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arioch36
Joined: 21 Jan 2003 Posts: 3589
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Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2003 5:11 am Post subject: Latin and Foreign phrases students should know. |
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I am interested in what foreign phrases you think english students should know, such as Que sera, sera, c'est la vie, cogito ergo sum and so on. ( Chinese love "so on")
If you have any ideas please assume my ignorance, and give a good translation for me?
Any interesting English"isms" you have to share. An example of "Chinglish"...Ni yinggai try try (You should try try)
Roger, I am expecting lots of ideas |
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Roger
Joined: 19 Jan 2003 Posts: 9138
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Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2003 3:18 pm Post subject: |
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Good evening (11:45 p.lm.), Chris!
I should be in bed, but I can think of some phrases from other languages that you can pass on to your students:
- zeitgeist (German, "spirit of the time");
- dolce far niente (Italian, "sweet lazying about", literally 'doing nothing');
- in dubio pro reo (Latin, "when in doubt, in favour of the accused");
- c'est la vie (French, "such is life").
- gesundheit (I hear this is a common NY expression borrowed from
German, meaning "Health!");
- halal (Arabic, referring to "clean" foods, clean in the Muslim sense,
like Hebrew "kosher");
- Amen ("So be it!" from Hebrew); |
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Guest
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Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2003 1:56 pm Post subject: |
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How about the French expressions Joie de vivre - joy of life, je ne sais quoi - can't really put my finger on it, and savoir faire - sorry, can't translate this, if there was in English expression I'm sure we'd use that, or if anyone knows it please put me out of my misery.
Gesundheit does mean health, but is also said after someone sneezes (ie bless you).
Schadenfreude - German, taking pleasure from someone else's misfortune. |
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Roger
Joined: 19 Jan 2003 Posts: 9138
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Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2003 3:04 am Post subject: |
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(I have just lost a reply containing dozens of examples - mayhbe this time, it is going to be saved!)
Yesm, katie, 'savoir-faire' is French, meaning "know-how-to-do'. I think the English equivalent of 'know-how- is just as much to the point.
Once again, my list:
1) Latin
- status quo ('situation as of now');
- status quo ante ('situation as before');
- per se;
- A.D. ('anno domini', or "year of the Lord');
- ad nauseam ('until you turn sick');
- ad libitum ('as you please');
- habeas corpus (legal term, literally 'you have a body');
- casus belli ('a case of war');
- rigor mortis ('death stiffness');
- curriculum vitae ('life's way', see'resumee, French);
- in utero ('in the womb');
- in vitro;
- persona non grata ('person who has lost his or her own respect',
someone not welcome anymore);
Most Latin expressions in use belong to the legal and medical realms.
b) Italian
- Foods: Spaghetti, ravioli, antipasto, pasta;
- al dente (crisp');
- caffe latte, cappuccino ('hood'); espresso;
- con carne ('with meat');
- fascism, fascist;
- paparazzo, paparazzi;
- graffito (singular!), graffiti;
- dolce vitta ('sweet life');
- jacuzzi (proper name);
c) German
- zeppelin (a dirigeable airship, proper name);
- diesel (combustion engine, proper name);
- mesmerise (proper name);
- roentgen (proper name, now 'x-rays');
- Rorschach test (proper name);
- jaeger ('hunter', German name of a bird native to the USA);
- JCD (Jacobs-Creutz Disease')
- kindergarten ('garden for children');
- autobahn ('motorway', 'freeway');
- Hanse, Hanseatic Ligue (an association of 'free' cities, historic,
see German airline's name, Lufthansa');
- hamburger (place name used in reference to a food item);
- frankfurter (ditto);
- kraut (actually 'sauerkraut', pickled cabbage; racist moniker
of which I strongly disapprove);
- wehrmacht (Nazi army);
- the Fuehrer (historic title of Nazi supremo);
- weltschmerz ('world pain', in philosophy);
- steppenwolf (archetypal name of a loner in Hermann Hesse's
novel of same title);
- putsch (overthrow of a government);
d) French
- coup d'etat (overthrow of a government);
- CD (corps diplomatique, 'diplomatic corps');
- charge d'affaires (a diplomatic post, 'affaires' meaning 'business');
- coupe (a type of car, French 'couper' meaning 'to cut', probably
in reference to its streamlined body);
- limousine (a car; Limousin is a French territory);
- cafe (see also 'Internetcafe');
- bouillabaisse (a southern French stew);
- maquis (historic term of French anti-Nazi guerrilla);
Civil status:
- Marriage (from 'se marier', English 'to wed);
- divorce (yes, a French 'invention');
- nee ('born', in the case of married ladies, indicates their maiden
name);
- paramour (not really "French" in origin but composed of the French
word for 'love', 'amour', and 'para');
- Gastronomy:
maitre d'hotel, hotel, menu; |
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Chris
Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 116 Location: Melbourne, Australia
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Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2003 10:44 am Post subject: |
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Roger,
That is an awesome list, so thank you very much for posting it!
Chris |
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Guest
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Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2003 9:41 pm Post subject: |
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Yes Roger's list was something else. I just have a few more:
Latin -
a.m. (ante meridian) - before midday
p.m. (post meridian) - after midday
post mortum - after death
pro rata - usually used to indicate that your salary will be scaled down according to the hours you do.
German -
kaputt - broken
Japanese -
There are loads of obvious ones, but how about Typhoon and Tsunami (tidal wave)
French -
A la carte - free choice from the menu
Carte blanche - clean slate or free reign
bureau de change - currency exchange office
bon appetit - have a nice meal
laissez faire - whatever
aide memoir - memory aid
menage a trois - if you don't know, I'm not telling you |
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Alobar
Joined: 04 Apr 2003 Posts: 28 Location: USA
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Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2003 10:33 pm Post subject: |
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Roger wrote: |
Yesm, katie, 'savoir-faire' is French, meaning "know-how-to-do'. I think the English equivalent of 'know-how- is just as much to the point. |
"Savoir-faire" has a connotation of coolness under pressure; "know-how" has a connotation of technical skill or improvisation.
As the old joke ends, "If you're making love with another man's wife, and he surprises you in flagrante delicto (another good foreign phrase) and says, 'Pray, continue,' and you do, that's savoir-faire."
Great list! |
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Roger
Joined: 19 Jan 2003 Posts: 9138
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Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2003 12:12 am Post subject: |
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Alobar,
you are a primus inter pares,
Roger |
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arioch36
Joined: 21 Jan 2003 Posts: 3589
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Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2003 2:10 pm Post subject: |
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Thanx Roger and others. I agree with Alobar's 'savoir-faire. As you know Roger, and probably other Chinese teachers know, Learning French is now becoming a fad in China, in response to the lure of a sup[posed free edeucation there.
Let's see..a student can't learn English in 8 years wants to learn french in one year? Is that how you would put it Roger.
Anyways, I though this might make for something interesting in the mundane reality of learning english.
Chris in Henan China |
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Roger
Joined: 19 Jan 2003 Posts: 9138
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Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2003 3:05 pm Post subject: |
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I would say if a CHinese can learn good English in one year, he or she can learn French in eight years (maybe less, but definitely more than one year!). |
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Alobar
Joined: 04 Apr 2003 Posts: 28 Location: USA
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Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2003 4:25 pm Post subject: I'm surprised... |
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I'm surprised that no one has yet mentioned the obvious (and obviously ironic) term, lingua franca. |
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lagger
Joined: 08 Apr 2003 Posts: 40 Location: Australia
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Posted: Sun Apr 13, 2003 2:57 am Post subject: |
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duplicate post
Last edited by lagger on Wed Apr 16, 2003 4:51 am; edited 1 time in total |
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lagger
Joined: 08 Apr 2003 Posts: 40 Location: Australia
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Posted: Sun Apr 13, 2003 3:10 am Post subject: |
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lagger wrote: |
I know some of these are above but these are some expressions that I commonly hear and read in the media. Point out to your students that people who use these expressions too much sound like w*****s.
C'est la vie
Je ne sais quoi
Que sera
Al Fresco
Joie de vivre
Status quo
de rigueur
Faux Pas
Coup d'etat
doppleganger
Raison d'etre (even heard it uttered by Spike in "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer").
Hoi polloi
Carpe diem
Ad hoc
Incognito
Persona non grata
aficionado
I would only teach the majority of the phrases/words mentioned in these posts to advanced students. |
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arioch36
Joined: 21 Jan 2003 Posts: 3589
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Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2003 3:14 am Post subject: |
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How is Buffy doing these days? Off the topic, I can't even remember the name of my favorite show, and actress... Angelique" no... What's that show where Seattle has been bombed, the military made gentically superior children, some escaped, and the girl is a "real women" and a babe as well? It was a fox show
Terrible. I can't speak American any more. |
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lagger
Joined: 08 Apr 2003 Posts: 40 Location: Australia
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Posted: Thu Apr 17, 2003 12:25 am Post subject: |
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Dark Angel. Check your private messages. |
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