Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Language/2008 April 28

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[edit] April 28

[edit] Chinese transcription

I'd appreciate any help in transcribing the Chinese characters in this picture into a machine-readable format. I need to gloss it in Sino-Vietnamese but I need to be able to copy&paste the characters into an online tool. Thanks. DHN (talk) 00:04, 28 April 2008 (UTC)


Simplified: 以致被曹操赶至凤鸣山


Traditional: 以致被曹操趕至鳳鳴山

Is this from one of those 3 Kingdom message boards? Aas217 (talk) 02:28, 28 April 2008 (UTC)

Oops... too slow. 一致被曹操赶至凤鸣山. Steewi (talk) 02:34, 28 April 2008 (UTC)
Thanks, I think it's from something related to this film. DHN (talk) 02:49, 28 April 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Old Venetian forms of address

I kind of asked this on the Humanities desk, but was hoping to get a more detailed answer here. I'm writing something set in 1582, in Venice, and need to know how people addressed each other then. Did fellow noblemen call each other Signor? - if not, what? - how were ladies addressed? - what did one call the Doge?

Thanks very much Adambrowne666 (talk) 03:01, 28 April 2008 (UTC)

If the answers here are a bit sparse, maybe you could contact the Italian WP:RD equivalent for advice? Unfortunately my Italian is close to nil, so I can´t translate your question. Checking the libretti of Italian operas set in this period may also be a simple way to find an answer.
Actually, I would have thought that they used the title "Don" (as in Don Juan, Don Pasquale) in adressing each other, but I may be be wrong. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 23:20, 28 April 2008 (UTC)
I've read some dance manuals from the period (from various parts of Italy). Dances are often dedicated to a particular lady, and it has a text (from Caroso's Il Ballarino): "Barriera Balleto di M. Battistino; in lode dell’illustr.(ma) Sig.(ra) mia et patrona Osservand.(ma) La Signora Beatrice Caetana Cesi." Throughout the text he refers to the dancing woman as "la donna" and the dancing man as "l'uomo". Steewi (talk) 01:08, 29 April 2008 (UTC)

Very helpful answers, thanks - and thanks for the suggestion, Cooka2; when I get around to it, I'll ask an Italian friend of mine to pose the question at the Italian WP, see what happens Adambrowne666 (talk) 18:14, 29 April 2008 (UTC)

The equivalent of Tuscan Italian Signore in the Venetian language is Sior. In Goldoni's A Servant to Two Masters (1745) Sior Tonin Bonagrazia is the son of a merchant who has bought a title of nobility, and in Goldoni's Il sior Todero brontolon (1762) Sior Todero is a merchant. In Venice members of the nobility could not legally run a merchant business.[[1] p.100] According to [[2] p. 1511] members of the nobility were addressed as Illustrissimo or Eccellenza (Tuscan forms, which in Venetian are Lustrisimo and Celensa).  --Lambiam 22:37, 29 April 2008 (UTC)

According to the Italian Wikipedia, the titles used for the Doge included 'Monsignor el Doxe' (Milord Doge), 'Serenissimo Principe' (Most Serene Prince) and Sua Serenità (His Serenity). Xn4 22:52, 29 April 2008 (UTC)

Wonderful! Thanks again! Adambrowne666 (talk) 10:13, 30 April 2008 (UTC)

[edit] "Countach"

Native German speakers usually believe the name of Lamborghini Countach to be an English word. Hence, they pronounce it ˈkaʊntɪtʃ or similar. Does this popular error exist in other languages, too? --Thick Peter (talk) 06:23, 28 April 2008 (UTC)

Not in English, as far as I am aware. It doesn't really come up much, but I have always heard it the proper way, and I assumed it was Italian. Adam Bishop (talk) 08:21, 28 April 2008 (UTC)
Of course English speakers know that it's not an English word. --Thick Peter (talk) 12:33, 28 April 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Translate Basque to Chinese

Is there anything in common between basque language and chinese language ? From a grammatical point of view, there seems to be a vast difference. 69.157.234.29 (talk) 09:39, 28 April 2008 (UTC)

The Basque language is a language isolate, unrelated to any other language. --Nricardo (talk) 00:28, 29 April 2008 (UTC)
Although there have been some *very* controversial theories connecting Basque to Chinese and Sino-Tibetan languages, the theories were based on very shaky evidence that could easily have been coincidence. Yes, grammatically (and syntactically) the differences between the two are very great. Steewi (talk) 01:10, 29 April 2008 (UTC)
What about Basque and Georgian? --KnightMove (talk) 09:05, 1 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Which words dont belong

I have the following questions, some of which i think i know the answer too, but may need additional help with. Could you please tell me if im right or if im not, give me some pointers, thanks guys. Here goes:

In each line there are 2 words which don't belong with the other four words. What are the 2 words in each line

1. Water, beer, bread, lemonade, cake, milk. Im pretty sure that this is bread and cake because those are food items and not drinks like the other four

2. Sit, run, rest, stop, stand, look. I'm not sure about this one, could you give me a few pointers please?

3. Malice, jealousy, greed, kindness, envy, stupidity. I know this 1 is greed and envy because those are 2 of the seven deadly sins, while the others are not. Am I right?

4. Tall, arrogant, timid, proud, fierce, boastful. I'm guessing that logically its either tall or timid but I don't know

5. Now, here, then, where, when, while. I think where definately is because it doesn't refer to something happening right now, is the other one while perhaps?

Which two words in the brackets are similar to the words outside the brackets?

1. apple, fruit (oak, grass, field, orange, tree, wool). I think this is oak and tree

2. sit, chair (table, cloth, bed, blanket, wake, sleep). Well this is to do with actions that happen on furniture. So would it be bed and sleep?

3. girl, sister (father, brother, mother, boy, man, son). I think this 1 is boy and brother

4. tongue, taste (walk, ear, leg, arm, see, hand). I think this is leg and walk, but I'm not sure

5. cruel, kind (angry, generous, sorry, timid, selfish, shy). Is this generous and selfish because it focuses on opposites?

6. stay, go (come, depart, depend, remain, stand, run). I don't really know but is it remain and depart?

7. same, opposite (black, round, white, blue, square, green). It could be any of these except blue and green, I don't know.

8. water, liquid (thought, steam, taste, emotion, ice, fear) emotion and fear?

Thanks for proofreading my work (: --[[User:Hadseys|Hadseys]] <small>[[User talk:Hadseys|Chat]]</small><sub>[[Special:Contributions/Hadseys|Contribs]]</sub> (talk) 10:13, 28 April 2008 (UTC)

Firstly, if I were set this test anywhere that mattered I'd be quite angry as it seems rather sloppily written and subjective. But moving on... I'd say that for the second set of things, you've pretty much got it except square and round seem more likely for 7 (they are opposites, as are same and opposite). As for the first set:
For 2 I would guess run and look because they are more active verbs than the others, but I'm really unsure on this. For 3 you could be right, although that seems to assume more prior knowledge than these things usually do. Perhaps kindness and stupidity as not being 'sinful' things? For 4 it's going to have to be tall and timid, as you say, but this is a bizarre test. For 5 it could be here and where, because the other words refer to time and these refer to place. 79.66.99.37 (talk) 11:07, 28 April 2008 (UTC)
7 is black and white (square and round are not opposites), but there is no order attributed to it.
1st test: I don't think this is a good one, way too subjective. A try...
1: Might be correct.
2: Stop, look (do not desrcibe a situation in which your whole body might reside)
3: Kindness, stupidity (are no bad charakter traits)
4: arrogant, proud and boastful might match... the other 3 don't
5: no idea

--Thick Peter (talk) 12:31, 28 April 2008 (UTC)

In 2, sit and run are both 3-letter words. The others are all 4-letter words. -- JackofOz (talk) 13:07, 28 April 2008 (UTC)
OK, but "run" and "look" have no "s" in them, and the others do. --Milkbreath (talk) 19:07, 28 April 2008 (UTC)
Oy, you there! Waddaya mean "but"? Surely you meant "and", good sir. No? -- JackofOz (talk) 23:01, 28 April 2008 (UTC)
My thinking has grown limited, hasn't it? There's no reason there shouldn't be a practically infinite number of correct answers to any question. -Milkbreath (talk) 23:08, 28 April 2008 (UTC)
If that's your idea of a craven apology, I accept it without reservations.  :) -- JackofOz (talk) 23:14, 28 April 2008 (UTC)
Thick Peter, square and round are opposites when square is an adjective, but black and white is probably more likely. Yay for multiple answers! 79.66.99.37 (talk) 14:38, 28 April 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Opposites

brave, evade, hinder, lessen, agree, scatter, join, tremendous, crooked, proud, argue, content, leave, hurry, wander.

1. Which word is the opposite of "help"

2. Which word is the opposite of "divide" --Hadseys 12:15, 28 April 2008 (UTC)

1. Hinder. 2. Join. 3. Is this a homework question? --Richardrj talk email 12:19, 28 April 2008 (UTC)
  • If its help thats what the reference desk is here for, isn't it? --Hadseys 12:22, 28 April 2008 (UTC)
  • Do your own homework. The reference desk will not give you answers for your homework, although we will try to help you out if there is a specific part of your homework you do not understand. Make an effort to show that you have tried solving it first.
  • Hrmm, i beg to differ. Who are you to say what the reference desk is here for. Its here to help people whether or not its for help with homework is immaterial —Preceding unsigned comment added by 77.100.6.191 (talk) 19:33, 28 April 2008 (UTC)
"Do your own homework" has long been the policy of this reference desk, as it is of real-world reference desks at real-world libraries. —Angr 19:42, 28 April 2008 (UTC)
The anon is correct. There's nothing preventing us from helping people with homework. Unfortunately, giving answers is not helping just like fixing an election is not winning. — Ƶ§œš¹ [aɪm ˈfɻɛ̃ⁿdˡi] 22:26, 28 April 2008 (UTC)
Not sure which anon you're referring to, aeusoes1, but the anon who "begged to differ" is NOT correct. What the reference desk is for is not for him or her or anyone else to decide unilaterally. The instructions at the top are the currently agreed consensus on what it's here for, and how querents and respondents should operate. -- JackofOz (talk) 22:55, 28 April 2008 (UTC)
I was being a bit ironic. The reference desk is indeed to help people and we can help with homework without giving answers so the anon who "begged to differ" was right in letter. However, as they were making this argument in arguing for the giving answers, they were wrong in spirit. — Ƶ§œš¹ [aɪm ˈfɻɛ̃ⁿdˡi] 08:34, 29 April 2008 (UTC)
Right on. -- JackofOz (talk) 16:50, 29 April 2008 (UTC)
Is there a Thesaurus exclusively devoted to antonyms. Thesaurus.com and m-w.com only have some mentioned occasionally. Such a source could have gotten our above student (and others) out of the fix. --Lisa4edit (talk) 23:02, 28 April 2008 (UTC)
Here's what you could try if you are stuck with your next homework. Look up all the words in your list in the dictionary and look at what type of words the dictionary says it is (verb, noun, adjective). Cross out the ones that are not the same type. Then make a sentence with your word and try out the remaining words, with a not or don't for opposites. If your sentence changes meaning the word's out. If the sentence means the same that's your word. If you have trouble using a dictionary ask your teacher to help you.--Lisa4edit (talk) 23:18, 28 April 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Colbyesque

What does "Colbyesque" mean please. Found a reference in a document to this and can find no explanation anywhere on the internet although there are many articles using the expression. Maid of Kent (talk) 12:26, 28 April 2008 (UTC) Maid of Kent

Well, it could refer to behaviour similar to that of any of the people listed here. Perhaps some context would help? --Richardrj talk email 13:13, 28 April 2008 (UTC)
On the other hand, it could relate to the Colby family in Dynasty (TV series). SaundersW (talk) 14:31, 28 April 2008 (UTC) (And also the Colbys) SaundersW (talk) 14:32, 28 April 2008 (UTC)
Or it could be referring to Colby cheese. Without knowing the context in which it was used or being able to see the document that you're looking at, it would be difficult to be any more specific. Dismas|(talk) 10:19, 30 April 2008 (UTC)
Looking at the Google hits, it's clear the word doesn't have an established meaning and simply refers to any Colby who (or which) has previously been mentioned or is hanging in the air. Perhaps alarmingly, La nouvelle cuisine Colbyesque points us towards Colby College! Xn4 10:54, 30 April 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Letter square problem

<question deleted—double-posted here & at Miscellaneous desk> Deor (talk) 15:25, 28 April 2008 (UTC)