Word for the Travel Wise (01/25/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

A few years back when I was spending more time in Romania, but had some time to spend in Hungary and enough time to get lost in Budapest alone I found myself in several exciting places. On my way to Statue Park I got a little turned around, but once back on the right course I met this friendly Canadian girl who was traveling alone as well and headed in the same direction. We decided to check out the gigantic memorials from the Communist dictatorship together and while her company was great it was a local Hungarian gentleman that stole my heart. Earlier that day I had taken a trip up to Castle Hill where he was working, answering several sight-seeing individuals questions. I don’t know how it happened or what word triggered our half hour long exchange of eastern and western linguistic study, but he wanted to make sure his accent was as pure sounding of any westerner, say from Portland. In exchange he wanted me to sound like an eastern European woman.

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

Köszönöm – (ker-ser-nerm) thank you

Looks tricky at first, but this one is actually fairly easy. 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.

Word for the Travel Wise (01/16/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

One look at my friend’s two year-old niece and she’ll melt your heart. She’s an absolute doll and incredibly smart. While the little one is far from having mastered the English language her vocabulary is already being peppered with the Somali language as well. It is during these times when baby geniuses are constructed. I know. They start with bi-lingual basics like grandma and grandpa, gaining the “ooh’s and aah’s” of family and the affection of an occasional visitor to the house. Later they work their way up to advanced words like cauliflower, sartorial, nepotism, tundra, vespertine, alchemy and gadling. After becoming fluent in both languages they look for a third, fourth, and fifth and eventually try to take over the world. And if world take-over isn’t on their list of things to do then they’ll just get higher wages at their place of employment.

Today’s word is a Somali word used in Somalia:

maxaad shektay – how are you

Without letting my friend know I was suspicious of the young child taking my spot in the work place when my bones are old and fragile and my memory starts to fail I asked her to teach me some Somali. And seeing Somali isn’t spoken by a large population learning the language online for free will be a difficult task to accomplish. You maybe able to find an exchange partner online at My Language Exchange, provided there are Somali speakers registered with the site. Your best bet would be travel within the country, finding a local tutor or purchasing language software from African Language dot com. Their CD-ROM is priced at $99 USD, so may wish to shop around before buying.

Word for the Travel Wise (01/10/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

Now that you’ve traveled by plane to one of Europe’s most popular destinations you’re ready to stretch your limbs a little, bask in the Mediterranean sun, let the cool Aegean Sea breeze whisk through your hair and do some of the most luxurious island hopping known to man. You start in Crete making way to the breath-taking, blue-doomed roofs and ultra-white walls located on Santorini later to head to Mykonos before docking in Athens. After you and your companions spend a day or so being blown away by the country’s ancient architecture, delicious souvlaki, history and hedonism you’re ready to continue your adventures at sea. Though you should already know the word at this point you’ve forgotten. So what is the name of the vessel you must board?

Today’s word is a Greek word from Greece:

toh karavee – boat

Before using that silly expression “It’s all Greek to me,” try using your brain or at least a phrasebook. The Greek language is pretty mind boggling, but I’m sure you’ll be able to pick up a few words. If all else fails just keep saying ‘toh karavee.’ And if you’re a real vagabond maybe someone will hire you as a fish monger and in exchange for your services you’ll get to travel Greece for free.

Online sources for learning Greek for free include BBC Languages and AGNI. The courses at BBC Languages are incredible. Probably one of the best you’ll find online and audio can even be found for today’s word by clicking here. Amerispan offers Greek immersion and language courses in Athens. Pretty pricey, but hey it’s Greece!

Word for the Travel Wise (01/09/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

Many of you were probably wondering whether I was going to duck and dodge, steer clear and avoid what seems to be American’s least favorite language to even attempt to speak on Paris streets. Or when we do our accent slaughters the word entirely. I’ll admit I’ve never tried to learn this romantic sounding lingo whole-heartedly and it’s pretty low on my list of tongue to learn, though it could be ten times more helpful than some of the others. Anyhow, that’s just me. There are probably tons of you out there with a little more common sense than myself mastering the French language.

Today’s word is a French word from France:

confiture – jam (used on toast)

Who would have thought? There are some French words that are fairly similar to English and one can easily guess what their meaning may be, but this would have been a tough one. Unless of course, I saw a jar of nicely labeled ‘confiture’ sitting on the table or shelf in the market.

The French language can be heard many places aside from France. I’ve often seen many American’s return from certain parts of Canada surprised by the amount of French spoken. Several African countries like Cameroon, Senegal, Chad and Togo have long embraced French as the official language. Guadeloupe in the Caribbean is also French speaking so your choices of picking French language schools abroad are numerous. STA is a good starter for learning overseas. Free online sources are France-Pub, French Assistant, and the BBC Languages.