Search found 129 matches
- Fri Dec 01, 2006 12:23 pm
- Forum: Languages of the World
- Topic: Purifying Persian
- Replies: 56
- Views: 246325
Surely the irony of a fundementalist Muslim protecting the 'purity' of Persian is that it doesn't matter! To him the only language God speaks is Arabic. Nope, to him, (what you generically seem to call the 'fundamentalist muslim'), the only language in which the Qoran can be read and fully understo...
- Sat Aug 12, 2006 5:09 am
- Forum: Res Diversae
- Topic: Kinkajou
- Replies: 3
- Views: 13855
Re: Kinkajou
So where does the name "kinkajou" come from? Is it indiginous to Central/South America, whence my hero hails? Or is this some European overlay? Enquiring minds simply want to know. An arboreal mammal (Potos flavus) of Central and South America, having brownish fur and a long, prehensile t...
- Sat Aug 12, 2006 4:52 am
- Forum: Languages of the World
- Topic: Cursive vs Print
- Replies: 59
- Views: 282008
Re: On the subject...
Hi, When I have been to the museum, I have noticed that Sanskrit and Arabic alphabets have many styles. Several of them seem to have a block form and then a cursive form. Am I correct is assuming some forms of these are cursive? Here you find excellent explanations about and examples of Arabic abjad...
- Wed Aug 09, 2006 11:47 am
- Forum: Languages of the World
- Topic: "Foreign" language anomalies
- Replies: 19
- Views: 90245
- Wed Aug 09, 2006 10:59 am
- Forum: Languages of the World
- Topic: Cursive vs Print
- Replies: 59
- Views: 282008
One oddity from Japanese cursive tradition is 々. This is not a character because it has no independent sound value or meaning. This is more like a symbol, which indicates the kanji immediately before it is repeated. It's also used in Chinese, if I'm not wrong. BTW, hwo do you form it on your keyboa...
- Wed Aug 09, 2006 10:38 am
- Forum: Languages of the World
- Topic: Cursive vs Print
- Replies: 59
- Views: 282008
We that speak and write English have two ways to write the written word. We can write in cursive and/or print. Cursive means having the successive letters joined. It comes from the Latin (scripta) cursiva, running (script). The cursive almost looks like a different language from printing when writt...
dope
With the Floyd Landis story still dominating the sports headlines over here, I started to get curious about the word ' dope '. 1. Informal a. A narcotic, especially an addictive narcotic. b. Narcotics considered as a group. c. An illicit drug, especially marijuana. 2. A narcotic preparation used to ...
- Mon Aug 07, 2006 8:44 am
- Forum: Good Word Discussion
- Topic: PIZZA
- Replies: 19
- Views: 58335
- Mon Aug 07, 2006 8:38 am
- Forum: Languages of the World
- Topic: Purifying Persian
- Replies: 56
- Views: 246325
- Sun Aug 06, 2006 7:05 pm
- Forum: Languages of the World
- Topic: Purifying Persian
- Replies: 56
- Views: 246325
I'm not sure whether this is worth the effort and the bandwidth, but it's holidays over here, after 3 weeks of maddening heat, we are getting maddening showers of rain. Enough time to sort it out Smile. Anyway, if it turns out not to be a myth, then you guys will be the first to know. As if anybody...
- Sun Aug 06, 2006 6:55 pm
- Forum: Languages of the World
- Topic: "Foreign" language anomalies
- Replies: 19
- Views: 90245
I believe some cultures do not make the distinction. I noticed this in India as well, fwiw. Can't say a lot about lemons and limes, but i noticed similar 'confusion' with regards to fruit and veggies. Every year in class -- my students come from all overthe world --, we have a short Babelonic discu...
- Sat Aug 05, 2006 9:13 am
- Forum: Languages of the World
- Topic: Purifying Persian
- Replies: 56
- Views: 246325
- Thu Aug 03, 2006 10:28 pm
- Forum: Languages of the World
- Topic: Congressional English rescinded
- Replies: 9
- Views: 25402
Re: Congressional English rescinded
If you haven't heard , French Fries and French toast have quietly reconstituted at the congressional café after a couple of reps' jingoistic jockeying had ludicrously renamed them "freedom fries" three years ago. They'll never learn it... The reversion may not appease the Belgians but at ...
- Thu Aug 03, 2006 5:38 pm
- Forum: Languages of the World
- Topic: Purifying Persian
- Replies: 56
- Views: 246325
I'm not sure whether this is worth the effort and the bandwidth, but it's holidays over here, after 3 weeks of maddening heat, we are getting maddening showers of rain. Enough time to sort it out Smile. Anyway, if it turns out not to be a myth, then you guys will be the first to know. As if anybody...
- Thu Aug 03, 2006 12:15 pm
- Forum: Good Word Discussion
- Topic: PIZZA
- Replies: 19
- Views: 58335