Word for the Travel Wise (01/05/07)

by Adrienne Wilson on

The first work week of the New Year is over and I don’t know about the rest of you, but isn’t time to start planning a vacation? I think so. I’m exhausted, but not too tired to thumb through some good ole’ guidebooks. How about you? Vacation time?

Today’s word is a French word used in France:

vacances – vacation

French is the third largest Romance language in the world in terms of native speakers according to the Wikipedia and is the official language of 29 countries. There are a number of places to learn French abroad which include Canada and Switzerland in addition to France. Amerispan offers immersion programs in all three of the countries and more info can be found by clicking here. Search other study abroad programs at some of these sites here: Coeur de France, Accord French Language School, and Transitions Abroad to name only a few. Swing over to My Language Exchange where you are sure to find someone willing to exchange their lingo skills for some of your own. Free online sources for learning French include France-Pub, French Assistant, and the BBC Languages.

Past French words: confiture, difficile, frottis, ma reum (mère), pensées, vélo, croire, neige, cafard

Word for the Travel Wise (01/04/07)

by Adrienne Wilson on

Don’t ask me why I picked this word today. I just did. Maybe someone out there will want to woo a pretty Nigerian woman with a broken English and Yoruba poem or just shout it out loud as the only word they know. However, the last reason really should not be the case as I’ve provided a good handful of words to get you started if traveling in the country and looking to speak some of the native tongues.

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

yemoja – goddess of the river

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, joko, ewa

Word for the Travel Wise (01/03/07)

by Adrienne Wilson on

On your way to Vietnam in the near future? If all goes well when you arrive you shouldn’t need this Vietnamese vocab to figure out where you luggage landed, but if you should find that you cannot find your goods you may wish to cut the small talk and show them you know what you’re talking about..

Today’s word is a Vietnamese word used in Vietnam:

hành ly (haang lee) – luggage

To continue learning Vietnamese online start with phrase list found at the NY Public Library. This Wanna Learn / Geocities page has some free words and phrases listed. It was one of few I could find online for free though you won’t get far. Rosetta Stone offers audio and web courses for a fee and there’s always the opportunity to take a Vietnamese language class in Hanoi, Vietnam with CIEE. For those flying through the country for just a few short days pick up the phrasebook.

Past Vietnamese words: Xe Ðap, xinh xinh, cam hut thuoc, tam biêt, bàn dô, phong giat (fom zuht)

Word for the Travel Wise (01/02/07)

by Adrienne Wilson on

If anyone created the same type of 2007 To-Do List as I did, I suspect there should be much travel planning to become more conversational in a lingo if not fluent. Most of my travels will be by audio books and live radio web stream, but for those who can make it out yonder to practice in full emersion I hope it pays off! And it should…

Today’s word is a Spanish word used in Mexico:

viajar – travel

Amerispan, Cactus Language and IMAC are all good starting points to learning abroad. A free membership at Spanish Unlimited gives you the opportunity to learn a new word everyday by email, gain pen pals and hear audio of the words. Their website is actually a good resource tool for many different Spanish related topics. I won’t even begin to list some of the texts out there that could further your studies because there are entirely too many. If you know of some language books that would be useful please feel free to list them.

Past Spanish words: escalar, cercano, realidad, enfermo, jalar, isla, timbre

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

by Adrienne Wilson on

Okay, so after watching the comical yet sad video below out of Lithuania where a poor man tries crawling across the street after a night of too much drinking (Thanks Neil) it made picking today’s word easy. My hope is that no one started their New Year’s off this way. Its one thing to have a few drinks, but being in a state like the fellow below is just plain scary.

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

alus – beer

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, skanaus