Word for the Travel Wise (12/09/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

Lose one of these on your vacation in Croatia and you’ll be worried sick. Save yourself some trouble by knowing the word in Croatian though I’m sure they’ll understand very well from your distress in the English lang.

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

putovnica – pronounced (poo-tov-nee-tsa) passport

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

Word for the Travel Wise (12/08/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

Here is an easy Arabic word for the day without all the coughing sounds people tend to add in when they think of learning the language.

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

yom – day

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.

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

Word for the Travel Wise (12/07/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

Now here is a word you can surely get away with doing some sign language to get your point across if needed, but things would probably go so much smoother if you knew it off the top of your head. It could save you the extra dizziness you could be experiencing from your achy head already.

Today’s word is Kreyòl (Haitian creole) word used in Haiti:

maltèt – headache

This Kreyol website features comprehensive cultural and travel info on Haiti. Their overall goal is to spread positive messages about the country and create positive images. Their online Kreyòl dictionary is one of the best! iCreole is a good place translation tool if you wish to know a word within seconds. For a fun look at some popular proverbs check out this Discover Haiti site. Make note that the Creole used in the proverbs is not that of the Creole spoken in Port-au-Prince. Lastly, leave it to good old Pimsleur to have audio books dedicated to learning Creole. Expensive, but you can also look for them in your local library.

Past Kreyòl words: evite, il/zile, voryen, chalè, move

Word for the Travel Wise (12/06/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

Ever since the release of Borat all the ‘stans’ seem to be getting a little more attention and in my book that’s great! It means more people are waking up to the whole wide world and realizing these tiny less-explored spots are still alive and kicking. After I came back from Tajikistan people kept asking how was Kazakhstan and while I thought it was annoying that they couldn’t get it right at first, I started looking at who was doing the asking. Most of them probably wouldn’t have been in the same ball park if it hadn’t been for that silly Borat.

Today’s word is a Kyrgyz word used in Kyrgyzstan:

jaqshë – good

Kyrgyz also known as Kirghiz is spoken by about 3 million people. The lang is a northwestern Turkic language and together with Russian it is the official language of the country of Kyrgyzstan. It is also spoken in parts of China, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Turkey. Check out Wikipedia for background info. In regards to learning online you’ve picked a toughie if you’ve decided on making Kyrgyz your second tongue. This Learning Kyrgyz blogspot page hasn’t been updated in ages, but it may have some helpful links and words of advice for persons eager to learn. If you’d like to learn by listening try the BBC in Kyrgyz. My online suggestions will stop there for now. I picked this word out of my Central Asia phrasebook from LP. Pick one up for yourself!

Past Kyrgz words: kechiresiz

Word for the Travel Wise (12/05/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

Zimbabwe wasn’t where I was planning to pull the word from today, but I stumbled upon one and noticed I’ve never selected from this part of Africa ever before. All this is a shame too as the year is almost over and this is the first time Zimbabwe gets a mention. I’m sure I’ve missed several other uncommon languages, but that doesn’t make it excusable. Tonight we embrace the Shona language.

Toady’s word is a Shona word used in Zimbabwe:

harare – the one who does not sleep

Harare is the capital city of Zimbabwe and Shona also known as ChiShona is the mother tongue of Zimbabwe. Spoken in Mozambique, Zambia, and Botswana as well, there are approximately 7,000,000 speakers. Travelers heading to Zimbabwe needn’t worry too much about knowing this particular language. With English holding the official status anyone should be able to get around comfortably or close to. If you wish to continue online start with this Shona English dictionary and then proceed to this Shona Language site. Wikipedia, like always, has good background detail on the history and people that speak the lang in Zimbabwe and surrounding countries.