Issue 16 - January 15, 2004

Editor: Lynne Bullen
lynne@associatedsecretarial.com.au

Publisher: Associated Secretarial
Copyright © 2004 Associated Secretarial

In this issue:

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1. Editorial

Hello and Happy New Year to you all! I hope that 2004 is already being good to you.

Many of us would have had a break during the Christmas/New Year period and some of you will have visited friends or family overseas. Others may have been visited by family and friends from another country.

Here in the wonderful land of Oz (as some Aussies like to call our great country) we have certainly become a multi-cultural society, with people from almost every country, race, colour or religion living together, each bringing something unique with them, often enriching what we already have.

A few of my friends had family visiting from overseas during the holidays. I was lucky enough to meet some of them, and even though is was a little difficult at times to understand or to be understood, we all did our very best with the help of those brave enough to translate various languages into English.

Even though English is the most spoken tongue throughout the world, there are still some countries who have little knowledge of English.

More than just a few times, I've struggled to explain myself. My attempts to "have a go" at saying things in a language other than English were met with various expressions from a blank stare to horror, but mostly with laughter. My interpretation or someone else's' was so far from being close to the meaning that we'd
almost invented a new language. We can but try!

Here are a few examples of my experiences with my own and other languages:

During a conversation with a young Lithuanian man, he asked me what does "hold the line", mean. I asked in which context (through one of his family members) the phrase had been used. He said that when he was trying to reach a fellow family member in the same hotel, the woman on the switchboard asked him to "hold
the line, please". We managed to explain and now he says it when ever he answers the phone.

A Chinese woman in her 40s asked me why I asked for "Jealous" when I was helping her to prepare a meal for a dozen guests. I had no idea what she meant, so I explained that to make a nice salad dressing I needed some vinegar. Her sister (who lives here in Australia and has for 21 years) came to the rescue, explaining what it was I needed. I then asked her what word I should use in her language. She advised that there was no formal translation, but the closest would be the word, "Jealous", which is her word for "Sour". If you take a minute to think about that, it really makes sense.

My friend, Jay, who visited Turkey for the first time since her marriage to her Turkish husband, was obsessed with showing her Turkish side of the family that she could speak a little of their language. There was a very large family gathering planned for her new husband and his wife (Jay) and she wanted to show them that she had mastered at least a few essentials.

Her new "mother-in-law" asked where she had stayed along the way before reaching Turkey. Jay replied, in her very best Turkish, that she had stayed at three very nice brothels! As you can imagine, there was a stunned silence. To the rescue came her husband, who explained first in Turkish to his huge extended
family, and then to Jay, that she had mistakenly used the word " brothel", when in fact, she meant "HOTEL". Jay said that her embarrassment soon turned to wry smile; followed by a few lesson from her new mother-in-law, with the help of her husband.

If you think about it, you probably have a story to tell about language and it's use, the mistakes made, the misinterpretations and the consequences. If you would like to share your story with your fellow subscribers, please feel free to send it to me at lynne@associatedsecretarial.com.au. You could see your article in our newsletter (with your permission, of course).

Until next month
Lynne
lynne@associatedsecretarial.com.au

2. Article: Words at Play

So often we take for granted, every word we speak will be understood. No matter to whom you are speaking or writing, be sure that your words and their meanings are understood.

What is the most difficult language to learn? If your first language is not English, you would probably say "English". For those whose first language is English, the answer may be " Japanese" or "Indonesian".

If I were to put money on it, I'd say that English is the hardest.

Why?

Well, there are rules for this and rules for that, but the rules have to be broken occasionally, and so the English language becomes difficult for those of a non-English-speaking background.

Something else I've realised over the years is that, even if your first language is English, it is often difficult, not just because of broken rules, but of how words are used, inappropriate use, words which are spelled differently but sound the same, words which are spelled the same way but have a different meaning.

The following has come from a friend who is unsure of the source. I wish I could claim it as my own, but I can't. I'm sure you'll find it both intriguing and funny as well as true.

>>>>

"English - its a wonderful language, but be careful how you use it in a contract or correspondence!

English for those without Dyslexia!! Why did the British made their language so difficult for others to comprehend!

We'll begin with a box, and the plural is boxes; but the plural of ox became oxen not oxes.

One fowl is a goose, but two are called geese, yet the plural of moose should never be meese.

You may find a lone mouse or a nest full of mice; yet the plural of house is houses, not hice.

If the plural of man is always called men, why shouldn't the plural of pan be called pen?

If I spoke of my foot and show you my feet, and I give you a boot, would a pair be called beet?

If one is a tooth and a whole set are teeth, why shouldn't the plural of booth be called beeth? Then, one may be that, and three would be those, yet hat in the plural would never be hose, and the plural of cat is cats, not cose.

We speak of a brother and also of brethren, but though we say mother, we never say methren.

Then the masculine pronouns are he, his and him, but imagine the feminine, she, shis and shim.

Some reasons to be grateful if you grew up speaking English:

The bandage was wound around the wound.
The farm was used to produce produce.
The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
We must polish the Polish furniture.
He could lead if he would get the lead out.
The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.
At the Army base, a bass was painted on the head of a bass drum.
When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
I did not object to the object.
The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.
They were too close to the door to close it.
The buck does funny things when the does are present.
A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.
To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.
The wind was too strong to wind the sail.
After a number of Novocain injections, my jaw got number.
Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.
I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.
How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?

Screwy pronunciations can mess up your mind! For example...

If you have a rough cough, climbing can be tough when going through the bough on a tree!

Let's face it - English is a crazy language

There is no egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English muffins weren't invented in England or French fries in France. Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat.

We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.

And why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham?

If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?

Sometimes I think all the folks who grew up speaking English should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane.

[Author: Unknown]"

<<<<

If you know who wrote the article above, please let us know. Just email lynne@associatedsecretarial.com.au

Lynne Bullen is a successful businesswoman whose talents include Public Relations; Editorial and Commercial Copywriting; Design and Facilitation of Seminars, Forums and Workshops, Secretarial and
Administrative support, including Digital Transcription. Lynne Bullen Strategies was registered and commenced business in 1991 to offer VA services to the small business owner. Lynne is happy to
share her knowledge to help others achieve their goals. You can contact Lynne via email: lynne@associatedsecretarial.com.au

3. Resources

http://www.yourdictionary.com/ You'll find various types of dictionaries here, categories such as legal, medical and more. There are courses offered for those interested in knowing more. If you're going to travel, this site gives you dictionaries in many languages.

http://www.onelook.com/ A great on-line resource if you're searching for the perfect word, whether your a journalist, a script writer, an advertising guru or you want to write the perfect letter to a friend.

http://webopedia.internet.com/ Another dictionary, especially if you do your business on-line.

http://www.amo.qc.ca/cgi-bin/pub/ODico/dico.out For those who love crosswords or Scrabble.

http://www.koalanet.com/australian-slang.html If you struggle with the Aussie take on many words and phrases, this might help you out. Good fun, even if you're an Aussie.

http://www.memfox.net/writers/guide.html This is a favourite of mine. If you're writing for children, whether it be a story for publication or a letter to a grandchild, this site is a must!

4. Article: A Great Word

I heard a funny story of an ancient monastery charged with copying old books and scrolls for the faith.

One day, Father Florian, who headed the work of the scriptorium, was asked by a new monk: "Does not the copying by hand of other copies allow for chances of error? How do we know we are not copying the mistakes of someone else? Are they ever checked against the originals?"

"A very good point," Father Florian agreed. "I will take one of the latest books down to the vault and compare it to the original."

After a day had passed and the priest had not returned, the monks began to worry. When they went to the vault, they found him weeping over an ancient manuscript.

"What is the problem, Father?" asked one of the monks.

"A mistake," he sobbed. "The word was supposed to be 'celebrate!'"

We can be assured that "celibate" was never confused with " celebrate," but do we tend to leave celebration out of spirituality? For some people, it is all about following the rules and practices. For others, it is a celebration of love.

Would you say your life is more like a guest at a party, or like the one who cleans up after someone else's party? Would the joy of a friend's wedding or the obligation of yet another committee meeting more closely describe your approach to living?

Not that we can be, or ought to be, happy all the time. There is much growth in pain. But "celebrate" is one of those great words that leads to great living. If you think you could use more celebration, today is a great day to begin!

This reading is found in Steve Goodier's popular book. " PRESCRIPTION FOR PEACE 60-second readings to help you build a better life."

Steve Goodier holds a B.A. in anthropology and sociology (New Mexico State University) and an M.Div. degree from Emory University. He is the author of numerous books about personal development, motivation, inspiration, and making needed life changes. Steve has been a professional speaker for over 25 years and produced a daily inspirational radio program. He is also the founder and publisher of Your Life Support System, an e-zine with 85,000 subscribers since 1999. Through this daily e-mail newsletter, he sends out hope and encouragement to a worldwide community of readers.

[Editor's note] If you would like to receive daily inspiration and read some wonderful articles, I encourage you to subscribe to Steve's newsletter at subscribe (free) LifeSupport-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

I'm sure you will enjoy reading Steve's works. Warm Wishes, Lynne

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