Word for the Travel Wise (09/27/06)

If all the words in the Pidgin language are repetitive like the two I’ve presented thus far I’d have to vote it as the easiest and most fun language to learn. However, all the words are not like this, but it still seems to be fairly simple to catch onto.

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

kaikai – food

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

Word for the Travel Wise (09/26/06)

Korean is the only lang I’ve talked more about food than any other seen here. Don’t ask me how or why that is, but having a few food words tucked under your belt during your travels is very important and very wise if you ask me.

Today’s word is a Korean word used in Korea:

chuhwangsaege – orange (color)

For more vocab words found on the menu check out Korea infogate. Several more words in the Korean alphabet with excellent pronunciation guides can be found at Mr. Oh’s Learn Korean website. It’s a fun place to start to learn the basics. KBS World Radio has a three part, 30 chapter online learning guide all for free. I can’t get the Hangul text to show up, but they’ve got sound clips of all the sample conversations available. Learn Korean dot net has most of the aforementioned along with a forum to meet other speakers both fluent natives and beginners. For a list of Korean language programs in the country click here.

Past Korean words: shik-sah, sollongtang, yuh heng, mollah yo, hullyunghan

Word for the Travel Wise (09/25/06)

This City of David website is something to check out! The music alone takes me back to a period in history I still have so much to learn about. If I could take a month or two months to do a huge religions of the world themed tour I would definitely start in Israel. The website is completely interactive and very eye-appealing not to mention highly informative. Go take a gander with your own two if you have the chance.

Today’s word is a Hebrew word used in Israel:

todah
– thank you

For a short list of the very basics in Hebrew check out Israel Visit. Jewfaq.org has a clear and excellent guide to the alphabet, pronunciation, styles of writing, fonts and word processors. ZigZag World provides learning materials at a level for children and beginning adults. Lots of pictures! Hebrew Online is not a free service, but allows you to learn through video-conferencing technology to communicate live with professional Israeli Hebrew teachers. Before paying anything they allow you to sign up for two trail lessons. Ancient Hebrew is a thorough site on people, language, culture with additional links and learning resources.

Past Hebrew words: shalom,
en ba’aya

Word for the Travel Wise (09/24/06)

I’m as beat as beat comes so let’s just hop right into the word for the night. Hope this oen helps someone out there!

Today’s word is a Romanian word used in Romania:

ajutor – help

If you’d like to know some real practical basics visit this Easy Romanian site. They offer proverbs, months, numbers, and days of the week. As usual Pimsluer offers great audio methods and Lonely Planet has a pocket sized phrasebook for Eastern European langs. BBC has the quick fix holiday downloads with the very, very, basics of the language worth looking into.

Past Romanian words: ciocan, no roc, multumesc, buna

Word for the Travel Wise (09/23/06)

Everyone has a favorite musician they’d take a loan out at the bank to go see in concert if it were the last concert ever being held in some rare exotic place like Easter Island. I have a couple I would go out on a limb and do such for; the first being Björk, second Sade and the third I’ll give to Les Nubians. After seeing the two Cameroonian sisters perform live in Los Angeles I was sold. Listening to a few of their songs now hoping they’ll do a show somehwere nearby soon. I really don’t want to do the loan at the bank thing. Smile.

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

croire – believe

English and French are both official languages of Cameroon.

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