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This story is from October 5, 2005
Tingo Lingo!
Culture-specific words finally find a voice in their very own dictionary.
Culture-specific words finally find a voice in their very own dictionary.
On the liberalisation of language...
Culture has its own language. Ask Adam Jacot de Boinod, the British author of The Meaning Of Tingo. ''The dictionary tries to celebrate the joy of foreign words (in a totally nonjudgmental way) and say that while English is a great language, there are many words that have no English equivalent at all,'' he explains.
Research conducted by the writer reveals that there are many words that aren't even known to most native speakers. A case in point is Scottish words to do with rain: Dreich - a miserably wet day; plowtery - showery; drookit - soaked to the skin.
" Hawaiians, for instance, have 108 words for 'sweet potato', 65 words for 'fishing net', and 47 words for 'banana', and the Albanians have 27 words for 'eyebrows' and 27 words for 'moustache'! Some words, like areodjarekput for instance, could come across as a culture shock.
It refers to the exchange of wives for a few days that helps pass time in long winter nights in certain parts of the world. As interesting is...
... the title of Adam's dictionary,
The Meaning Of Tingo.
"The title takes its name from tingo, a word in Pascuense, the language of Easter Island. It means - to borrow objects from a friend's house, one by one, until there is nothing left."
World of Words
Backpfeifengesicht (Scandinavia): A face that cries out for a fist in it
Bakku-shan (Japan): A girl who appears pretty from behind but not from the front
Die beleidigte Leberwurst spielen (Germany): To stick one's lower lip out in a sulk
Drachenfutter (Holland): Peace offerings made by guilty husbands to their wives
Gigi rongak (Japan): The space between the teeth
Kringkrongsomtom (Indonesia): Take off your clothes in order to dance
Kummerspeck (Germany): The excess weight gained from emotion-related overeating
Olfrygt (Holland): Fear arising due to lack of beer
(Source: The Meaning Of Tingo)
hyderabadtimes@ indiatimes.com
On the liberalisation of language...
Culture has its own language. Ask Adam Jacot de Boinod, the British author of The Meaning Of Tingo. ''The dictionary tries to celebrate the joy of foreign words (in a totally nonjudgmental way) and say that while English is a great language, there are many words that have no English equivalent at all,'' he explains.
Research conducted by the writer reveals that there are many words that aren't even known to most native speakers. A case in point is Scottish words to do with rain: Dreich - a miserably wet day; plowtery - showery; drookit - soaked to the skin.
According to linguist Arindam Sen, "With India reaching every nook and corner of the world, it's high time foreign words also reached India. Dictionaries like Tingo are evidence that a country's dictionary says more about its culture than a guide book.
" Hawaiians, for instance, have 108 words for 'sweet potato', 65 words for 'fishing net', and 47 words for 'banana', and the Albanians have 27 words for 'eyebrows' and 27 words for 'moustache'! Some words, like areodjarekput for instance, could come across as a culture shock.
It refers to the exchange of wives for a few days that helps pass time in long winter nights in certain parts of the world. As interesting is...
... the title of Adam's dictionary,
The Meaning Of Tingo.
"The title takes its name from tingo, a word in Pascuense, the language of Easter Island. It means - to borrow objects from a friend's house, one by one, until there is nothing left."
World of Words
Backpfeifengesicht (Scandinavia): A face that cries out for a fist in it
Bakku-shan (Japan): A girl who appears pretty from behind but not from the front
Die beleidigte Leberwurst spielen (Germany): To stick one's lower lip out in a sulk
Drachenfutter (Holland): Peace offerings made by guilty husbands to their wives
Gigi rongak (Japan): The space between the teeth
Kringkrongsomtom (Indonesia): Take off your clothes in order to dance
Kummerspeck (Germany): The excess weight gained from emotion-related overeating
Olfrygt (Holland): Fear arising due to lack of beer
(Source: The Meaning Of Tingo)
hyderabadtimes@ indiatimes.com
End of Article
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