: Precisely. ESTRAGON: A vague supplication. VLADIMIR: Exactly. ESTRAGON: And what did he reply? VLADIMIR: That he'd see. ESTRAGON: That he couldn't promise anything. VLADIMIR: That he'd have to think it over. ESTRAGON: In the quiet of his home. VLADIMIR: Consult his family. ESTRAGON: His friends. VLADIMIR: His agents. ESTRAGON: His correspondents. VLADIMIR: His books. ESTRAGON: His bank account. VLADIMIR: Before taking a decision. ESTRAGON: It's the normal thing. VLADIMIR: Is it not? ESTRAGON: I think it is. VLADIMIR: I think so too. Silence. 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| Brun Ugle Diglot Senior Member Norway brunugle.wordpress.c Joined 6621 days ago 1292 posts - 1766 votes Speaks: English*, NorwegianC1 Studies: Japanese, Esperanto, Spanish, Finnish | Message 35 of 54 15 February 2012 at 1:29pm | IP Logged | |||||
Perhaps they just like it to rhyme with the other letters so they can sing the alphabet song.
They're probably right. In my experience, the voices usually are. 2 persons have voted this message useful | ||||||
| Spanky Senior Member Canada Joined 5957 days ago 1021 posts - 1714 votes Studies: French | Message 36 of 54 16 February 2012 at 8:21am | IP Logged | |||||
Agreed. I have always been prepared to give them the benefit of the doubt. Even when they are wrong, it is often best just to humour them. 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| Spanky Senior Member Canada Joined 5957 days ago 1021 posts - 1714 votes Studies: French | Message 37 of 54 16 February 2012 at 8:24am | IP Logged | |||||
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My attempt at a translation of the preceding extract:
VLADIMIR: Je suis curieux d’entendre ce qu’il va offrir. Nous pouvons alors le prendre ou le laisser. ESTRAGON: De quoi, exactement, avons-nous demandé à lui? VLADIMIR: Vous n’êtes pas là? ESTRAGON: C’est evident que je n’ai pas faire attention. VLADIMIR: Eh, il n’y avait rien très précis. ESTRAGON: Une sorte de prière. VLADIMIR: Précisément. ESTRAGON: Une supplication vague. VLADIMIR: Exactement. ESTRAGON: Et lui, qu’est-ce qu’il a répondu? VLADIMIR: Il a dit qu’on doit attendre ESTRAGON: Il dit qu’il ne peut pas promettre rien. VLADIMIR: Il faut qu’il réfléchisse. ESTRAGON: Dans le solitude chez lui VLADIMIR: Parle avec sa famille ESTRAGON: Ses amis VLADIMIR: Ses agents ESTRAGON: Ses correspondants VLADIMIR: Ses livres. ESTRAGON: Son compte en banque. VLADIMIR: Avant faire une décision. ESTRAGON: C’est assez normal. VLADIMIR: Ce n’est pas ? ESTRAGON: Je pense que oui. VLADIMIR: Je pense qui oui aussi. Silence. Edited by Spanky on 16 February 2012 at 8:25am 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| Spanky Senior Member Canada Joined 5957 days ago 1021 posts - 1714 votes Studies: French | Message 38 of 54 16 February 2012 at 8:48am | IP Logged | |||||
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Beckett's mangling of the same passage:
VLADIMIR: Je suis curieux de savoir ce qu’il va nous dire. Ça ne nous engage à rien. ESTRAGON: Qu'est-ce qu'on lui demandé au juste? VLADIMIR: Tu n’étais pas là? ESTRAGON: Je n'ai pas fait attention. VLADIMIR: Eh bien ... Rien de bien précis. ESTRAGON: Une sorte de prière. VLADIMIR: Voilà. ESTRAGON: Une vague supplique. VLADIMIR: Si tu veux. ESTRAGON: Et qu'a-t-il répondu? VLADIMIR: Qu'il verrait. ESTRAGON: Qu'il ne pouvait rien promettre. VLADIMIR: Qu'il lui fallait réfléchir. ESTRAGON: A tête réposée. VLADIMIR: Consulter sa famille. ESTRAGON: Ses amis. VLADIMIR: Ses agents. ESTRAGON: Ses correspondants VLADIMIR: Ses registres. ESTRAGON: Son compte en banque. VLADIMIR: Avant de se prononcer. ESTRAGON: C’est normal. VLADIMIR: N'est-ce pas? ESTRAGON: Il me semble. VLADIMIR: A moi aussi. Repos. 2 persons have voted this message useful | ||||||
| Spanky Senior Member Canada Joined 5957 days ago 1021 posts - 1714 votes Studies: French | Message 39 of 54 16 February 2012 at 8:53am | IP Logged | |||||
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While I do not know many German words yet, I am keen to learn. German vocabulary seems
utterly (wie sagt man “intimidating” , “terrifying” oder “overwhelming” auf Deutsch? überwältigend... entsetzlich??), and in a moment of despair wondering whether I would ever be able to get a handle on it, I stumbled across perhaps an unusual strategy: instead of working backwards and learning old existing German words, I will just keep abreast of new words as they are added to the German lexicon. To this end, I attach a link to an interweb story from earlier this week about the decision of a group of German linguists to award “sh*tstorm” the prize as Anglicism of the Year – apparently there was not already a German word which properly captures sh*tstorminess. (It is hard for me to imagine a country which does not have an equivalent word – I could hardly describe a single day at my workplace which does not properly warrant the use of “shitst*rm”) word_n_1274503l">Really? By the way, I note the author’s comment that “apparently Germans are obsessed with poop” and there is even reference to Der Dukatenscheisser. If any of you who may be German would like, I am prepared to send in an angry letter to the editor on your behalf. Edited by Spanky on 16 February 2012 at 9:13am 2 persons have voted this message useful | ||||||
 songlines Pro Member Canada flickr.com/photos/cp Joined 5210 days ago 729 posts - 1056 votes Speaks: English* Studies: French Personal Language Map | Message 40 of 54 16 February 2012 at 4:33pm | IP Logged | |||||
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The forum software doesn't seem to allow me to post the correct link either, but folks can try copy-and-
pasting (remove extra space inserted by the forum software): http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/14/shitstorm-top-new-g erman-word_n_1274503.html And, perhaps linguistically off-topic (but nevertheless amusing, and apropos the comment re. "obsession with poop"), the Der Spiegel series in the "Germany Survival Guide" had an article on German toilets: Toilet shelf on trial , and a link to this piece (by a fellow Canadian, even) on the toilet bowl's unusual design: http://www.leftfield.org/~scott/misc/toilet.htm Edited by songlines on 16 February 2012 at 5:11pm 1 person has voted this message useful |
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