Word for the Travel Wise (12/23/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

As the last few days of Christmas creep up on me and everyone else celebrating I’ll be getting in as much quality time with the family as possible and to do so I’ll have to be short here, but not so short where I can’t provide you with your nightly dose of foreign language. So without further delay…

Today’s word is a Yoruba word used in Nigeria:

ewa – beauty

English is the official language of Nigeria, which means any traveler should be able to converse and navigate their way from Lagos to Jigawa with ease. (Unless you don’t speak English.) The country’s three main languages include: Yoruba, Ibo (Igbo), and Hausa. Each of the three main languages are named after the people they belong to and carry several dialects within themselves. Motherland Nigeria has an incredible intro to the three languages, Nigerian slang and even a few examples of common Pidgin English spoken. Some audio samples are available as well.

Past Nigerian / Yoruba / Igbo words: ikun, feran, kedu, odabo, gabdun, jo, joko

Word for the Travel Wise (12/22/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

It doesn’t surprise me a whole lot that About.com also has a word of the day feature for foreign languages, but what was does surprise is how long it took me to stumble upon their cool little lessons. After thumbing through some of the archives I decided to borrow this word from their teachings to pass on to you guys here. Go check out their feature.

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

mondo – world, humanity, mankind

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, sono al verde

Word for the Travel Wise (12/21/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

It has been yet another long and grueling day of driving. If you’ll excuse me I’ll keep from my pre-word babble and just give it straight to you.

Today’s word is an Afrikaans word used in South Africa:

baai – goodbye

For learning Afrikaans online check out this Afrikaans.us site and Ominglot guide with additional links. Aviva has a nice list of words with their translations you may hear most commonly during your visit in the country. Parties with some knowledge of the language may wish to do some reading over at this blog all in Afrikaans. I haven’t a clue what the content is about, but it could come in handy. Note that the name Afrikaans is simply the Dutch word for African where Afrikaans is the African form of the Dutch Language.

Past Afrikaans words: bly stil , plakkies, woestyn, dof, dagga

Word for the Travel Wise (12/20/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

Looks as though this word could come in handy when passing through customs or when filling out paperwork at any important office where saying “huh” or “I don’t understand” might get you a nasty glance. Please people, make some effort to learn a little of the language before taking off.

Today’s word is a Cantonese word used in China:

chìm ji – sign here

Cantonese is mainly spoken in southern Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and by Chinese minorities in Southeast Asia. Check out Wiki for a pretty extensive historical look at the lingo. Cantonese Online – A Tribute is a colorful site packed with info which offers a variety of free resources to learning to this spectacular language. If you’d like to learn some street slang as seen in popular Hong Kong movies there is a book for purchase on this site here. Last but not least scope out or pick up the LP pocket-sized guide to keep you talking on the go!

Past Mandarin / Cantonese words: zhu ni hao yun, guo nian ha, mu di di, hao, xiang zi, zai jian, léui yàu, känt, jeuk

Word for the Travel Wise (12/19/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

Some of you are probably sitting at home scratching your heads thinking, what ever can you get the nice Gadling lady who often brings you new food for thought? Yes, well with the last Hindi word I sort of hinted at a fine gift idea, but for those who didn’t catch my drift I could certainly use a cookbook. Why, just last week I was thinking how great it would be to make tandoori chicken in the comfort of my own home if only I knew how and had that special oven. (Double-hint.)

Today’s word is a Hindi word from India:

murgee – poultry

There are several awesome resources online to learn Hindi for free and a fee. Wikitravel Phrasebook provides many useful phrases to remember for your journey. 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, Ravivar, lajawab, paisa, limbu pani, pyaaz