Flotsam & Jetsam

A language and culture blog

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Sweet use of back/foregrounding text. Solar flares get a tad old. Would have been cooler if the flares were paired with the song more fluidly. 

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Revolution ( Life Cycle of a Drop of Water).

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FROM PAPER TO SCREEN

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https://www.vitra.com/en-gb/magazine/details/erik-spiekermann

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Foto: Frida Ramstedt, Trendenser.se

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Celles et Ceux des Cimes et Cieux

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Katie Drew Animated GIF

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Animal Names: Male, Female and Young

While we have had some experience in the past with collective nouns (those used to group animals; an ostentation of peacocks) we have yet to look at how gender and age can affect what we call an animal. 

One of the simplest of these is the bison. We call the female a cow, the male a bull and their young, a calf. Together they become collectively known as a herd. 

Ask a native speaker of English what a camel's gender names or their young is called and most will reply with uncertainty. They are in fact the same as bison yet they can also collectively be called a flock, a train or a caravan. 

For a full list of animals and their various names click here.

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The Art of Lotte Reiniger part 1

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THIS IS NORMAL - A Short Film

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A Brief Look at Texting and the Internet in Film

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Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl adapted for the screen by Wes Anderson. 

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I had until recently only seen these as decorative. For those of us who are nautically challenged this nifty site can translate for us. 

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Toboggan

To begin to toboggan,

first buy a toboggan.

But don't buy too big a toboggan.

Too big a toboggan is too big

a toboggan to buy to

begin to toboggan. 

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June Digan 

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Day-O (The Banana Boat Song) by Harry Belafonte

A work song from traditional Jamaican folk music, Day-O is a song about night workers completing their shift with the sunrise. 

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Goat's Mouth

Jamaican expression used to describe someone who foretells something bad which is later realised. 

Example: 

"I specifically remember telling her to not break a leg when she went skiing." 

"You've got goat's mouth."