The book of sand

35 M. Sideblog. Currently learning: French, Spanish, Indonesian.

[certified-linguistics-moment]

[fattilinguistici]

questa è un po’ vecchio stile (ahimè), ma…

… come si dice: prima si conosce la regola e poi si può infrangere!

Dunque, la regola che vi enucleo oggi vorrebbe che gli imperativi alla seconda persona singolare dei verbi stare, andare, fare e dire fossero, rispettivamente:

sta’ (non stai);

va’ (non vai);

fa’ (non fai);

di’ (non dici).

Dunque, perché tutto questo? Ovviamente e prevedibilmente, la colpa del nostro caro latino. Le forme da cui derivano continuano infatti gli imperativi presenti latini:

stā (con vocale lunga, infatti spesso le lingue antiche davano una distinzione anche di significato tra parole con vocali brevi e parole con vocali lunghe);

vade (vedi vade retro);

fac (che non è una brutta parola);

dic.

Mentre, per quanto riguarda gli apostrofi? Perché non stà, và, fà e dì?

Relativamente semplice: parliamo di parole apocopate, cioè troncate nel finale di parole. Il segno diacritico che segnala il fenomeno dell’apocope è dunque l’apostrofo, giammai l’accento. Né grave, né acuto: è indifferentemente errato.

Dunque, quando mandate a quel paese qualcuno, preoccupatevi di mandarcelo bene. Ditegli: va’ a fan… (perché poi se ci fate caso la stessa parola per intero non si costruisce con la forma va). Non vai!

Piccola postilla: la parola dì esiste col significato di parte del giorno caratterizzata dalla luce del sole, ed ha l’accento per poter essere distinta dalla preposizione semplice di.

Rebloggate se gradireste un post sul fenomeno dell’apocope e del suo complementare sincope (che non è uno svenimento).

Alla prossima!

[fattilinguistici]

Lo sapevate?

L’etimo di una parola è la sua origine.

L’etimologia è invece quella branca della linguistica storica (che un giorno vi dirò cosa significa) che studia l’origine delle parole.

Non sono quindi sinonimi e non è quindi corretto parlare di “etimologia” di una parola.

Spero che questo format possa piacervi! È il solo che possa permettermi col poco tempo che mi ritrovo a disposizione.

[bookofsand123]

Katakana

[bookofsand123]

Quelques mots pour parler de sa famille en indonésien

orang tua = parents

kakek = grand-père

nenek = grand-mère

saudara = frère / soeur

kakak = frère ainé / soeur ainée

adik = frère cadet / soeur cadette

anak = fils

suami = époux

istri = épouse

sepupu = cousin / cousine

cucu = petit-fils / petite fille

keponakan = neveu /nièce

[bookofsand123]

En indonésien, les jours de la semaine sont

senin = lundi

selasa = mardi

rabu = mercredi

kamis = jeudi

jumat = vendredi

sabtu = samedi

minggu = dimanche

[bookofsand123]

Hiragana

[bookofsand123]

Les chiffres en indonésien entre 0 et 10

Les premières nombres sont

0 = nol

1 = satu

2 = dua

3 = tiga

4 = empat

5 = lima

6 = enam

7 = tujuh

8 = delapan

9 = sembilan

10 = sepuluh

[starmaker-astral]

#résistance

[nonstopfandomposts]

Ok so you know how like people call your native language your "mother tounge". Here are all my other languages categorized as family members

Spanish: cool older sister language. The one I have the most fun with and am the most comfortable with

German: uncle language. I don't spend a lot of time with it unless school forces me to. Usually I end up talking about school, the weather, or plans

Estonian: not the step dad but the dad that stepped up language.

[bookofsand123]

Je vais faire une petite liste avec quelques couleurs en indonésien

putih : blanc

hitam : noir

merah : rouge

merah muda : rose

kuning : jaune

oranye/jingga : orange

hijou : vert

cokelat : marron

biru : bleu

abu-abu : gris

[octal-alchemist]

love how individualized language can be, especially for daily little things. my grandma makes a dish she calls "goulash" which restaurants call "taco salad". my dad makes something he calls "shrimp cocktail", which is a cold soup, and has no relation to cocktail sauce.

my mom used to say "this isn't a two-butt kitchen" when she wanted us to get out so she could cook, but she started saying three-butt instead after we were big enough that one person could help. this left me with the impression that it was normal to measure kitchens by how many people could work in there at the same time without bumping butts.

she also used to say "what do you want" everytime we complimented her, which led me to say "i love you and you're pretty" to strangers when i was asking them for something.

it's just all so fun

[thespanishgarden]

Spanish Phrase Guide - Es De Mala Educación…

Es De Mala Educación - It’s rude…or…It’s bad manners…or…it’s impolite

• It’s rude to talk with your mouth full.

• Es de mala educación hablar con la boca llena.

• It’s bad manners to talk in the movie theater.

• Es de mala educación hablar en el cine.

• It’s impolite to point at people.

• Es de mala educación señalar a la gente.

[Gif not mine]

[thespanishgarden]

Grammar Notebook - To “Regret [Something]” in Spanish

In Spanish if you want to express regret of [something] you are going to follow the structure:

Indirect pronoun + arrepentir (to regret) + de

• I regret not going to college.

• Me arrepiento de no haber ido a la universidad.

• Do you regret marrying me?

• Te arrepientes de haberte casado conmigo?

• We regret eating too much food.

• Nos arrepentimos de haber comido demasiada comida.

Note: “Arrepentirse + de” is typically used to express regret over an action, but there are multiple different uses for “arrepentirse” - this is just one way to use the verb.

[Gif not mine]

[camilleauquebec]

C’est la même langue mais il y a parfois quelques petits pédalages dans la semoule niveau vocabulaire 😂 dédicace à ma québécoise, Line ✨

[pompadourpink]

French subjunctive verbal triggers

I. Intent, desire, preference

aimer (que) – to like that

aimer mieux (que) – to prefer that

commander (que) – to order that

défendre (que) – to forbid that

demander (que) – to ask that

désirer (que) – to desire that

empêcher (que) – to prevent (from)

exiger (que) – to demand that

interdire (que) – to forbid that

ordonner (que) – to order that

permettre (que) – to permit that

préférer (que) – to prefer that

proposer (que) – to propose that

recommander (que) – to recommend that

souhaiter (que) – to wish that

suggérer (que) – to suggest that

tenir à (ce que) – to insist that

vouloir (que) – to want that

II. Emotion, feeling

adorer (que) – to love that

avoir honte (que) – to be ashamed that

avoir peur (que) – to be afraid that (+ ne explétif)

craindre (que) – to fear that (+ ne explétif)

détester (que) – to hate that

être content / heureux (que) – to be happy that

être désolé (que) – to be sorry that

être étonné (que) – to be surprised that

être fâché (que) – to be angry that

être fier (que) – to be proud that

être furieux (que) – to be furious that

être inquiet (que) – to be worried that

être ravi (que) – to be delighted that

être reconnaissant (que) – to be grateful that

être satisfait (que) – to be satisfied that

être surpris (que) – to be surprised that

être triste (que) – to be sad that

il est bizarre (que) – it is odd that

il est dommage (que) – it is a shame that

il est étonnant (que) – it is surprising that

il est étrange (que) – it is strange that

il est heureux (que) – it is fortunate that

il est incroyable (que) – it is incredible that

il est irritant (que) – it is irritating that

il est navrant (que) – it is distressing that

il est regrettable (que) – it is regrettable that

il est surprenant (que) – it is surprising that

il est triste (que) – it is sad that

redouter (que) – to dread that (+ ne explétif)

regretter (que) – to regret that

III. Doubt, uncertainty, denial

contester (que) – to challenge/contest that

douter (que) – to doubt that

il est douteux (que) – it is doubtful that

il est faux (que) – it is false that

il est impossible (que) – it is impossible that

il est improbable (que) – it is improbable that

il est incertain (que) – it is uncertain that

il n'est pas clair (que) – it is not clear that

il n'est pas évident (que) – it is not obvious that

il n'est pas probable (que) – it is not likely that

il n'est pas sûr (que) – it is not certain that

il n'est pas vrai (que) – it is not true that

nier (que) – to deny that (might use indicative if affirming a fact)

IV. Opinion, judgment, necessity

il est absurde (que) – it is absurd that

il est avantageux (que) – it is advantageous that

il est bon (que) – it is good that

il est capital (que) – it is crucial that

il est convenable (que) – it is proper that

il est curieux (que) – it is curious that

il est décevant (que) – it is disappointing that

il est déplorable (que) – it is deplorable that

il est difficile (que) – it is unlikely that

il est essentiel (que) – it is essential that

il est facile (que) – it is easy that (rare, often indicative)

il est important (que) – it is important that

il est indispensable (que) – it is indispensable that

il est injuste (que) – it is unfair that

il est inutile (que) – it is useless that

il est juste (que) – it is right/just that

il est logique (que) – it is logical that

il est naturel (que) – it is natural that

il est nécessaire (que) – it is necessary that

il est normal (que) – it is normal that

il est obligatoire (que) – it is obligatory that

il est préférable (que) – it is preferable that

il est rare (que) – it is rare that

il est souhaitable (que) – it is desirable that

il est temps (que) – it is time that

il est urgent (que) – it is urgent that

il faut (que) – it is necessary that (must)

il se peut (que) – it may be that

il vaut mieux (que) – it is better that

V. Conjunctions

à condition (que) – provided that

à moins (que)... (ne) – unless

afin (que) – so that

ainsi (que) – just as, so that (literary)

avant (que)... (ne) – before

bien (que) – although

de crainte (que)... (ne) – for fear that

de façon (que) – so that (result)

de manière (que) – so that (result)

de peur (que)... (ne) – for fear that

en attendant (que) – while, until

jusqu'à ce (que) – until

pour (que) – so that

pourvu (que) – provided that

quoique – although

sans (que) – without

soit (que)... soit (que) – whether... or

VI. Other important verbal structures

accepter (que) – to accept that

chercher... (qui) – to look for someone who

comprendre (que) – to understand that (emotional)

se désoler (que) – to be dismayed that

dire (que) – to say that (only in negative/interrogative)

éviter (que)... (ne) – to avoid (that)

faire en sorte (que) – to arrange it so that

il s'en faut (que) – it is far from being the case that

mériter (que) – to deserve that

penser (que) – to think that (only in negative/interrogative)

refuser (que) – to refuse that

se réjouir (que) – to be delighted that

supporter (que) – to bear, stand that

trouver (que) – to find that (in Il est troublant que... or negative/interrogative of opinion)

voir (que) – to see that (in negative/interrogative of perception)

Read more: subjunctive mood, expletive ne

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[crystalis]

There was this woman poet in 4th century China called Su Hui (蘇蕙), a child genius who had reportedly mastered Chinese characters by age 3.

At 21 years old, heartbroken by her husband who left her for another woman, she decided to encode her feelings in a structure so intricate, so beautiful, so intellectually staggering that it still baffles scholars to this day.

Came to be known as the Xuanji Tu (璇璣圖) - the "Star Gauge" or "Map of the Armillary Sphere" - it's a 29 by 29 grid of 841 characters that can produce over 4,000 different poems.

Read it forward. Read it backward. Read it horizontally, vertically, diagonally. Read it spiraling outward from the center. Read it in circles around the outer edge. Each path through the grid produces a different poem - all of them coherent, all of them beautiful, all of them rhyming, all of them expressing variations on the same themes of longing, betrayal, regret, and undying love.

The outer ring of 112 characters forms a single circular poem - believed to be both the first and longest of its kind ever written. The interior grid produces 2,848 different four-line poems of seven characters each. In addition, there are hundreds of other smaller and longer poems, depending on the reading method.

At the center a single character she left implied but unwritten: 心 (xin) - "heart." Later copyists would add it explicitly, but in Su Hui's original the meaning was even more beautiful: 4,000 poems, all orbiting the space where her heart used to be.

Take for instance the outer red grid of the Star Gauge. Starting from the top right corner and reading down, you get this seven-character quatrain:

仁智懷德聖虞唐，

貞志篤終誓穹蒼，

欽所感想妄淫荒，

心憂增慕懷慘傷。

In pinyin, it is:

Rén zhì huái dé shèng yú táng,

zhēnzhì dǔ zhōng shì qióng cāng,

qīn suǒ gǎnxiǎng wàng yín huāng,

xīn yōu zēng mù huái cǎn shāng.

Notice how it rhymes? táng / cāng / huāng / shāng

The rough translation in English is: "The benevolent and wise cherish virtue, like the sage-kings Yao and Shun, With steadfast will I swear to the heavens above, What I revere and feel - how could it be wanton or dissolute? My heart's sorrow grows, longing brings only grief."

Now read it from the bottom to the top and you get this entirely different seven-character quatrain:

傷慘懷慕增憂心，

荒淫妄想感所欽，

蒼穹誓終篤志貞，

唐虞聖德懷智仁。

The pinyin:

Shāng cǎn huái mù zēng yōu xīn,

huāngyín wàngxiǎng gǎn suǒ qīn,

cāngqióng shì zhōng dǔzhì zhēn,

táng yúshèngdé huái zhì rén.

It rhymes too: xīn and qīn, zhēn and rén

And the meaning is just as beautiful and coherent: "Grief and sorrow, longing fills my worried heart, Wanton and dissolute fantasies - is that what you revere? I swear to the heavens my constancy is true, May we embody the sage-kings' virtue, wisdom, and benevolence."

That's just 2 poems out of the over 4,000 you can construct from the Xuanji Tu!

At the very center of the grid, the 8 red characters wrapped around the central heart, she "signed" her poem with a hidden message:

詩圖璇玑，始平蘇氏。 "The poem-picture of the Armillary Sphere, by Su of Shiping."

Or reversed:

蘇氏詩圖，璇玑始平。 "Su's poem-picture - the Armillary Sphere begins in peace."

Many scholars, and even emperors, throughout Chinese history have been completely obsessed by Su Hui's puzzle.

For instance, in the Ming dynasty, a scholar named Kang Wanmin (康萬民) devoted his entire life to the poems (kangshiw.com/contents/461/2…), ending up documenting twelve different reading methods - forward, backward, diagonal, radiating, corner-to-corner, spiraling - and extracting 4,206 poems. His book on the subject ("Reading Methods for the Xuanji Tu Poems", 璇璣圖詩讀法) runs to hundreds of pages.

Empress Wu Zetian herself, the legendary woman emperor of the Tang dynasty, wrote a preface to the Xuanji Tu around 692 CE (baike.baidu.com/item/%E7%BB%87…).

Incredibly, there's even far more complexity to the Xuanji Tu than just the poems:

- The name 璇玑 (Xuanji) - Armillary Sphere - is astronomical in meaning and the way the poems can be read mirrors the way celestial bodies orbit around a fixed center. It's a model of the heavens.

- Her original work, with the characters woven on silk brocade, was in five colors (red, black, blue/green, purple, and yellow) which correspond to the Five Elements (五行) - the foundational Chinese philosophical system that explains how the universe operates. So it's also a model of the entire cosmic order according to ancient Chinese philosophy.

- It's also of course deeply mathematical with this 29 x 29 perfect square grid, with sub-squares, lines and rectangles, and a structure which allows for symmetrical reading patterns in all directions

- Last but not least, the content of the poems themselves contain multiple registers. On top of expressing her personal grief and longing for her husband, it's also filled with accusations against the concubine (Zhao Yangtai) he left her for, reflections on politics (with many references to sage-kings) and philosophical reflections.

So the Star Gauge is simultaneously:

- A love letter (expressing personal longing)

- A legal brief (arguing her case against her rival)

- A cosmological model (structured like the heavens)

- A Five Element diagram (encoding the fundamental structure of the world according to ancient Chinese philosophy)

- A mathematical construction with perfect symmetry and precision

And yet, for all this complexity, we should not forget this was all ultimately in service of the simplest human message imaginable: a 21-year-old woman asking the love of her life "come back to me".

Her husband did, eventually. According to what empress Wu Zetian herself wrote in her preface to the Xuanji Tu, when he received Su's brocade he was so "moved by its supreme beauty" that he sent away his concubine and returned to his wife. As the story goes, they lived together until old age.

The heart at the center was filled after all.