Word for the Travel Wise (02/26/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

My brain’s a little toasted today so I’m going to make class time short today as we delve into the world of foreign language. Out of my grab bag comes a word to describe today as it is described in India. A day your flight could either land or depart from the lands or a day where you choose to meet with friends for some delicious curry goat and conversation at dinner – whatever the case you’ll find this word highly useful in making arrangements if broken Hindi is how you should choose to do so.

Today’s word is a Hindi word from India:

Ravivar – Sunday

The Hindu days of the week are ruled by a planet and correspond to ancient cultures in the West. For instance, the word for Sunday would mean ‘Lord of the Sun’s day.’ Wikitravel Phrasebook provides some great background information on the days of the week in addition to many useful phrases to remember for your journey. There are several awesome resources online to learn Hindi for free and a fee. Let’s Learn Hindi is a colorful place to pick up the basics and some additional tools. Those interested in reading Sanskrit can click here and Pimsleur has great audio books. To purchase a Lonely Planet phrasebook for the road, click here to head to Amazon.

Past Hindi words: pankhaa

Word for the Travel Wise (02/22/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

Something about ‘Bun Bang Fai’ has a cheery echoing ring to it that makes me want to sing the three words over and over while spinning on a merry-go-round or something like the lyrics you’d find in a soca song. Please don’t ask me why I think this and in any case Bun Bang Fai is the name of a rather famous festival which takes place in southeast Asia in the month of May. Also known as the ‘Rocket Festival’ it is a pre-Buddist event celebrating friendship, unity and the firing of loud rockets in hopes to bring rain to the land. Observed in Thailand as well as Laos you can read more about the festival and watch a video by clicking here. To help prepare you in your future travels I have a word for you.

Today’s word is a Lao word used in Laos:

nyang – what

The Lao language is closely related to the Isan language used in the northeast region of Thailand and the alphabet resembles the Thai writing system, but has some differences. Wikitravel has an excellent online Lao phrasebook and probably one of the best free web sources you’ll find. Lao Connection also has some of the basics listed in addition to links to language products, fonts, CD’s, and software. Laos Language and Culture Learning Resources out of Northern Illinois University is an extensive guide on folklore, history, arts, literature and of course the lingo!

Word for the Travel Wise (02/18/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

So earlier today I mentioned the upcoming Florida Strawberry Festival that I’ll be missing because I’m in Trinidad. (If only I could clone two more of myself.) This really bums me out because strawberries in my book are the best fruit on the entire planet, but since this only marks the beginning of the season I should be able to get my share of the fruit during its finest moment. Anyhow, in honor of the berry I thought it many of you might want to know how to say the word in another language. Right?

Today’s word is a Farsi (Persian) word used in Iran:

toot farangee – foreign berry

While ‘toot sefid,’ the country’s delicious white berry is most popular in spring too, strawberries are quite foreign to the country and are lumped into this bland category of unfamiliar berries. If only they knew what they were missing – they’d probably rename the fruit or give it a bit more respect. The best berry (toot behtarin) or good berry (toot khoob) would be a better title for a strawberry, but who am I to change centuries of foreign fruit naming.

Excellent sites for learning Persian online include a personal favorite called Easy Persian and Farhangsara. Both sites have an excellent beginner’s guide into the language and use images, sound and music to assist you in the process. Check out Lonely Planet’s Farsi (Persian) Phrasebook for a shorthand guide at the ancient lingo.

Past Farsi words: be salamati.

Word for the Travel Wise (02/02/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

Adventure and Pakistan are synonymous. Period. I’m not the only one who feels this way. A visit to the country is an undertaking several will think about and few will dare pursue. Many of you in some point in time have probably dreamed of climbing K2, the second highest mountain in the world while others wishing only to go only to experience the country’s film industry, Lollywood. Pakistan ain’t all mountains and happy-go-lucky sing-song films though, the northern part of the country is known for a portion of the famed Silk Route, Gandhara heritage, and ancient civilizations. On the other hand communal violence and the media’s look at Islamic fundamentalism keeps even the most adventurous travelers wandering. Whatever your reasons, mentioning Pakistan to the lesser explored family members will probably raise an eyebrow or two.

Today’s word is an Urdu word used in Pakistan:

khatarnak – dangerous

Chances are Grandma, Aunt Edna and Uncle Bob will all try to talk you out of your Pakistan endeavor. If you’re lucky they’ll make a little travel kit, pat you on the back, and send you packing without the worry and concern. Who likes going on a trip knowing dear old mom’s poor heart might under go cardiac arrest because you’ve gone off braving the world in some of the most ‘khatarnak’ or dangerous locales? Show them how carefully planned your travel itinerary is and woo them with a few Urdu phrases before you go.

Urdu is the official language of the country, spoken by some 61 million natives and 104 million total. The language falls under the Indo-Aryan family, developed under Persian, Turish, and Arabic. From my own Persian studies I’ve noticed several closely related if not exact same word. Unless someone out there has a few recommendations on learning Urdu on the web other than what is provided here, this could be a small challenge. For some basics on the script and general background info visit UK India. Otherwise I’d say it’s time to head over to My Language Exchange to find some native speakers looking to swap your lingo knowledge for theirs. Click here for a pretty good blog on a world of Urdu topics.

Word for the Travel Wise (01/31/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

As we conclude a month full of new foreign words it was only a matter of time before I would have to re-visit them and that time is now. I’m sure many of you are just as bummed and excited as I am about this small piece of news. Bummed because you read each word every day waiting to see how long it would take to start repeating and excited because now you’ll be able to build a decent (handful) vocabulary set from your lingo of choice. With the kickoff of New Year’s celebrations over the past weekend it was only natural to expand our Chinese.

Today’s word is a Mandarin phrase used in China:

guo nian hao – Happy New Year!

Mandarin is the most widely spoken of the Chinese language and can be a bit difficult to learn, but there are many sites online that can help get you started. The best will probably cost a small amount of money and the links are many so for sources pointing to additional sources check out About and Mandarin Tools. Mandarin tools is good if you’d like to add pinyin tools and other Chinese text files to your computer. Zap Chinese is free and has small dictionaries of common words with audio. Mei Wah is an awesome and funny site on becoming more aware as an eater and learning Chinese by way of menus and restaurant signs. In addition to these past recommendations check out the Hong Kong Language Learning Center (HKLLC) for study abroad in Hong Kong or Beijing. Qi Journal has a section dedicated to Chinese culture and language study.

Past Mandarin words: zhu ni hao yun.