building frenzy 07:03

I am beginning to appreciate skyscraper architecture. To me (and I think many others), most skyscrapers were an ugly product of modernist architecture. Luckily for my generation, we have moved beyond modernism and architects are now paying attention to the aesthetics of a building and not just its functionality.

In Korea, there are plans for 7 new skyscrapers all over 100 stories high. This building on the left will be built near Yongsan, Seoul. If completed as scheduled in 2013, it will be the second tallest building in the world, after the Burj Dubai. The Burj Dubai when completed in 2008 will be about half a mile long with at least 164 floors! Before the Burj Dubai, the Taipei 101 was the tallest building in the world. Other new buildings being built are the Shanghai World Financial Center, the Freedom Tower in New York City, the Russia Tower, the International Commerce Center in Hong Kong, the Incheon Tower in Korea, and the Chicago Spire. Images of these buildings are below in their respective order.

a traveling dog 10:30

Different sounds made by a dog in different countries.

U.S. - ruff ruff or woof woof

Korea - meong meong (멍멍)

Japan - wan wan (ワンワン）

Russia - gaf gaf (гаф гаф)

Germany - wau wau

France - ouah ouah

Portugal - au au

Spain - guau guau

Italy - bau bau

Denmark - vov vov 

Netherlands - waf waf or woef woef 

Iceland - voff voff

Finland and Poland - hau hau 

Anyone know what dogs sound like in other countries?

humans are from dirt 18:47

I came by some interesting facts about how the word 'human' in multiple languages mean or are closely related to the word for 'ground' or 'dirt.' I find that fascinating because obviously the first thing that comes to mind is the story of Creation and Adam. Here is my stab at trying to piece together some linguistical history. Most of my information comes from dictionaries.

1) In c.1250 the French word 'humain' came into the English vocabulary and became the word 'human' that we know of today. The French word was derived from the Latin word 'humanus' meaning earthly beings. This word 'humanus' is a direct cognate of the Latin word 'humus' meaning earth or soil and both words had come from an original Indo-European root. In Danish and Swedish, it is pronounced 'human,' in Portuguese and Spanish 'humanos,' and in Persian 'humana.' I am pretty sure in other Indo-European languages, the words are very closely related.

2) The Hebrew word for man is 'adam.' This word for ground is 'adamah.'

3) On the other side of the world, I find out that the Korean word for human 사람 (saram) is very closely related to the word for dirt and soil. First, one must see that the words 사람 (saram) 'human,' 살다 (sarda) 'to live,' 삶 (sarm) 'life', 흙 (heolk) 'soil and dirt' are all cognates of the word 살 (sal) meaning flesh. The word 흙 (heolk) was pronounced 슭 (seolk) back in ancient times. The idea of flesh, life, and human is interestingly bounded to the idea of soil and dirt.

Obviously, this being only a few languages out of a menagerie of hundreds and thousands does not prove anything. But it definitely is something to look more into. And I also thought about citing but this is only a blog so I do not want to spend more time doing that. : P

plethora of meanings 08:53

'to get'

I was in class the other week and trying to teach this word to my students. We ran into trouble when I realized that this word meant so many different things. This word is pretty much used when there is a transaction of ideas, items, concepts, merchandise etc. I found 28 definitions in the dictionary. Here are a few examples:

1) to buy - I got new shoes yesterday.

2) to receive - Did you get that new gift from your mom?

3) to understand - Do you get today's assignment?

4) to be scolded - Your gonna get it when you come home.

5) to bring - Can you get the newspaper?

6) to cause - Can you get the fire going?

7) to hear - I didn't get your name? What was it again?

8) to seize - Get him!

9) to influence - We will get him to go with us.

10) to prepare - Can you get dinner ready?

11) to affect - That movie got to me.

12) to arrive- I got home very late.

13) to be permitted - Your so lucky you got to meet him.

14) to endure - I wonder if he can get through the winter.

No wonder why people have such a hard time learning English. How in the world are you suppose to understand that this one word can be used in all these situations!

reminds me of home 06:39

고소하다 (Korean) 'kosohada'

This is one of those really interesting words that really have no translations into other languages. If you were to look this word up in a dictionary, you would get 1) to be tasty, sweet, savory; to have the flavor of a nut. 2) to sue someone. Sounds strange doesn't it?

Kosohada is used to describe the taste of grains, seeds, and nuts, a vital part of Korean food culture. When one takes a bite into roasted sesame seeds, it is said to be kosohada. This word connotes a feeling of home, coziness, and nostalgia. It is like being at home snug next to a fireplace, roasting chestnuts on a cold day.

There is also a colloquial usage that means 'to be pleased to see a disliked person make a mistake or be brought down.' So if one dislikes a certain person and that person fails his/her test or gets rejected by a university or a job, this word can be used to describe that satisfying feeling.

welcome 05:50

So, one night, I was lying in bed and was trying to digest all the new words that I had learned that day. I was quite excited about it and I really wanted to share it with people. I then began thinking that blogging about all the new words and ideas that I came across could be a good idea. Three weeks later, that idea has materialized into this. Hopefully, there will be a few people on this Earth who have really long attention spans to read some of this. Enjoy.

an untranslatable word 02:49

Growing up with multiple languages being spoken at home and school, I developed a fascination for words. I vividly remember during my teenage years browsing through my father's Chinese character dictionary because I thought it was fun. I would try to stump my father with words but never once did I succeed. That dictionary could temporarily lure me away from the clutches of television and video games that had gripped my life during those years. I can also recount my Spanish lessons with my caretaker for the first six years of my academic life. My brother, the caretaker's son, and I would all sit around the table and learn the words for body parts, colors, and numbers. Rojo. Ojos. Inero. We would repeat. They have since become words that I regularly pull from my vocabulary pool. 

My mother also had to learn Spanish since working in downtown L.A. required her to do so. I would always hear her on the phone talking, or rather, yelling in Spanish because somebody had taken a wrong order or had wrecked something. In middle school, I was sent to a Korean Language School every Saturday all the way up to my freshman year of high school. It was a painful ordeal only because I had to miss my Saturday morning cartoons. (X-men was on at the same time school started!) Soon after I stopped attending Korean classes, I began my long journey with Japanese. I continued learning Japanese in college and added Korean along the way. Unlike most college students though, I had to have classes everyday because that is just the way languages classes are. 

     

Now, somehow, my fascination for words has brought me to Korea. And of course I am trying to learn Korean. Trying that is. The other day, a taxi-driver told me that once I opened my mouth he could tell that I was a foreigner. What a way to encourage someone. And if that was not enough, I am trying really hard to get fluent in Japanese, Chinese, and Spanish! It is a massive, daunting task - I am not even sure if it is possible. But I guess I can only have fun through the process. Time will tell...