Word for the Travel Wise (12/16/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

When my plane landed in Budapest I had no idea at the time how much I would fall in love with the city, but over the course of my stay I started to seriously day dream about living in the country. What would it have been like? What could it be like today, tomorrow or in five years? In the event that I went out on a wing and took the big leap into living in eastern Europe I started practicing the local language with my first word being a very basic and essential one.

Today’s word is a Magyar (Hungarian) word used in Hungary:

Jó napot – hello

The Hungarian lingo is a Finno-Ugric language, which you can learn more about at Wikipedia, right now let’s stick to the places you can learn it for free. Hungarotips is a completely free site with beginner, intermediate, and advanced lessons. This impulzus web page has everything you’d basically find in a LP guide. There’s no audio, so read a little about the alphabet and then find someone who’s willing to make sure you speak like a local. The verbal exchange will be very rewarding I am sure. As always remember to scope out the BBC for basic lang downloads.

Past Hungarian words: köszönöm, vásárlók könyve, hangverseny, kijárat, segítség

Word for the Travel Wise (12/15/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

Hmm… I could be wrong about this slang out of the Philippines, but looking at this long list of slang words and their notes it would seem I am very correct. Just don’t go running around using this one until you’ve gotten triple confirmation from some very fluent in P.I. slang folks. One could certainly try it with the ladies and if the answer results in a slap to the face or silly giggle you may have nailed it right on the head. I welcome anyone with this particular language background to clue me in as to if this is indeed correct.

Today’s word is a Tagalog word used in the Philippines:

bubelya – boobs

Tagalog is one of the major languages in Central Philippines and part of the Austronesian language family. For some reason I was surprised by the number of free GOOD resources available to prospective Tagalog student. Wikipedia has great background info on the lingo as well as related languages, Bikol, Hiligaynon, Waray-Waray, and Cebuano. Mongabay pretty much covers all the really good, up and running links to sites that help teach Tagalog, after checking out a few I’ll do the favor of pointing the best out. The first is an interactive language and Filipino culture resource site tools are provided for both teachers and students. A pretty intense breakdown on local slang and how it is derived can be found here. Travel Lang has word and phrase generator that spits out all the basic words you’d use while visiting.

Past Filipino/Tagalog words: taon, kalye, alak, masarap, sayaw, kapayapaán

Word for the Travel Wise (12/13/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

Here is an easy and very common word I’m sure you’ll be using on your stay in Iceland.

Today’s word is an Icelandic word used in Iceland:

bless – goodbye

Háskóli Íslands, one of the universities offers an excellent free starter course to learning Icelandic. Pictures, text, and audio for sample conversations are included. European Youth Portal points out other sources of study within the country and distance learning. I’ve met several speakers with My Language Exchange. Lastly, check out the BBC for a few easy phrases to help get you around the town.

Past Icelandic words: söngkona/söngvari, himnaríki, velkomin, dýrt, menning

Word for the Travel Wise (12/12/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

Running low on luck these days? According to Wikipedia, Obeah, a type of sorcery practiced in Jamaica and various parts of the West Indies contains many traditions for helping, healing and bringing love and money to those who are seriously without. I’d never heard of it until a couple of days ago when I went searching for words for tonight’s word plug and I also wouldn’t mess with it, but I’m also not at rock bottom in my life. Anyhow, just throwing this one out there for anyone who wishes to further investigate.

Today’s word is a Patois word from Jamaica:

obeah – a brand of witchcraft practiced in Jamaica

You can expand your ‘Rasta Patois’ in several ways. The most rewarding way is straight from the horse’s mouth, so you may wish to seek the knowledge from some West Indian folks in your neighborhood. If you can’t learn anything that way due to the low number of West Indian peeps in your circle, try watching films. The Rockers is an awesome and entertaining starting point. The 25th anniversary edition DVD has great features, including a small Rasta Patois dictionary. A good source on the net is Jamaicans dot com and Jahworks seems decent.

Past Patois words: satta, gwaan, labrish, mash up, budufbaf, tegareg, peenywally

Word for the Travel Wise (12/11/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

My trip to Turkey just this past August was too short and not sweet enough. I had a five hour layover and took advantage of the little time to see the city with a friend of a friend who met me at the airport. It became apparent early on that I would need to return for an extended period of time if I were going to see any real action or experience the nightlife. I’m told to go back in May when the weather is nice in the day and perfect for night crawling. If you are planning some time out on the town when darkness surrounds the city and street lights flicker to keep it aglow; check out this list of Istanbul nightlife options from Frommers.

Today’s word is a Turkish word used in Turkey:

gece – night

Prepare ahead of time by visiting this Turkish Class site. Membership is free and you’ll get a lot more than some of the basics they already have listed. Online Turkish is good too, but you’ll have to register and pay to get anything more than hello, how are you and I love you. Stick to the first site and check out this Turkish vocabulary list of body parts. Wiki has an excellent starters piece on background, history and a short list of words. Scope out phrasebooks from Rough Guides, Lonely Planet or grab both.

Past Turkish words: merhaba, iyi volculuklar, sabirsiz, lokanta, ezan