Writer's Block: It Sounds Better When You Say It
This is a dangerous question to ask a linguist. LOL!
English is my native language, though I grew up hearing Tagalog (Filipino) at home. I also speak German and taught it at the high school and college levels. I know enough Spanish and Italian to get myself into trouble (lived for 5 years in Italy), some French, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, and a bit of Arabic and Russian.
And people ask me about swear words in other languages (of course, being a teacher, most times I have to activate what I call the "G-rated filter, LOL)
Here are a few of my favorite words and phrases:
Mahal kita. (lit. "I see you a lot") I love you---Filipino. (It's the ONE Filipino phrase that my husband's memorized! LOL!)
Ta gra agam ort. I love you---Gaelic
Anam c(h)ara. Dear friend---Gaelic
Tutti scomparsi! All gone!---Italian. I guess it's because it's how it rolls off the tongue. [TUT-ti skom-PAR-si!!]
Los hiscimos! We did it! Spanish. (Yeah, I watch too much Dora the Explorer)
Gong wo lai! Let's go! Mandarin
That's just the short list.
Annie
English is my native language, though I grew up hearing Tagalog (Filipino) at home. I also speak German and taught it at the high school and college levels. I know enough Spanish and Italian to get myself into trouble (lived for 5 years in Italy), some French, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, and a bit of Arabic and Russian.
And people ask me about swear words in other languages (of course, being a teacher, most times I have to activate what I call the "G-rated filter, LOL)
Here are a few of my favorite words and phrases:
Mahal kita. (lit. "I see you a lot") I love you---Filipino. (It's the ONE Filipino phrase that my husband's memorized! LOL!)
Ta gra agam ort. I love you---Gaelic
Anam c(h)ara. Dear friend---Gaelic
Tutti scomparsi! All gone!---Italian. I guess it's because it's how it rolls off the tongue. [TUT-ti skom-PAR-si!!]
Los hiscimos! We did it! Spanish. (Yeah, I watch too much Dora the Explorer)
Gong wo lai! Let's go! Mandarin
That's just the short list.
Annie