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Post by Julius CMXCIX on Aug 28, 2007 20:07:58 GMT
Yes, Von joked about it, now we see the ugly rearing head of... [glow=red,2,300]The Language Thread [/glow] In which Lord B informs us of Swedish phrases, Andan "Call me Undone" Tristaya teaches us some Indonesian and our resident Aussies laugh at the rest of us as we misuse their slang. Alternatively, nothing happens whatsoever, but we don't want the twenty seven seconds I spent making this thread to be wasted, do we? I for one am very curious about all foreign languages and I thought it would be nice to concentrate our admin's Swedish anecdotes all in one place to avoid cramming Von's threads with irrelevant stuff. So, to kill two birds with the proverbial stone, I rustled this up.
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Von
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Post by Von on Aug 29, 2007 5:35:43 GMT
Cheers mate, this thead's better than some sangers on the barbie and a cold beer!
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Andan
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Post by Andan on Aug 30, 2007 1:27:46 GMT
That's a nice nick-name you made up for me, Julius! I'm flattered. ;D
Well, how do we start then? Anything you want to ask?
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Post by Julius CMXCIX on Aug 30, 2007 11:36:41 GMT
How about, if I was going to Indonesia tomorrow, what would be the first five phrases you'd teach me?
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Von
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Post by Von on Aug 31, 2007 8:20:18 GMT
That's a good idea Julius. I'd also like to know how to say colours and counting. Some of the basics to begin with.
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Andan
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Post by Andan on Sept 1, 2007 11:08:06 GMT
Hmm... Let's see what I can do. Good morning/afternoon/night --> "Selamat pagi/siang/malam" Excuse me --> "Permisi" Thank you --> "Terima kasih" Goodbye --> "Sampai jumpa" Sorry --> "Maaf" There you go. Five most important phrases, unless I'm missing something. Though I believe even if you say them in English, most of us would understand. It's just the basics, after all. About colours and counting... well... there's a lot to explain. Just consult the dictionary for more information. My advice: Don't wander off in Indonesia by yourself.
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Post by Basse on Sept 8, 2007 7:28:50 GMT
So then, a few words in French: Hello - Bonjour/Salut My name's Basse - Je m'appelle Basse What's your name? - Tu tappelles comment? How old are you? - Tu as quel âge? I'm 14 years old - J'ai quatorze ans What's that? - Qu'est-ce que c'est? Say a word or sentence you'd like to know and I'll see if I know it
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Von
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Post by Von on Sept 8, 2007 7:31:38 GMT
Well you're doing very well, if you ask me. One thing I have noticed you doing is putting an apostrophy and an 'e' on the end of yours, ie. "your'se" Thus a sentence would become:
"I liked yours very much!"
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Post by Basse on Sept 8, 2007 7:34:15 GMT
Yea I do that once in a while. I dont really know why, but I guess its the remains of some old writing-style I used when I was younger. But oh well, thanks
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Von
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Post by Von on Sept 8, 2007 7:36:27 GMT
Talk about tounge twisters! Okay, how about: "I beg your pardon?" "Excuse me please." "Please/Thankyou" "Could you pass me the frogs legs please?"
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Post by Basse on Sept 8, 2007 7:47:23 GMT
I'll do my best:
"I beg your pardon?" - Pardon? "Excuse me please." - Excusez-moi "Please" - S'il vous plaît "Thankyou" - Merci "Could you pass me the frogs legs please?" - Tu peut passes les jambes grenouille, s'il vous plaît?
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Von
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Post by Von on Sept 8, 2007 7:51:52 GMT
Now it comes to it, I think I already knew most of those, just didn't realise it. Thanks. I guess most of you know German then as well? I know a little, but only studied it for 1 year.
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Post by Julius CMXCIX on Sept 8, 2007 9:21:15 GMT
Ein bisschen. Basse, your English is fantastic for a 14 year old Swede, you're still quite a way off your goal but you're doing very well.
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Post by Basse on Sept 8, 2007 9:33:00 GMT
That's good to hear A few words but not much more. We get to choose from french or German in 6th grade and I picked french, so most the german I know comes from my mother (She studied german for a few years) and an old pokémon game in german that we had once.
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Post by Julius CMXCIX on Sept 8, 2007 9:38:57 GMT
I did both right up until July this year. Basse, I strongly recommend any of the novels by P G Wodehouse. They're not too heavy going and shouldn't be too difficult for you (stay off Edgar Allan Poe for now though, most English 14 year olds would give up after one paragraph ), and Wodehouse was a superb user of the English language, and the books themselves are very 1920s/1930s England. Plus they're great fun.
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Post by Basse on Sept 8, 2007 9:53:05 GMT
I'll see if I can find them I've read all of Dan Brown's books in English as well. Not very hard - but very enjoyable - although there were a few hard words here and there.
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Post by Julius CMXCIX on Sept 8, 2007 10:51:44 GMT
Dan Brown is a sort of thriller writer, easy to read and quite entertaining, but Wodehouse just exudes class, and is much more humorous too. The thing to bear in mind is that we don't speak quite like that any more. No one greets you with 'What ho!', well I do, but no one else. It's a shame really.
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Von
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Post by Von on Sept 8, 2007 11:29:53 GMT
What ho, Julius. . Reminds me of the story of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle. Ahh there's some awsome words in there. You've gotta love it. "Stand thou," quoth Robin, "or else, by the bright brow of Saint AElfrida, I will show thee right good Nottingham play with a cloth-yard shaft betwixt they ribs." "Thou pratest like a coward," answered the stranger. "Thou standest there with a bow, while I have naught but a staff." "By my faith," quoth Robin. "Never have I had a coward's name. I will lay by my bow, and if thou darest abide my coming, I will go and cut a cudgel to test they manhood withal." "Aye, marry, that will I abide and joyously," quoth the stranger. Maybe I should try this Wodehouse as well, it sounds pretty interesting, and I don't nearly read as much these days as I ought. This also reminds me of Joseph Conrad. I believe English was only his second or third language, but the way he uses it is amazing. I worked with few German backpackers last year, and the mother of the chap I sit next to in college is German, so Ja, Ich sprecke sie kliene Deutche, however a lot of that is pidgin or just sounds like german.
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Post by Julius CMXCIX on Sept 8, 2007 12:07:47 GMT
Interesting German spelling there Von. Yes, and the best thing about Wodehouse is that he lived into his nineties, so he wrote an awful lot of stuff. Despite being set in the pre-war years it really is timeless. To start off I recommend the following: Any of the Jeeves books Money in the Bank Piccadilly Jim Clicking of Cuthbert and other Golf Stories (No golf knowledge required to enjoy it) Some Wodehouse quotesRandom quotes"He spoke with a certain what-is-it in his voice, and I could see that, if not actually disgruntled, he was far from being gruntled."
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Von
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Post by Von on Sept 9, 2007 9:10:23 GMT
Yeah, I should have mentioned that I can't really write it either, and I'm awful with the grammar. EDIT: Haha, some of those quotes are awesome Julius. This one I took from your first link: "She looked as if she had been poured into her clothes and had forgotten to say "when." Ahh, that cracked me up.
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Post by Julius CMXCIX on Sept 9, 2007 10:28:23 GMT
Yes, I like that one. Most of the quotes are better when you read them in the context of the books, also you get the convoluted and clever plots.
"What a curse these social distinctions are. They ought to be abolished. I remember saying that to Karl Marx once, and he thought there might be an idea for a book in it."
"The least thing upsets him on the links (golf course). He misses short putts because of the uproar of the butterflies in the adjoining meadows."
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Post by Basse on Oct 8, 2007 15:45:53 GMT
It just occured to me that I never gave you any Swedish sentences (bet you've all been waiting for this ) Hello - Hej My name is Basse - Jag heter Basse Excuse me - Ursäkta mig I'd like a hamburger and a coke - Jag skulle vilja ha en hamburgare och en Cola. Tell me if there's any specific sntence you want
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Post by Julius CMXCIX on Oct 8, 2007 20:55:48 GMT
I'd like "Have you got the stuff?" and "Yes, is the money in the usual place?" please.
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Post by Basse on Oct 10, 2007 12:47:52 GMT
"Har du grejerna?" "Ja, är pengarna på det vanliga stället?"
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Von
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Post by Von on Oct 15, 2007 8:52:06 GMT
Haha, I'll be sure to try and remember those phrases for when I visit Sweden, though I doubt I'd want to be saying it to anyone. You know, I made a spur of the moment decision on the weekend that I would try my hand at learning Russian. What do you reckon? Perhaps there would be a better language to try first? Maybe Spanish....Italian? - along with improving my German.
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Post by Julius CMXCIX on Oct 15, 2007 15:07:17 GMT
I recommend Italian. It's easy, phonetic and it doesn't use the Cyrillic alphabet.
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Von
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Post by Von on Oct 22, 2007 11:31:35 GMT
Well, I've got my hands on a Lonely Planet Italian phrasebook. Been reading through it during some of the more boring classes at college. You're right Julius, it's not too hard and surprisingly I find it easier to get the pronunciation more correct when you add a little Italian accent. Capische?
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Post by cesar on Oct 29, 2007 13:21:30 GMT
Er hat hündekuchen in seivenn tasche - He's got dog biscuits in his pocket.
That pretty much sums up my German knowledge. Plus the spelling is probably wrong.
I'd reccomend learning Portuguese. [/nepotism]
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Post by Basse on Oct 29, 2007 13:34:42 GMT
I'd take courses in Portuguese if I could. More than half of my relatives speak portuguese and they all used to live, and some still, in Brazil. Knowing the language would be very practical, but I never really had an opportunity to learn it. Could be easier now when I'm studying French, since they have many similarities.
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Post by Julius CMXCIX on Oct 29, 2007 14:08:13 GMT
I thought that too, until I read some Portugese.
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