Word for the Travel Wise (11/05/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

Every time someone speaks about going to Asian countries, I so often hear talk of purchasing cheap luxurious looking fabrics to have sewn into beautiful dresses and gowns or other items. As a young child I remember my uncle traveling to Thailand, Taiwan and various other countries later bringing back all sorts of souvenirs, but the fabric was always the main prize for some reason. I don’t think he ever found his way into China, but if you so happen to and it tickles your fancy to buy fabrics and such then this word might be for you…

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

jeuk – wear

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

Word for the Travel Wise (11/04/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

If you should find yourself in Greece this holiday season for only one day and one day only check out the Greek National Opera. That’s if you’re not in the mood to explore the outdoors, plus it has been said that productions during summer and winter months tend to be the most interesting. Of course that is coming from the Ministry of Tourism, but I’ll take their word for it.

Today’s word is a Greek word from Greece:

imera – day

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!

Past Greek words: toh karavee, Pascha, aigolios, thello, foni, filaki

Word for the Travel Wise (11/03/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

One trip to Tahiti’s beautiful islands and you’ll see why today’s word is so useful. Whether you desire a litte to drink or feel like taking a dip in it – it should come well in handy.

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

pape – water

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

Word for the Travel Wise (11/02/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

Now that November has come the holidays will be here in the blink of an eye! And with the holidays, I always start to think about a nice cold glass of egg nog with nutmeg sprinkled all over the top, but besides that I think of all magical festivities. Take the Nutcracker for instance – sadly I’ve never had the chance to see the Russian fairy-ballet performed on stage. Yet, with each and every season it seems the opportunities to watch this show are a dime a dozen. Whether or not they’ll be great I can’t say and aside from all this babble, I bring you your very special word for the day.

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

tantsihvat – dance

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

Word for the Travel Wise (11/01/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

I’m on the run this evening so I’m hitting you with another Somali word to start the month. Hope this one comes in handy someday.

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

magacaa – What is your name?

Since Somali isn’t spoken by a large population learning the language online for free will be a difficult task to accomplish. Start with this Fortunecity site. They offer a 600 word English to Somali dictionary and vice versa. 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.

Past Somali words: maxaad shektay, qaalin, khapar, aabbe, waddan