NEVER ask a CATALAN if their LANGUAGE is a mix of French & Spanish!

A Weekend in Catalonia

After traveling to Barcelona for the weekend, I committed a grave error by asking the question: "So, is Catalán a mix of French and Spanish?"  There is no quicker way to lose a local friend than by asking this (ignorant) question.  I should have known better, but my Catalonian friend quickly explained to me, very simply, that Catalán came directly from Latin just as Spanish did.

After that clarification, my friend taught me how to say "My dog is very big" in Catalán "El meu gos és molt gran".  It was not easy to remember because dog=gos, a word that I don't associate with the Spanish (pero) or the Portuguese (cão/cadela/cachorro) or the French (chien)...or the Latin (canis) or even the Romanian (câine).

Where in the world does this Catalonian word gos (dog) come from?  If you are Catalán, please leave the answer below in the comment section!  It's a mystery to me, and I'm very curious...

The "Big 5" Romance Languages

(*My source for the rest of my post is Wikipedia.)

Why did I have it in my head that there were 5 main Romance Languages (Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian and Romanian) that came from Latin and that the others were a hybrid of these five "originals"...??  It's because Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian and Romanian are the 5 Romance Languages that have the biggest groups of speakers:

Spanish=410  million
Portuguese=216 million
French=75 million
Italian=60 million
Romanian=25 milltion

Catalán=8-9 million

A Long, long list of ALL Romance Languages

Contrary to what I thought I knew, there are actually 23 various Romance Languages defined by some linguist on the basis of "mutual intelligibility" and they include the lovely language of Catalán of course!

Ibero-Romance:

• Portuguese
• Galician
• Mirandese
• Asturian-Leonese
• Spanish
• Aragonese

Occitano-Romance:

• Catalán
• Occitan

Gallo-Romance:

• Langues d'oil (including French)
• Franco-Provençal

Rhaeto-Romance:

• Romansh
• Ladin
• Friulian

Gallo-Italic Languages

Venetian

Italo-Romance:

• Corsican
• Italian
• Neopolitan
• Sicilian

Dalmatian (extinct)

Romanian:

• Daco-Romanian
• Istro-Romanian
• Aromanian
• Megleno-Romanian

  

Take the PRONUNCIATION CHALLENGE: Terpsichore, sward, ague, Melponmene, victual and MORE!

So, maybe you think you know how to pronounce all the words in the English language correctly...Well, most likely you cannot.  (Just as I cannot!)

This link is great for native speakers and advanced learners of English.  Do you know how to say Terpsichore, sward, ague, Melponmene, victual, plait and fifer? 

Click here to test your pronunciation...and to learn the pronunciation of the words above.

Good Luck!  You will need it.... ;)

EXPAND your Vocabulary: LACKADAISICAL

This is one of my favorite words because the sound of the word reflects its meaning, in my humble opinion.  And again, I use Dictionary.com to define the word.  I hope you like it as much as I do!

Ex.  This post is rather lackadaisical because all I did was quote Dictionary.com!

lackadaisical

\lak-uh-DEY-zi-kuhl\ adjective 1. without interest, vigor, or determination; listless; lethargic: a lackadaisical attempt. 2. lazy; indolent: a lackadaisical fellow. Quotes He had for a moment been very angry when his friend had told him that he could not sympathise with a lackadaisical lover. It was an ill-natured word. He felt it to be so when he heard it, and so he continued to think during the whole of the half-hour that he sat in that chair. -- Anthony Trollope, The Small House at Allington, 1864 Origin Lackadaisical stems from the archaic term lackadaisy, a variant of lackaday. These in turn came from an alteration of the phrase alack the day, an interjection used as an exclamation of sorrow, regret, or dismay.

What's the difference between the OXFORD COMMA and the SERIAL COMMA?

The answer is simple.  There is none.  The only difference is in the name.  The Oxford Comma comes from Great Britain, while the serial comma comes from the United States.

Ok, but what does it mean?

• The serial comma (or Oxford Comma) is used after a series (a list) of nouns.  

• I need to buy detergent, shampoo, and doggie treats.  (WITH COMMA)
• I need to buy detergent, shampoo and doggie treats. (WITHOUT COMMA)

In these examples the meaning is the same with or without the serial comma (or Oxford Comma). But now let's take a look at an example in which the meaning DOES change.  I will use an example from a video that I will share at the end.

• Here is the difference between using the serial comma (or Oxford Comma) and not using it:

• A. I'm having a party, so bring your friend Bob, a D.J., and a clown. (WITH COMMA)
• B.  I'm having a party, so bring your friend Bob, a D.J. and a clown.  (WITHOUT COMMA)

Now let's take a look at the difference in meaning of sentence A and sentence B.

Sentence A can be interpreted in two different ways:

1. Bring your friend Bob (who is a D.J.) and also bring a clown.  (2 people)
2. Bring your friend Bob, a D.J. and also bring a clown.  (3 people)

Sentence B implies the following:

1. Bring your friend Bob, who is a D.J. and who is also a clown...he has two jobs. (1 person)

Are you confused yet? These little details make a big difference. Punctuation is important in transmitting what we want to communicate in our writing.  

So let's take a look again at Sentence A and B.  In order to clarify if you want your friend to bring 2 or 3 people, we can rewrite the sentences like this:

• C:  (2 people) Bring your friend Bob, who is a D.J., and a clown. (this is a non-restrictive clause)
• D:  (3 people) Bring a D.J., a clown and your friend Bob.

The indefinite article (a) in Sentence C helps to clarify the fact that the D.J. and the clown are two different people.  

Now, the debate presented in this video is whether or not to use the comma or not.  As we can see in these examples, it depends on what you want to communicate, and it's that simple!  No need for debate, to use or not to use...we use the serial comma (or Oxford Comma) when we want to make it clear that there are 3 separate entities.

Let's take another look at the difference between using the serial comma (or the Oxford Comma) and not using it:

• I like eating quesadillas, rice, and beans. (WITH COMMA)
• I like eating quesadillas, rice and beans. (WITHOUT COMMA)

In the first sentence, I imagine a plate with quesadillas, a side of rice, and a side of beans...all separated.  In the second sentence, I imagine a plate with quesadillas and a side mixed of rice and beans.  (Of course, us Californians always know that rice and beans come separate.)  Still, I think this example demonstrates the difference between using and not using the serial comma (or Oxford comma).

One more example...imagine you are a painter!

• For my next painting, it will be orange, red and blue. (WITHOUT COMMA)
• For my next painting, it will be orange, red, and blue. (WITH COMMA)

What do you imagine?  The first sentence is orange with a mix of red and blue...so maybe there's some purple there...  For the second sentence you might imagine the colors separated: orange, red, blue.

Finally I will leave you with this video that my colleague sent me, which is much more entertaining than  reading my post :/ !!

I hope you enjoy it. 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ptM7FzyjtRk

How about a refreshing DESSERT in the DESERT? 10 more words that CHANGE according to STRESS

Here are 10 more examples words that change meaning or part of speech depending on word stress.  This is an extension of a previous blog posts that can be found here and here.

As already stated in both of my previous posts, it is crucial to know where to place the appropriate stress or intonation of many words in English, as the meaning of a word or its part of speech can change.

Pay close attention to which syllables (the first or second) carry the stress and what part of speech each word is (verb or noun).  Do you notice any pattern in these two syllable words?  Well, as you can see in these examples, if the stress is on the first syllable, it is a noun, and if the stress is on the second syllable, it is a verb.

Remember that when speaking English, stress is a crucial element in pronunciation, so always pay close attention to which syllable carries the stress and say it accordingly.  ESL Readers: Say it out loud!

1.  ALLY (noun): Ex. The Americans and United Kingdom were allies in World War II. 

ALLY (verb): Ex. It is crucial to ally with partners who have something to gain from our partnership. 

2.  COMBAT (noun): Ex. It is imperative that during combat, soldiers have a high level of trust among their fellow men and women.  

COMBAT (verb): Ex. In order to combat the spread of malaria, the regular use of nets is a necessity. 

3.  CONFINE (noun): Ex. Within the confines of the school, children are not allowed to use the Internet on their hand held devices.  

CONFINE (verb): Ex. By having a small area of space to play, the school essesentially confines children. 

4.  CONVICT (noun): Ex. The convict sat in prison for 20 years.  

CONVICT (verb): Ex. The court convicted the criminal for robbing a bank. 

This one is fun because the words completely change meaning!   

5.  DESERT (noun): Ex. The desert was dry and arid, but the sky was clear with a beautiful view of the pyramids.  

DESSERT (noun): Ex. The dessert was a white chocolate rasberry cake wtih hints of basil.  

6.  EXCUSE (noun): Ex. I don't want to hear any excuses from you anymore!  You must be on time, and that's the end of it!  EXCUSE (verb):  Please excuse my tardiness... but understand that my car broke down, and I had no control over the situation. 

*Pronunciation Note: With the noun, the 's' is pronounced as an 's,' (voiceless) but with the verb, the 's' is pronounced as a 'z.' (voiced)

7.  REBEL (noun): Ex. The rebels still have a stronghold on the capital city.  

REBEL (verb): Ex. All teenagers love to rebel!

8.  REFILL (noun): Ex. Only in America can I ask for another refill of Fanta. 

REFILL (verb): Ex. The huge ditch that the construction company had to be refilled with dirt. 

And again here, we can see that the stress changes the meaning of the word completely!  (As a noun, it means a topic or subject in school (History, Math, etc.).  As a verb it means to cause expose somebody to something negative.  Here's the full definition.

9.  SUBJECT (noun): Ex. My favorite subject is English, of course.  

SUBJECT (verb): Why must you repeatedly subject me to these meetings that last an hour and a half past 5:00 pm?

Here we have a word that is a noun, verb AND an adjective:

10.  UPSET (adjective/verb): Ex. I was upset after I found out the score of the soccer game. / Please don't upset me anymore with bad news!  UPSET (noun): Ex. Did you hear about the upset between Portugal and the United States?...The US won the soccer game!  

That's all!  If you like my blog, please share it with your friends :)

M.

A HEARTY WELCOME or a CORDIAL RECEPTION? This is so COOL! ...especially for native speakers...

When you think of a hearty welcome, what do you imagine...?

What are people wearing?  What are people drinking?  Where is everyone?

When you think of a cordial reception, what do you imagine...?

What are people wearing?  What are people drinking?  Where is everyone?

A TED Talk about the History of the English Language

So, what you imagine is a reflection of the roots of the English Language, and when I say roots, I mean a century (1,000 years) ago.

Thanks to my colleague, Tim, I leave you here with this amazing TED Talk, which explains the etymology of a hearty welcome and a cordial reception:

Enjoy!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kIzFz9T5rhI

THOUGH/THOUGHT/TOUGH/THROUGH/THRU*/THROUGHOUT/THOROUGH...What's the difference?

One of the most challenging aspects of English is spelling.  Let's take a look at the following words, one at a time, according to pronunciation and meaning/grammar along with some examples.

In terms of pronunciation, I will NOT be using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) because many readers are not familiar with it.  Instead I will be using audio links to Cambridge Dictionary online, where both American and British English pronunciations are demonstrated.

THOUGH--THOUGHT--TOUGH--THROUGH--THRU*--THROUGHOUT--THOROUGH

1. THOUGH (conjunction)

Pronunciation: http://dictionary.cambridge.org/pronunciation/british/though

Meaning/Grammar: Though is synonymous with but and although.  

Ex. Though I really like hot weather, 40 degrees Celsius is way too hot for me! 

2.  THOUGHT (verb)

Pronunciation: http://dictionary.cambridge.org/pronunciation/british/thought

Meaning/Grammar: Thought is the past tense of think. 

Ex. I thought about your proposal, but I can't accept it. 

3.  TOUGH (adjective)

Pronunciation: http://dictionary.cambridge.org/pronunciation/british/tough

Meaning/Grammar: Tough is synonymous with hard, difficult, firm or strict.  

Ex. My English test was tough. 

Ex. My grandfather is tough...he is 90 years old and still works in the field 8 hours a day!

4.  THROUGH (preposition)

Pronunciation: http://dictionary.cambridge.org/pronunciation/british/through

Meaning/Grammar:  From one end or side to the other; from beginning to end; because of someone or something; from one time until another. 

Ex.  First go through the tunnel, and then turn right.  

Ex.  I worked through the night to finish the translation.  

Ex. I got my job through my father-in-law.  

Ex. The bank is open from Monday through Saturday.

5.  THRU (preposition) *This is NOT Standard English...do not use!

Pronunciation: http://dictionary.cambridge.org/pronunciation/british/thru

Meaning/Grammar: Again, this is NOT Standard English.  It is a poor and easy spelling of the word through, as seen above.  The only proper use of this word is in the word "drive-thru".  

Ex. Whenever we eat at McDonald's, we use the drive-thru. 

6.  THROUGHOUT (preposition)

Pronunciation: http://dictionary.cambridge.org/pronunciation/british/throughout

Meaning/Grammar: In every part or place; during an entire period of time.  

Ex. The disease spread throughout the population with two short weeks.  

Ex. We listened to the lecture throughout the afternoon. 

7.  THOROUGH (adjective)

Pronunciation: http://dictionary.cambridge.org/pronunciation/british/thorough

Meaning/Grammar: Thorough is synonymous with careful, complete, meticulous, detailed, organized. Ex. Translation work requires a person to be thorough and detailed.  

I hope this helps!  Thanks for reading :)