So, I discovered something pretty funny when I was language learning this weekend. Background info: I've started to meet with our gardener Richard to try learning a local language (Kuria) for a few hours each week. So, last Saturday it was raining and my other plans had to get scratched, so I elicited words for body parts (which is always somewhat dangerous). More background info: Bantu languages have noun classes. Basically, there are different groupings for words with certain meanings, as well as singular or plural. So, we eventually got to the word for "butt", but which is actually (evidently) more like "buttcheeks". The word is "amatoro" which is plural, but the singular is "iritoro". Richard said you only really ever used "iritoro" if somebody had lost a cheek somehow, and he gave an example of maybe somebody riding a bike through the village with only one cheek and you wanted to say something to your buddies like, "Hey, there goes 'one cheek'."
I love languages.
-T.M.
Are Our Headlights Out? (July 26, 2021)
5 years ago
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2 comments:
Dude, if it was all things like "there goes one-cheek," I think I'd really get into learning languages too. But alas, I've dabbled in Greek and German enough to know that there's more to it than that. Oh well, I guess I'll just keep trying to plod my way through English. At least I can read your blog. Later, brother. I love you, man.
I always appriciate the potty humor. Thanks for starting this up. I'll be checking in regularly.
Jon L.
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