Word for the Travel Wise (01/29/07)

by Adrienne Wilson on

As I mentioned earlier, I hear a personal vacation to Hispaniola calling. I not only want to go to the Dominican Republic, but I’d also like to venture into Haiti for a few days and see the differences between the two countries on the tiny Caribbean island with two very different cultures.

Today’s word is Kreyòl (Haitian Creole) word used in Haiti:

vwayaje – (v) travel

This Kreyol website features comprehensive cultural and travel info on Haiti. Their overall goal is to spread positive messages about the country and create positive images. Their online Kreyòl dictionary is one of the best! iCreole is a good place translation tool if you wish to know a word within seconds. For a fun look at some popular proverbs check out this Discover Haiti site. Make note that the Creole used in the proverbs is not that of the Creole spoken in Port-au-Prince. Lastly, leave it to good old Pimsleur to have audio books dedicated to learning Creole. Expensive, but you can also look for them in your local library.

Past Kreyòl words: evite, il/zile, voryen, chalè, move, maltêt

Word for the Travel Wise (01/28/07)

by Adrienne Wilson on

Just a couple of weeks back Neil discussed touring Moscow in winter and how his travels at such a frigid, freezing time came off strange to most and how strange it was that he actually found himself enjoying not-so-much the cold weather, but the difference in attitude and face among Russian natives. According to his travel notes he found the people were quite festive. Strange, because Russinas aren’t normally considered festive.

Today’s word is a Russian word used in Russia:

stranno – strange (it’s)

Ready to learn Russian? Check out Master Russian first. They have numerous excellent sound files and the text is clear and easy to read. Learning also goes beyond your Russian A, B, C’s at their site as they have crosswords, literature, proverbs, folk music, and homework help. Other good sites include Learning Russian and this Ectaco Translation Dictionary. Click here for two language book rec’s on Amazon. BBC has the basics to download and hear audio, while Wiki provides the in depth Russian lang back history.

Past Russian words: , shakzochniy, paka, spasiba, tuhmohzhmyah, tantsihvat, durak

Word for the Travel Wise (01/27/07)

by Adrienne Wilson on

It looks as though I went delving into the Korea.net site a little too late for this Ice Festival event which ultimately is a celebration for the people of Hwacheon for the abundance of mountain trout in the waters. The last day of the event is tomorrow, which makes it close to impossible for any of us to make it there, but if you’re interested in reading about the cultural festival head on over to the site anyway.

Today’s word is a Korean word used in Korea:

pakke – outside

For more vocab words found on the menu check out Korea infogate. Several more words in the Korean alphabet with excellent pronunciation guides can be found at Mr. Oh’s Learn Korean website. It’s a fun place to start to learn the basics. KBS World Radio has a three part, 30 chapter online learning guide all for free. I can’t get the Hangul text to show up, but they’ve got sound clips of all the sample conversations available. Learn Korean dot net has most of the aforementioned along with a forum to meet other speakers both fluent natives and beginners. For a list of Korean language programs in the country click here.

Past Korean words: shik-sah, sollongtang, yuh heng, mollah yo, hullyunghan, chuhwangsaege, shigan

Word for the Travel Wise (01/26/07)

by Adrienne Wilson on

Hungry? Stop off at one of these to satisfy your taste buds with some Turkish treats.

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

büfe – snack bar

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, gece

Word for the Travel Wise (01/25/07)

by Adrienne Wilson on

If you enjoy Filipino/Pinoy food, you’ll enjoy reading this food adventure blog by Connie Veneracion. The blog says “let the food pics do the talking,” but there is actually a considerable amount of talking done by the blogger as well with include recipes and tips for those who enjoy Asian culinary arts.

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

salamat po – thank you

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, bubelya