9/30/2014

Happy International Translation Day!

Come all ye wordsmiths, linguists, and keen logophiles!
Because today it is, indeed, International Translation Day!
So, get out your dictionaries, thesauri, and pens.
How many words will you put out today?
St. Jerome, patron saint of our curious trade,
perhaps first inspired or guided you along the way.
But now, to the keyboard and Web you go look,
To yield the necessary answers by hook or by crook,
But fear not, my friends, as we end this terrible poème.
Because with an edit or two, your words will ring true!

Joyeuse journée mondiale de la traduction!




9/15/2014

Scottish Roots


So, on a recent call home (Canada), I was discussing the situation in another part of the Commonwealth (Scotland), and as my mom and I were discussing the politics of separation (should they stay? should they go? what kind of currency will they use? will they have their own army, passports, etc.), it got me thinking about the definition of a Scotsman, and of Scotland in general. What makes a culture? What defines a nation? As this is a linguistic blog, of course our ears are primarily attuned to questions of language. So, without delving too deeply into the politics of the times, we thought we’d present some English words of Scottish origin. Here are a few:

caddie/caddy               cosy/cozy                  clan               glamour

golf                             gumption                   laddie             lassie

plaid                           pony                           raid                rampage

tweed                         wee                             weird              wraith

Know of any others? A common expression supposedly uttered by many Canadians is oot and aboot (as in, “I’ll be oot and about [out and about] today on some errands). But personally, I’ve never heard anyone use this pronunciation (maybe more common in the eastern provinces). However, the Scots, it seems, employ the pronunciation “oot” in the word “outside.” And as many early settlers in Canada were Scots, perhaps therein lies the answer?