New Words for Human Body Parts

Malo za šalo in malo za res.

One word only?

Gasilni aparat (kitajska angleščina)

Bingo!

The origin of the word “bingo” seems to pose a classic chicken-or-egg question: is the game called “Bingo” because game winners shout it, or do folks shout “bingo!” as an interjection in other situations (expressing, as the American Heritage Dictionary puts it, “the sudden completion of an event, occurrence of an idea, or confirmation of a guess”) in imitation of winning the game Bingo?

Unfortunately, there is no clear winner here. The two uses (game name and interjection) appeared in print at roughly the same time, the interjection “bingo” in 1927 and the game name in 1936. An argument in favor of the game coming first is that Bingo itself is a form of Lotto, which dates back to at least the 18th century. On the other hand, “bing” has a history as indicating sudden action since the 1920s (”Now I do this kind of thing On the wing, on the wing! Bing!”, James Joyce, Ulysses). This “bing” is almost certainly “echoic” in origin, meant to imitate the sound of sudden impact or explosion. “Bingo” is also a 17th century slang term for brandy (as in “stingo and bingo,” strong ale and brandy).

My suspicion is that the interjection “bingo” came first, growing out of “bing,” and was adopted as the name of the game because (a) winning is sudden and exciting, and (b) the game resembles Lotto, making the “o” ending appropriate. But the game of Bingo certainly popularized “bingo” as an interjection, so, at least in that sense, everybody wins.

Kaj je Indian Summer?

Indian summer” is, of course, the brief period of warm, dry weather often occurring in late autumn. Indian summer is often regarded as a temporary respite from the growing signs of winter, a last chance to enjoy outdoor activities and perhaps take a drive to enjoy the colorful fall foliage.

There are several theories about the origin of “Indian summer,” but none considered the final word. The first occurrence of the phrase in print found so far is from a book written in 1778 by a French-American farmer, James Hector St. John de Crèvecoeur, describing late autumn in New York’s Hudson Valley: “… [the first snow] is often preceded by a short interval of smoke and mildness, called the Indian Summer.”

Several theories focus on that reference to smoke as being the time when Indians were in the habit of setting fires to drive game out of hiding as part of one last big hunt before the arrival of the snow. Another theory ties the smoke to fires set by the Indians to clear fields for the next spring’s planting. It’s also said that Indians took advantage of that period of mild weather to move to their winter hunting grounds.

Some other explanations of the phrase are rooted in the less than idyllic relationship between European settlers and the Indians. One citation from 1824 explains that “The smokey time commenced and lasted for a considerable number of days. This was the Indian summer, because it afforded the Indians another opportunity of visiting the settlements with their destructive warfare.” The “Indian” in “Indian summer” may also be a derogatory use of “Indian” to mean “false or unreliable,” as found in the slur “Indian giver.”

Perhaps it’s better just to go with the explanation offered by the Indians themselves, recounted by a Boston clergyman in 1812: “This charming season is called the Indian Summer, a name which is derived from the natives, who believe that it is caused by a wind, which comes immediately from the court of their great and benevolent God Cautantowwit, or the south-western God.”

Tipične napake – medved ali pivo?

Kitajci so znani po svojem fonološkem mimetičnem načinu učenja tujih jezikov. Ko boste naslednjič v kitajski restavraciji jih pazljivo poslušajte. Ugotovili boste, da spuščajo posamezne morfeme (spustijo posamezen zlog), besede pa izgovarjajo s pomočjo kitajskih glasov (fonemov) – tako da rečejo l namesto r ali pa tako, da je čutiti močan kitajski naglas in se sloveska beseda sliši čisto drugače. Včasih besede niti ne izgovorijo ampak nekako zapojejo njeno melodijo, mi pa potem v meniju opazimo, da gre za npr. “kitajsko laco”.

Ko govorimo tuj jezik, moramo poznati njegovo morfološko strukturo, saj bomo v nasprotnem priemru imeli težave  in bomo zamenjevali podobne zloge v posamezni besedi. Podobno se dogaja s homonimi, besedami ki se izgovarjajo ali pišejo enako, imajo pa popolnoma drugačen pomen. Zato nas ne preseneča tipčna napaka, ki je rezultat mimetičnega načina učenja:

Kolo za sestanke

Čustva so temelj jezika

Ste se kdaj vprašali,  kako so se ljudje sporazumevali v ledeni dobi? Zagotovo ne takole – “Oprosti draga, bi bila tako prijazna in mi podala tisti mali slastni kos pljučne pečenke?” Verjetno so enostavno gestikulirali in mrmrali -ou, ou, ou!

Praljudje so svoja čustva izražali z enostavnimi glasovi, večinoma samoglasniki. In še danes na primer, ko se dotaknemo vroče posode, zavpijemo AU, ko smo začudeni rečemo OOO in podobno. V vsakem jeziku obstajajo take enostavne povezave med čustvi in zvoki, ki jih govorci enoznačno interpretirajo. Na ta način smo sposobni izraziti vsa osnovna čustva – jezo, gnus, strah, veselje, žalost in presenečenje.  Ta čustvena komponenta jezika omogoča tudi literarne in  estetske učinke, saj tekst v nas sproži določena čustva.

Kako je s čustvi povezano preklinjanje, pa pripoveduje Steven Pinker.

Angleščina 5. razred – vaje

• Let’s learn: Jobs / Poklici
• Vocabulary: what people do at work (matching)
• Vocabulary: jobs – Who…? (quiz)
• Vocabulary: jobs (gaps)
• Vocabulary: What do I do? (quiz)
• Vocabulary: My day (gaps)
• Vocabulary: jobs – pictures & words (matching)
• Jim’s Day
• Memory: jobs & things

• Time in my day

V skladu z licenco Creative Commons
Priznanje avtorstva-Nekomercialno-Deljenje pod enakimi pogoji 2.5
Avtorica:  Ingrid Zupanc Brečko

Idiomi – video slovar P

Kliknite na povezavo in si oglejte kratko animirano razlago posamezne fraze.

paean (n) : a song or a few words of praise or tribute

palliate (v) : to bring some relief or comfort

pallid (adj) : unusually pale, weak, or lacking intensity or spirit

palpitate (v) : to beat rapidly, especially one’s heart

paltry (adj) : extremely small and worthless

panacea (n) : a cure-all, a solution for everything

panache (n) : having a lot of style and flair

pander (v) : to give satisfaction to someone, often in order to gain something yourself

panegyric (n) : statements of great appreciation, usually very formal

pantomime (n) : a performance that contains no words, only actions and gestures

paradigm (n) : a model or a set of beliefs

paragon (n) : an example of excellence, a positive model

paraphernalia (n) : equipment or apparatus

pariah (n) : someone who is cast out of a group or someone who is hated and avoided

parochial (adj) : related to a local church; it also means narrow or limited in scope

peccadillo (n) : a minor or petty offense, or a slight fault

peerless (adj) : without equals, superior to everything, champion

perennial (n) : a plant that lives all seasons or for several years

perplex (tr v) : to confuse or puzzle

pluck (v) : to pick or pull on something

predilection (n) : having a preference or liking for someone or something

prelude (n) : the introduction to a main event, performance, or action

profuse (adj) : plentiful or generous

propensity (n) : a natural tendency to something, inclination or bias

purist (n) : one who follows strict, often formal, rules and observances