Word for the Travel Wise (11/18/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

When asking for directions around the Serbian capital city of Belgrade, let people know you understand them by using this word…

Today’s word is a Serbian word used in Serbia:

razumem – I understand

Head to the BBC for a crash course or quick fix on basic Serbian words and phrases. For the most part Serbian is spoken by Serbs everywhere and is apart of the Stokavian dialect (former standard of the Serbo-Croatian language). Serbian School online is completely free and a great place to start for those interested in learning. While their services are free they do ask for PayPal donations which I suggest giving whatever you can if you planning on using their guides. Bookmark the site and check back daily for their word of the day or refresh to learn a few in one day. Join the Serbia Language and Culture Workshop during summer for intensive sessions with other like-minded foreigners. As usual Lonely Planet has the nifty pocket-sized phrasebooks to help you along the way in Eastern Europe. This particular guide has small sections devoted to a number of languages in the region.

Past Serbian words:

Word for the Travel Wise (11/17/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

A good friend of mine is heading to Africa soon and while I sit wishing I too could journey to the land, I know he will bring back enough good stories to keep entertained for a minute. If I’m not mistaken, one of the countries in which he will visit is Tanzania. Lucky, dog… This word goes out to you and all your pals making the long trip over with you.

Today’s word is a Swahili word used in Tanzania:

nzuri – good

Masai-Mara has a section devoted to useful Swahili and Kenya Travels has a similar list, but to catch the missing words between the two I suggest looking at them both. The Kamusi Project is the internet’s only living Swahili dictionary which has been suspended due to funding issues. Sad, seeing it seems like one of the best sources to learning the lang, but the if you’re willing to donate a few dollars you can help keep the website alive. To learn basic background facts about Swahili check out Wikipedia. Did you know the name Swahili comes from the plural of Arabic word sahel (singular) or its plural sawahil meaning “boundary” or “coast?” Just one cool fact I discovered during the first lesson I taught.

Past Swahili words: unasemaje, simu , asubuhi, zaidi

Word for the Travel Wise (11/15/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

Australia may be considered a land ‘down under’ and far out from most, but that doesn’t mean it is keeping people from spending their savings to travel that way. Should you arrive in Sydney or Melbourne and find it way too touristy for your liking ask around to find a more remote area also known as the word found below.

Today’s word is a Bush word used in Australia:

backblocks – a remote area

Hiroyuki Yokose does a great job outlining Aboriginal words used in Australian English like our vocab words from the past. For additional words you may wish to check out his findings. The Bangerang Cultural Centre is one of the first Aboriginal museums in the country and has a list of words online from this particular tribe. Wiki lists a large number of tribes and languages found in Australia which if you already haven’t set your mind on one in particular you can try picking one off their list. Try Lonely Planet’s Outback Australia guide for additional offline reading and trip planning.

Past Aboriginal/Australian words: cooee, yabber, bush telly, duffing

Word for the Travel Wise (11/14/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

Okay, hmm… I went to check out the Poland tourism site to see if there was any kind of cool event to tie into the word piece tonight and the first thing that pops out at me is the emergency hotline for travelers. What’s that all about Poland? Is something going on over there the curious vagabond needs to know about? For those who get stuck or in a bind while in Poland, this word is for you…

Today’s word is a Polish word used in Poland:

pomoc! – help!

Interested parties can further their skills by visiting this Skwierzyna site for an Adobe PDF filled with excellent info and dictionary of Polish facts. Additional sites include Anglik for very basic info, Skwierzyna.net for additional links, and Angielski to learn Polish in Poland. Recommended pocket guides can be purchased at Lonely Planet. Download the word above and more at BBC languages quick fix.

Past Polish words: doswiadczenie, witamy, do widzenia

Word for the Travel Wise (11/13/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

Every time I hear Amel Larrieux sing how she’s got to get to Congo I somehow fix myself to thinking I need to get there too and the Congo is really a place I’m in no rush to see. Still, I don’t mind picking up a few words should I manage to find myself there one day. As mentioned before I’m limited to good language sources for this particular tongue, so I’m reaching back into the English to Tshiluba quiz found at the Internet TESL Journal. Try this one and then sample Amel Larrieux’s music for yourself.

Today’s word is a Tshiluba word used in the Democratic Republic of the Congo:

kulela – colors

Tshiluba is a Narrow Bantu also known as Luba-Kasai and Luba-Lulua. It is an official lang of the DRC in addition to French. Approximately 6,300,000 people speak the lingo and additional web resources are scarce. Feel free to leave a comment with any extra resources that could help others learn a bit more than what I’ve noted. You can continue learning the words for your own favorite colors by taking this English-Tshiluba quiz online. Chances are you’ll get all of them wrong, unless you’re an extremely talented guesser. After enough trial and error you’ll eventually be able to ramble off all the colors of the rainbow and have no one to tell them to, except in the Congo.

Past Tshiluba words: manimani, kalabi