Word for the Travel Wise (08/31/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

By the time you read this I should have made it well off my flight into Dushanbe. Over the next few weeks while I build in partnership with Habitat for Humanities Global Village program and journey through the land, I’ll be posting a word from various Silk Road countries. I’ll start with Tajik tonight, which should be somewhat familiar to some of you and explore lesser known lingos as we progress.

Today’s word is a Tajik word used in Tajikistan:

samolyot – plane

Tajik is the official language of the country and is closely related to the Persian (Farsi) language spoken in Iran. According to Wiki the most important Tajik-speaking cities of Central Asia are Samarkand and Bukhara which are located in present-day Uzbekistan. In addition to giving interested language learners a taste at some commonly used words and phrases, the Great Game Travel Company has excellent info and short trips for touring the city of Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Be sure to check out the list of words first. If you’re near the University of Washington look into their Near Eastern Language Programs. Lonely Planet has a pocket-sized phrasebook on Central Asian lingos worth packing along and several other book picks can be found by clicking here.

Past Tajik words: rohi safed, mailesh, rahmat / tashakkur

Word for the Travel Wise (08/30/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

So today I’m out and headed for Tajikistan by way of Istanbul. I can’t tell you how very excited I am after weeks of waiting. As always I will do my best to report from the road, but you can assure I’ll provide full detail afterwards. In the meantime I’m hoping to make good use of my long layover in Istanbul. Hmm, a hamam perhaps? Or maybe just a bite to eat somewhere… I’ll be sure to let you know.

Today’s word is a Turkish word used in Turkey:

lokanta – restaurant

Prepare ahead of time by visiting this Turkish Class site. Membership is free and you’ll get a lot more than some of the basics they already have listed. Online Turkish is good too, but you’ll have to register and pay to get anything more than hello, how are you and I love you. Stick to the first site and check out this Turkish vocabulary list of body parts. Wiki has an excellent starters piece on background, history and a short list of words. Scope out phrasebooks from Rough Guides, Lonely Planet or grab both.

Past Turkish words: merhaba, iyi volculuklar, sabirsiz

Word for the Travel Wise (08/29/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

It is the eve of my big departure and I’m afraid I haven’t much time to develop a nice intro to my travel wise feature, but I am sure you’ll pardon me. You always do. Anyhow, I did notice we haven’t touched this fun and difficult lingo in a while so I give you a simple word from the short list of Wolof vocab I have.

Today’s word is a Wolof word used in Senegal:

déedéet – no

According to this Wolof Online site, most Wolof speaking people believe their language is quite difficult and even un-teachable to those passionately wanting to communicate in the lingua. The website also believes if there is a will there is a way which is why you can find primer courses on Wolof there as well. Wiki has a small list of words on their information guide. You’ll notice the word used in today’s lesson above there and should be able to make good use of this one during your travels in Senegal or Gambia and Mauritania where Wolof is also spoken. Scroll further down on the Wiki and the Wolof Online sites to find additional links and resources to help in your Wolof endeavors.

Past Wolof words: jërejëf

Word for the Travel Wise (08/28/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

I’m incredibly beat these days folks. Making sure all is intact before I fly out, getting malaria pills, paying bills, sending emails, etc., etc., etc. Any American who has left their world behind for a three week run knows the drill. I need a vacation before vacation, a vacation on vacation and a vacation after vacation. It seems I just need to be in a position where I can vacation whenever I want to vacation. Right now I just need rest and speaking of rest – this Thai tent resort doesn’t sound like a bad place to rest or vacation. A little out of my budget, but a girl can still dream.

Today’s word is a Thai word used in Thailand:

pák – rest

Learning Thai dot com is a great starting point for some basic Thai words and referrals to additional resources. For a brief history of the language, Thai alphabet, and pronunciation guide go to Omniglot. (A pretty clean and simple site with good details.) Another good source would be the Pimsleur language audio CD’s. I used these to prepare for my trip and they worked great! Before making the purchase look into your local library. There are several libraries carrying these audio CD’s and many more.

Past Thai words: hàat sai, wan sao, sawatdee khrab, dang

Word for the Travel Wise (08/27/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

Okay, this news is a bit dated, but when I saw the headline I laughed out loud. Seriously. Pestiside.hu has a small blurb on some new traffic rules being enforced in the country which they claim plans to turn Hungarians into US-style safety sisses. How comical is that? I’ve seen how they drive over there and it’s insane! The new traffic rules are in regards to the use of reflective vests and if you’ve got a moment it’s quite funny to find who they point out as frequent users of the vests here in the states. Go to Pestiside.

Today’s word is a Magyar (Hungarian) word used in Hungary:

kijárat – exit

The Hungarian lingo is a Finno-Ugric language, which you can learn more about at Wikipedia, right now let’s stick to the places you can learn it for free. Hungarotips is a completely free site with beginner, intermediate, and advanced lessons. This impulzus web page has everything you’d basically find in a LP guide. There’s no audio, so read a little about the alphabet and then find someone who’s willing to make sure you speak like a local. The verbal exchange will be very rewarding I am sure. As always remember to scope out the BBC for basic lang downloads.

Past Hungarian words: köszönöm, vásárlók könyve, hangverseny