Posted: Sat Jul 29, 2006 6:12 pm
is a good example of litotesnot unattractive
in English is a triple negative.not rarely doesn't
mark
is a good example of litotesnot unattractive
in English is a triple negative.not rarely doesn't
Persian absorbed so many foreign words the last 1300 years (with implications in every field of the grammar, phonology, etc.) that i wonder what the impact will be of a few new foreign ones. And in Iran they have the habit of (how can i say) 'moulding', adapting foreign words to the native phonology. For example 'kâmpjouter', 'seiz' /saiz/, seize, 'mânto' (manteau), 'restorân' (restaurant) -- both French words with /n/, not with /ã/, terâfik (traffique), with stress on /te.../ etc.But anyway, I think it laudable that the Academy has launched such a strategy, especially if the foreign words targeted at hurt the language's phonology.
We have a proverb in Dutch which can be translated as the soup is never eaten as hot as it is served. In other words, apart from the official organs, i don't think a single Iranian is going to give a damn what that academy decides.Nevertheless, these "new" words can be nothing more than a suggestion. If things are being imposed, then I think they're in deep trouble.
Next to "'ow's yer farver" my very favorite English trope, I think. When I was young, the statement "bob's yer uncle" would immediately be followed by a chorus of bystanders crying, "...and Fanny's yer aunt!"bob's yer uncle!
mark
I was wondering about that one, too, but thought I'd let it slide. Sometimes, life's simply too short for grammar.is a good example of litotes
not unattractivein English is a triple negative.
not rarely doesn't
mark
Fanny with a capital F is a proper noun. Name of a person of the female persuasion. Nothing (directly) to do with bums. Nope. Not even in England.But a fanny is, er, well it's not the bum, not in England.
mark
I spoke to da Minister of de Fence and he thought he'd probably be able to post shortly. However, he'll certainly rail if we picket. Lattice drop the subject.I would probably not use this term to a person of British persuasion for fear of them taking a fence.
I'm running out of fence and umbrage sir, order off the menu if you please.
mark
"No, we absolutely don't say 'mersi', we say 'tashakkor'".[...]and the informal way of thanking includes 'mersi'.[...]
Pizze: "elastic loaves"I'll try not to forget to ask her tomorrow about the pizza [...] A few months ago, Danish pastry and buttercookies, immensely popular in Tehran, got a new name, after the Danish cartoon situation. [...]
I asked my wife about 'that other word for pizza' and she directly started to talk about 'kesh loghmeh' and started to laugh. Hardly anybody takes that Language Academy of Iran too seriously; many of their newly coined words feature jokes and word games.Pizze: "elastic loaves"
That's it! Mersi mamnoon. The name probably is picked on purpose, but a 'gol-e mohammadi' is itself the name of a kind of rose, dixit my wife, whose first family name is Mohammadi.Danishes: "roses of Mohammad" (gul-e-muhammadi)
.No, we absolutely don't say 'mersi', we say 'tashakkor'".
Reminds me of an identic attempt to Neerlandicise 'helicopter'. The Dutch word 'wentelwiek' (lit. rotating wing) never caught on, though.I noted from your link that helicopter (now to be "rotating wing"), as opposed to, I supose, the camel is the 'breaking wind'?
Now, how many times would the word 'pizza' show up in texts produced by government and cultural bodies in Iran (or anywhere else)?TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has ordered government and cultural bodies to use modified Persian words to replace foreign words that have crept into the language, such as "pizzas" which will now be known as "elastic loaves," state media reported Saturday.