Word for the Travel Wise (11/10/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

I assume now that Turkmenistan has a fairytale like theme park, that there will be many a visitor busting down the doors to ride the rides. Visitors shall be greeted by characters of Turkmen folklore and the Ferris wheel will follow designs of Turkmen jewelry. Let’s say it’ll be much like a Disneyland with very foreign twist. Check out the USA Today article for more details and remember to use this word when trying to score a place to rest after your day of play.

Today’s word is a Turkmen word used in Turkmenistan:

myhmanhana – hotel, guest house

Turkmen is the national language of Turkmenistan with some 3,430,000 speakers within the country and 3,000,000 throughout parts of Iran, Afghanistan and Turkey. The language is more closely related to Crimean Tatar and Salar and less closely related to Turkish and Azerbaijani. Wiki has good background info including additional learning links. If you’ve some knowledge of the lingo already visit this tmchat forum to learn by hanging out and chatting with other members. Same rule applies if you’re going to stop by this Dersat Turkmens page which says you can learn and has samples, tests and conversation, but it’s difficult to understand without basic skills in place. Transparent.com has Turkmen language software and LP’s Central Asia phrasebook has only a small section of Turkmen.

Past Turkmen words: näche

Word for the Travel Wise (11/09/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

Just days after Thanksgiving when most of us will be sitting around regretting taking down that extra turkey leg or mom’s mac n cheese, a good handful of people will be up early and at the starting line for the 2006 Bangkok marathon. On November 26 they will run pass the Grand Palace, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, the National Museum and the Chao Phraya River. The race starts as early as 2 AM as it will be pretty hot and humid as the day goes on I’m sure. I know it’s a little far in advance, but round of sound for anyone so up early hitting the pavement. We’ll be rooting for you, full bellies and all!

Today’s word is a Thai word used in Thailand:

wîng – run

Learning Thai dot com is a great starting point for some basic Thai words and referrals to additional resources. For a brief history of the language, Thai alphabet, and pronunciation guide go to Omniglot. (A pretty clean and simple site with good details.) Another good source would be the Pimsleur language audio CD’s. I used these to prepare for my trip and they worked great! Before making the purchase look into your local library. There are several libraries carrying these audio CD’s and many more.

Past Thai words: hàat sai, wan sao, sawatdee khrab, dang, pák

Word for the Travel Wise (11/08/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

Seems as though I’ve never met anyone who went to the Baltics and came back raving about the food. Two words that I’ve often heard to describe the fare are bland and spice-less. Unless spicy flavorsome food does a number on your stomach I can’t fathom why anyone would order bland and spice-less soup, sausage, eggs, or whatever. That said, if you’re in Lithuania or thinking about heading there and need to assess the food situation their City Paper has a great list of restaurants to help you escape and seek out the local flavor – though there isn’t any flavor.

Today’s word is a Lithuanian word used in Lithuania:

skanaus – bon appetit

First and foremost the best guide to the Baltics seems to be City Paper. They were the only ones who even offered a small list of commonly used Lithuanian words. The paper states you’ll be okay if you know a little Russian and the Lithuanian lingo is closely related to the now extinct Old Prussian. Otherwise finding resources on this one were pretty hard and um, weird. This afoto site lets you learn the parts of the face and hair by clicking on a picture of a young girl. Something about this felt awkward, but it works, I guess. Ominglot has their usual written language guide and Orbislingua has a few audio and reading recommendations. To purchase talking dictionaries click here.

Past Lithuanian words: viesbutis, gatve

Word for the Travel Wise (11/07/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

Should you find yourself at dinner or having a cup of tea at a Nigerian friend’s place or someone of Nigerian descent, don’t be too surprised to hear this word shortly after stepping into the house…

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

joko – sit down

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

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

by Adrienne Wilson on

It is said that Doha, Qatar is one of the dullest places on the entire planet Earth. There is little to do, little to see, and did I mention little to do already? According to LP you’ll have a hard time finding anyone who thinks the place is an exciting desert oasis or diamond in the rough, but if you’re flying into the country you’ll learn it is also the only city with hotels and an airport. So dull or not you haven’t much choice in experiencing Doha. If you want more you’ll have to step out beyond the city.

Today’s word is an Arabic word used in Qatar:

aktar – more

My Language Exchange is an excellent site in making friends across the globe while zoning in on the areas that give you the most trouble in your language of choice. While most services are free, contacting other members does cost a very small fee. Other learning tools for free standard Arabic online include this Learn Arabic site which has some remarkable lessons. The audio sounds a bit off for me, but they’ve got both the Naskh script (easy to read when learning the alphabet) and the Latin spelling of the letter. Babel Arabic is another good source. Planet Edu has an online listing of Arabic schools all over the Middle East, Africa and the U.S. Lastly, for purchase and a quick pocket guide there’s the Lonely Planet Egyptian Arabic Phrasebook, which should be the closest to that spoken in Qatar verses Moroccan Arabic.

Past Arabic words: wafin, akhdar, taeadol, shwiya, la bas, filoos, khwaga, hegab