Fun with Languages I Don't Speak

[uzbradistan]

I've never studied Greek (ancient or modern), nor Turkish, it should go without saying. But any time you travel to a foreign country, you're bound to bring back at least a few words as souvenirs.

Comments

[uzbradistan]

I know what you mean! Even very trivial understandings of words on signs in foreign writing systems can feel quite rewarding.

Speaking of Philhellenes, I should have mentioned gee-ain't-it-neat moment #3: on the way from our hotel to the Acropolis, we passed a statue (probably 19th-century) which I imagine you saw as well: it was of a man and (I think) a kind of angel or winged victory, and the inscription on the pedestal was simply "BYPONY" (or something similar). I was very glad to know a rho when I saw one, so I could figure out who the statue was of.

Thanks for the assistance on ennoia!

Addendum on cheese

[uzbradistan]

How could I forget? In our Istanbul hotel's breakfast buffet, there were signs labeling all the various foods. There were half a dozen different types of cheese, which surprised me. But anyway, I saw that the Turkish word for cheese is "peynir". Seems pretty close to the Hindi word "paneer"!

I wonder which one is the original and which is the loan word. Or maybe both of them are loan words from some third language. My guess is that the word is not original to Hindi. Indian cuisine doesn't have much cheese in it; whereas, if my hotel's buffet is at all representative of Turkish cuisine, the Turks have plenty of different kinds of cheese.

[adventurewest]

Speaking of Ataturk my trainer, who happens to be Turkish, gave me a biography about him to read.
"Ataturk: the Biography of the Founder of Modern Turkey" by Andrew Mango, a rousing title if there ever was one. He said it's good but it's one of many books on the to read list I haven't read yet.

[uzbradistan]

Cool, thanks for the info! I'll keep that book in mind, I've always meant to read a bio about Ataturk.