Word for the Travel Wise (01/18/07)

by Adrienne Wilson on

Last Portuguese word I posted I got some good reader feedback on the differences between that from Portugal and that spoken in Brazil. Like the English the language, which differs in many ways from our friends across the pond, the Portuguese language is much the same. The differences are almost so extreme it makes the other wish to have little to no association with the other. However, today’s word is one I think is spelled and pronounced the same on either side of the Atlantic.

Today’s word is a Portuguese word used in Portugal:

obrigado – thank you

Easy Portuguese online offers a small dictionary of useful words, useful phrases, and a couple of short lessons to get you started. Most have audio clips including our word for the day found here. Portuguese Language dot net has excellent historical info on the language and numerous tools to help you get motivated and be successful at learning the 6th most spoken language. For Portuguese heard in Portugal you can download mp3 audio from BBC, which I’m sure there are several similarities between the two countries. Those interested in classroom study abroad can click here for more info at Franco Americano.

Past Portuguese words: xixi, bronzeador, lanchonete, esquerda, crianças, noite, barco, proteção

Word for the Travel Wise (01/17/07)

by Adrienne Wilson on

Looking for a nice cold beer in Bulgaria? Step into one of these…

Today’s word is a Bulgarian word used in Bulgaria:

mehana – tavern

The Bulgarian lang falls into the Southern branch of Slavic languages and is closely related to Macedonian. It is the official lingo of Bulgaria and can also be heard in parts of Greece, Turkey, Romania, and Serbia to name only a few. To continue learning Bulgarian online head to BBC for the QuickFix with audio for the most common travelers phrases. EasyBulgarian online offers guides and nine lessons that help beginners learn the alphabet, correct pronunciation in addition to dialog from native Bulgarian speakers. Find a Bulgarian pal online to help with conversation at My language Exchange or pick up an Eastern European LP phrasebook for the road.

Past Bulgarian words: mózhé bí, most, kâshta

Word for the Travel Wise (01/16/07)

by Adrienne Wilson on

I just checked out the 2007 calendar of cultural events taking place in Papua New Guinea and what a line up! Go see what fantastic festivals and shows they have waiting for your viewing pleasure, then hop on one of these and go!

Today’s word is a Pidgin (Tok Pisin) word used in Papua New Guinea:

balus – plane

As noted in Wikipedia the word ‘tok’ means word or speech and the word ‘pisin’ means pidgin and is a Creole language spoken by about 4 million people as a second language and over a hundred thousand as a first. It is spoken in the northern mainland of Papua New Guinea. If you scroll down further you’ll find a nice list of words and some pronunciation examples. As an added bonus you can learn even more words by venturing into the online Tok Pisin phrasebook, also provided by Wiki. They’ve actually got a great handful of links which I suggest going through them all if you’re really into learning this lang. One last site I’ll note here though is Robert Eklund’s Tok Pisin page. It had pictures of signs, people and some audio clips. Looks a winner to learning the very basics.

Past Pidgin (Tok Pisin) words: natnat, kaikai, misis

Word for the Travel Time (01/15/07)

by Adrienne Wilson on

Today I offer a simple word out of Ethiopia for the start of the work week.

Today’s word is a Amharic word used in Ethiopia:

Segno – Monday

Amharic is the second most Semitic language in the world after Arabic. It is the official working lingo of Ethiopia and spoken in such places as Egypt, Israel, and Sweden by a number of emigrants. The writing system called abugida is based from the now extinct Ge’ez language. In addition to Amharic other widely spoken languages in the country include Tigrinya, Somali, and Arabic to name a few. Wikipedia has good background information on the lang if you’re at all interested, but for those ready to dig in here’s a couple of places to learn online.

Ethiopian Restaurant dot com was kind enough to include some basic Amharic to use while in a restaurant from which I pulled our word for the day. This a great starter to days of the week, numbers, asking for your bill and other small useful phrases. Listen online to KFAI radio for Amharic broadcast out of Minnesota. Check their schedule for program times and listen daily as a self-learning tool. African Language has Amharic software for purchase and Amazon has a number of books for purchase including the Amharic LP phrasebook.

Past Amharic words: qurse, shuruba, ameseginalehu, buhe, yikerta

Word for the Travel Wise (01/14/07)

by Adrienne Wilson on

I’m not a collector of anything really. I have a couple of scrapbooks, old letters from friends across the globe, and my DVD’s which I’ve slacked on buying new ones recently. Nothing I have is of any value (at least now) and if I were ever to start putting together a collection of something that is, I’d go after stamps. First off, they tell so much about a place in such tiny space. They reveal history, national flowers, popular sports and religion. This web collection of Afghan stamps was fun to click around for a few minutes. They have two of Buzkashi, Islamic stamps and some depicting the Communist takeover. Good stuff and though today’s word isn’t stamp, I offer a closely related one that could be off help when mailing your letters and postcards from Kabul back home.

Today’s word is a Pashto word used in Afghanistan:

khat – letter

Pashto is spoken by 40-50 million speakers in Afghanistan, western Pakistan and northern India. It became an official language of Afghanistan in 1936. Persian or Dari is also an official language. Good example sentences, historical information and links are all found at Wikipedia. Pashto.org has video, music, downloadable dictionaries, software and book lists. Yorku.ca has a long list of words to start along your Pashto learning path for at least a few weeks. Visit the BBCPashto page if you already have some understanding of the language under your belt.

Past Pashto words: mujasemy