Word for the Travel Wise (11/30/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

It’s been a moment since I’ve provided you with a word from Tajikistan. During the three weeks I spent in the country this past September I found this one word to be quite helpful in many situations. If someone was hounding me on the streets or pouring too much tea I let this one roll off my tongue…

Today’s word is a Tajik word used in Tajikistan:

bas – enough

Tajik is the official language of the country and is closely related to the Persian (Farsi) language spoken in Iran. According to Wiki the most important Tajik-speaking cities of Central Asia are Samarkand and Bukhara which are located in present-day Uzbekistan. In addition to giving interested language learners a taste at some commonly used words and phrases, the Great Game Travel Company has excellent info and short trips for touring the city of Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Be sure to check out the list of words first. If you’re near the University of Washington look into their Near Eastern Language Programs. Lonely Planet has a pocket-sized phrasebook on Central Asian lingos worth packing along and several other book picks can be found by clicking here.

Past Tajik/Wakhi words: rohi safed, mailesh, rahmat / tashakkur, samolyot, dishma

Word for the Travel Wise (11/29/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

While I’ve certainly slacked off of giving the Albanian language any real type of love, Neil keeps Albania alive in his Red Corner pieces. If you’ve forgotten he also explored parts of the country earlier this year, so if you missed his good words of knowledge and travel tips perhaps it is time you revisit our Albania category.

Today’s word is an Albanian word used in Albania:

kujtesë – memory

Albanian is spoken in Albania, Kosovo, Greece, Serbia and Montenegro, and the Republic of Macedonia. It is in its own independent branch of the Indo-European language family with no living close relatives as stated by Wikipedia. Argjiro is a pretty new site with a long way to go, but there are a few things there to help a beginner in the Albanian lang get a foothold. Start with the English-Albanian dictionary. Single-Serving online has an awesome Albanian phrase guide for the tourist with audio files. For history, lessons, and other useful knowledge on the tongue of Albania visit, Albania World.

Past Albanian words: muaj

Word for the Travel Wise (11/28/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

No real rhyme or reason for picking today’s word other than I stumbled upon it over at the BBC in their cool French section. It was part of a longer phrase, but I think this one word is enough for now.

Today’s word is a French word used in France:

cafard – cockroach

French is the third largest Romance language in the world in terms of native speakers according to the Wikipedia and is the official language of 29 countries. There are a number of places to learn French abroad which include Canada and Switzerland in addition to France. Amerispan offers immersion programs in all three of the countries and more info can be found by clicking here. Search other study abroad programs at some of these sites here: Coeur de France, Accord French Language School, and Transitions Abroad to name only a few. Swing over to My Language Exchange where you are sure to find someone willing to exchange their lingo skills for some of your own. Free online sources for learning French include France-Pub, French Assistant, and the BBC Languages.

Past French words: confiture, difficile, frottis, ma reum (mère), pensées, vélo, croire, neige

Word for the Travel Wise (11/27/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

Well it’s been months since I’ve tossed out an Azeri word and my lack of doing so is a result of few online English to Azeri resources. Not wanting to fail you or anyone out there with a remote interest in this far out foreign lang, I went back to Azeri.org where I managed to pluck this easy word out of a few others. Hope it helps someone out there.

Today’s word is an Azeri word used in Azerbaijan:

romanlar – novels

Azeri, also known as Azerbaijani, Azari, Azeri and Azeri Turkish is he official language of the Republic of Azerbaijan. However, Iran is home for a majority of the Azeri speakers in the world. It is spoken in Russia’s Republic of Dagestan, south-eastern Georgia, northern Iraq, and eastern Turkey. I wanted to present you with a better word for the first lesson and second lesson in Azeri, but there are several with that upside down e and other characters and for me to try to give you one of those without the right character would cause too much confusion. Wiki has the lang background info and Azeri.org has some online lessons.

I’ll be patrolling the web for more online sources.

Past Azeri words: babatdir

Word for the Travel Wise (11/26/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

I’m going to continue riding on the idea that many of you went shopping this weekend and had a grand old time doing so. Perhaps some of you are overseas and found many good gifts to wrap and ship back home. I don’t know what your story is, but if you’re broke and out of cash then this phrase may also be for you…

Today’s word is an Italian word used in Italy:

sono al verde – I’m in the green. I’m broke.

Seeing how popular the language is there isn’t much difficulty finding learning resources on the web. I’m a little unsure about what’s going on with this June29 site, but they have three very simple lessons to get your learning motors going. You might find the BBC your one stop shop in handling your needs. Dictionaries, lessons, audio, and slang are all included. Distance learning is always recommended in my book. Check out some of these programs abroad where you can study in various cities across the country and even Lugano, Switzerland. A few links to study abroad are as follows: Amerispan, World Link Education, and ILUSS. Head over to this Italian Book Store for suggested text.

Past Italian words: qualcosa, dov’é, congratulazioni, un riccone/una riccona, sono strafelice