Search found 10 matches

by kevinlin1222
Fri Jan 09, 2004 2:20 pm
Forum: Applied Linguistics
Topic: English words with Asian language origins
Replies: 36
Views: 19051

I can think of gung-ho only. It seems to derive from the Chinese phrase gan huo, with gan meaning "to do" and huo meaning "work."
by kevinlin1222
Fri Jan 09, 2004 1:58 pm
Forum: Applied Linguistics
Topic: Morning & Evening
Replies: 2
Views: 2835

No, I can't speak German yet. My German is just "at the budding stage." I'm just interested in etymology and naturally tend to compare German words with their English equivalents while learning German. Some pairs in the two languages mean just about the same, while others have very different meaning...
by kevinlin1222
Fri Jan 09, 2004 1:12 pm
Forum: Applied Linguistics
Topic: Chinese language
Replies: 14
Views: 8935

It is true, Vytenis, in answer to your question. Roger has given a very clear and precise explanation for the two different forms of written Chinese.
by kevinlin1222
Fri Jan 09, 2004 10:50 am
Forum: Applied Linguistics
Topic: & from Et?
Replies: 3
Views: 3140

Thanks a lot, Revel, for confirming my hypothesis. This serendipity truly surprises me!
by kevinlin1222
Thu Jan 08, 2004 4:49 pm
Forum: Applied Linguistics
Topic: Chinese language
Replies: 14
Views: 8935

I'm sorry but I don't quite understand what you mean by "changes in the literary standards of Chinese language," because I do not sense any change in recent years. However, early in the 20th century there was a reform of writing style, which successfully replaced the ancient "Wun Yen Wun"(literary l...
by kevinlin1222
Thu Jan 08, 2004 3:57 pm
Forum: Applied Linguistics
Topic: receipt or reception?
Replies: 17
Views: 38185

According to Celeste, Receipt is for things;reception is for people.
But I just came across one example in a dictionary: Her calm reception of the bad news surprised her friends. This seems contradictory to the above-mentioned rule...
by kevinlin1222
Thu Jan 08, 2004 3:00 pm
Forum: Applied Linguistics
Topic: & from Et?
Replies: 3
Views: 3140

& from Et?

Look at the title. Do you find the symbol "&" somewhat similar in shape to the French/Latin word, et, which means "and?" I discovered the similarity just a few minutes ago, so I want to pose this question: Did the symbol actually derive from the French/Latin word?
by kevinlin1222
Thu Jan 08, 2004 2:47 pm
Forum: Applied Linguistics
Topic: Morning & Evening
Replies: 2
Views: 2835

Morning & Evening

The following are two questions I've been wondering about for a long time. I hope that someone here can be kind enough to answer them. Thanks! 1. Given the fact that the English words, morn, morning, morrow, tomorrow and the German word, morgen, are all etymologically related, how can we explain the...
by kevinlin1222
Thu Jan 08, 2004 12:49 pm
Forum: Applied Linguistics
Topic: Chinese language
Replies: 14
Views: 8935

To further explain the whole situation to you, let's examine the following pairs of characters: Mandarin---Taiwanese jiang---gong (to say) jio---giu (to rescue) jia---gei (counterfeit, fake) jiei---ge (knot) da---dua (big) der---dier (to get) You see there is a "consonant-changing rule" analogous to...
by kevinlin1222
Thu Jan 08, 2004 12:21 pm
Forum: Applied Linguistics
Topic: Chinese language
Replies: 14
Views: 8935

They ARE really dialects. There are so many corresponding expressions & phrases in Mandarin, Taiwanese, Cantonese, and many other dialects spoken in various regions of China that it's nearly impossible that these dialects are not cognates. I am a Taiwanese myself, able to speak both Mandarin and Tai...