Word for the Travel Wise (09/02/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

I’ve used climbing K2, the second highest mountain on Earth, as a conversation starter before, but it won’t keep me from using it again. After you see today’s word from one of the lesser spoken languages of Pakistan you’ll understand why.

Today’s word is a Khowar word used in Pakistan:

zoom – mountain

Khowar is classified as a Dardic language and is spoken by some 400,000 people in Northwest Pakistan. If you’re going over to the country try learning Urdu first. Online sources for Khowar are scarce.

Urdu is the official language of Pakistan, spoken by some 61 million natives and 104 million total. The language falls under the Indo-Aryan family, developed under Persian, Turkish, and Arabic. From my own Persian studies I’ve noticed several closely related if not exact same word. Unless someone out there has a few recommendations on learning Urdu on the web other than what is provided here, this could be a small challenge. For some basics on the script and general background info visit UK India. Otherwise I’d say it’s time to head over to My Language Exchange to find some native speakers looking to swap your lingo knowledge for theirs. Click here for a pretty good blog on a world of Urdu topics.

Past Urdu words from Pakistan: khatarnak, saman

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

by Adrienne Wilson on

For the herds of you heading over to Pakistan next month – just thought to point out the 57th celebration of independence from British rule occurring on August 14. Anyone with a Lonely Planet guide is probably well aware and ready to party like a local, but just thought I’d throw it out there along with the word for today.

Today’s word is an Urdu word used in Pakistan:

saman – luggage

Urdu is the official language of the country, spoken by some 61 million natives and 104 million total. The language falls under the Indo-Aryan family, developed under Persian, Turkish, and Arabic. From my own Persian studies I’ve noticed several closely related if not exact same word. Unless someone out there has a few recommendations on learning Urdu on the web other than what is provided here, this could be a small challenge. For some basics on the script and general background info visit UK India. Otherwise I’d say it’s time to head over to My Language Exchange to find some native speakers looking to swap your lingo knowledge for theirs. Click here for a pretty good blog on a world of Urdu topics.

Past Urdu words: khatarnak

Rough Guides Travel Phrasebooks

by Adrienne Wilson on

Thanks to Amazon.com updates I’m now in-the-know about Rough Guides Phrasebooks. They work much like the Lonely Planet
one’s I blog about almost all the time; small enough for your pockets, cheap enough for your budget, and filled with
thousands of words to practice on the locals. However, a quick glimpse at the Rough Guides language guides online shows
the publishers have a slight one up on my beloved LP books. Based on the language you are trying to learn you’ll find
awesome audio downloads of travel scenarios recorded by native speakers before you even make a purchase. They cover all
the widely spoken lingos in addition to some of the least spoken languages out there and have a pretty decent selection.
According to Amazon.com their latest edition of Hindi & Urdu is
scheduled for release on May 29, 2006. So if you’re eyeing a trip to India then you should probably be eyeing this book
just as much.

Why I wasn’t in-the-know before is beyond me, but I can guarantee I’ll be purchasing one to
test out for my next big adventure abroad.

Cultures: Divorce While Sleeping

by Adrienne Wilson on

I
didn’t know things like this could happen, but what’s more interesting is the what was supposed to happen afterwards
and what actually happened. Pology, an amazing blog covering
cultures from all over brings our attention to an unusual case of
divorce in eastern India. Under Islamic law a husband only has to say "talaq," the Urdu word for
divorce three times to secure a permanent end to his marriage. Well, while Aftab Ansari was asleep and under the
influence of medicines to help him sleep better, the 30 year-old uttered "talaq" three times causing
his wife to worry and discuss with friends. The husband said he did not mean to divorce his wife of 11 years and that it
was an accident, however when word got around to the Village Elders their solution was this:

In order to
remarry the couple would have to be apart for at least 100 days and that the wife would have to spend a night with
another man and then be divorced by him. The couple not wishing to obey the rules have now been ostracized according to
the Yahoo
news piece.

Now is that crazy or what? It’s almost like the Wizard of Oz with a twist where Dorothy and Toto are at ends and
"talaq" three times gets them their wish to be free from one another and Toto speaks instead of
barks.