Word for the Travel Wise (01/13/07)

by Adrienne Wilson on

I’m on the go this evening so without delay here is your word for the evening.

Today’s word is a Croatian word used in Croatia:

lzlaz – exit

Falling under the western group of south Slavic languages, the Croatian language is used primarily by the Croats and is written in the Croatian alphabet. Croatian is an official language of Croatia as well as Bosnia and Burgenland (Austria). Wiki is the perfect starting point to learn all the background notes on the language as well as an example of the language as found in The Lord’s Prayer. This Hrvatski jezik website has a few lists of useful words and phrases for the traveler looking to get by in the country. Things like days of the week, shopping, sightseeing, customs, and basic greetings are all covered. Learn-Croatian.com is another good tool for picking up enough to make due and offers a number of links to help those interested in learning further. As always two of my personal language learning fav’s include the BBC Quick Fix Guide to Croatian with audio for download and LP’s pocket sized Croatian phrasebook.

Past Croatian words: kolodvor, more, ime, putovnica

Word for the Travel Wise (01/12/07)

by Adrienne Wilson on

I just spent a few minutes hanging around YouTube looking at various dance videos from around the world. My searching stopped at the video featured here of a traditional Bengali wedding dance performed at a henna ceremony. Apparently the performance is not typical for henna ceremonies, but the author of the video still gives props to the dancer and I agree that it is rather lovely.

Today’s word is a Bangla (Bengali) word used in Bangladesh:

naach – dance

Web resources for Bangla are few, but you can pick up quite a few words reading (not skimming) through the Wiki and from this Bangalinet site which has a small tutorial on how to write in the script. Beyond those two I’m sure there are others, but as I mentioned above it was like pulling teeth to get this word. With that being said class is dismissed.

Past Bangla words: bhromon, shobbho, nir dohsh, ohnubad

Word for the Travel Wise (01/11/07)

by Adrienne Wilson on

Coming up this March for all the anime lovers is the Tokyo International Anime Fair in March. To be more exact, the event will be open to the general public on March 24-25, 2007. The event is known as the world’s largest anime exhibition held every spring at Tokyo Big Sight.

Today’s word is a Japanese word used in Japan:

kokusai – international

Spoken Japanese comes smoothly for those who either practice or submit themselves to hours of Japanese pop music, but either way one can learn this language in through several avenues. Japanese Online is a VERY good FREE site to start learning. They have audio and a great conversation lessons. The lessons get more in-depth as you become a registered user which is still free of charge. Takese.com has a list of over 2000 words worth checking out. Those on the road already may want to pick up the LP Japanese phrasebook or check into a school for a few weeks of learning. Study Abroad has a list of school located all over the country. If you’re seeking help with written Japanese best of luck to you!

Past Japanese words: hajimemashite, dewa mata, tomodachi, omocha, uchiwa, nori, shigoto

Word for the Travel Wise (01/10/07)

by Adrienne Wilson on

Ready to go shopping in Mongolia? Time to hit the market then, but first you have to know the word that will help you get there.

Today’s word is a Mongolian word used in Mongolia:

zakh – market

Mongolian is an Altaic language and spoken by over two million people throughout Mongolia (where it has official language status) and by up to three million people in northern China. Wikipedia doesn’t offer much for increasing your Mongolian vocabulary, but it has great background information. Learning Mongolian online will be tough without an understanding of their alphabet or script used. Omniglot is the perfect place to begin to start learning the alphabet. For quick reference use LP’s Mongolian Phrasebook on your trip.

Past Mongolian words: mori, gudamj

Word for the Travel Wise (01/09/07)

by Adrienne Wilson on

Asking for the nearest telephone in Tahiti might feel like a breathy conversation in itself if you fail to nail the pronunciation at the first attempt.

Today’s word is a Tahitian (Maohi) word used in Tahiti:

niuniu paraparau – telephone

Tahitian is one of the two official languages of French Polynesia with the other being French. There are approximately 120,000 speakers through the Polynesian Islands. Head to Wikipedia for the background details as always. After you’ve gotten your history fix go to the tourism site for a small useful list of words to help get you by on the islands. Tahiti Explorer looks like it has the small list of words with a few more added on and a nifty pronunciation guide. The same thing goes for the list of words on the Tahiti Traveler without the pronunciation guide, so it’s really up to you to take your pick. Lonely Planet has a guide which probably has the same amount of words in the back of the glossary. Still – better to know a few than none at all.

Past Tahitian words: tamaaraa, pape