Wikipedia:Reference desk archive/Language/2006 August 24

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[edit] define english phrase into both latin and russian

  • 1.) great strength comes from great passion

and

  • 2.) the definition of the word MIRACLE into either latin or russian
Ehh, that's not a definition. That's a translation... 惑乱 分からん 05:55, 24 August 2006 (UTC)
Well, maybe our question-setter is not that great at English. "Miracle" is mīrāculum in Latin and чýдо in Russian. -- THE GREAT GAVINI {T|C|#} 06:40, 24 August 2006 (UTC)
1) Vis magna ex impetu magno exsistat. --LambiamTalk 06:44, 24 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Cherokee Language

How do you say "Free Spirit" in the Cherokee language?

How do you say "Wild Spirit" or "Wild and Free Spirit" in the Cherokee language?


Thank you,

Paula

[removed email address]

I know almost no Cherokee, so I could not begin to fulfil your request; but I would like to make a sort of answer nonetheless.
Please have a look at translation, especially sections common misconceptions and translation problems, to understand how frustrating many linguists find this sort of request. I am guessing (perhaps wrongly) that you want this phrase in order to name something - an animal, a house, a vehicle, a club - and you appear chosen a phrase with some special connotations for you. It is very unlikely that a corresponding phrase in Cherokee, even if it is a fair rendering of the separate words, would have a similar connotation. On the other hand, there might happen to be a Cherokee word which has much the same connotation as 'Wild and Free Spirit' but does not contain anything corresponding to 'Wild', 'Free' or 'Spirit'. ColinFine 21:53, 30 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] crossword help 2

plaese can some one helpme with these clues

over the moon (4-1-4)(***K*****)

  • COCK-A-HOOP. JackofOz 06:16, 24 August 2006 (UTC)

australian acacia tree (6)

  • WATTLE. JackofOz 06:16, 24 August 2006 (UTC)

helpful push while climbing something (4-2)

  • HAND-UP. JackofOz 06:18, 24 August 2006 (UTC)

native american axe (8)

  • TOMAHAWK StuRat 06:23, 24 August 2006 (UTC)

peace (in the middle east ) (6)***S**

  • SHALOM (assumes S is wrong). StuRat 06:28, 24 August 2006 (UTC)
    • Could also be SALAAM. —Daniel (‽) 12:34, 24 August 2006 (UTC)

heads or tails throw (4) ***E

  • FLIP or TOSS (both assume E is wrong). StuRat 06:26, 24 August 2006 (UTC)
  • (??) DIME. JackofOz 06:29, 24 August 2006 (UTC)

millitary shelter made of corrugated steel (6-3)

  • NISSEN HUT. --LambiamTalk 06:23, 24 August 2006 (UTC)

sphere of mince (8)(**A*B*L*)

  • MEATBALL. JackofOz 06:18, 24 August 2006 (UTC)

something (usually) folded with a special message (4)

  • (??) CARD (eg. birthday card) JackofOz 06:29, 24 August 2006 (UTC)

Mightright 06:07, 24 August 2006 (UTC) i dont think the helpful push is a hand up because isnt a hand up a pull rather than a push .its pattern is (*U*KUP)Mightright 06:39, 24 August 2006 (UTC) i find all the other answers to be corrrect exept 4 the above one could u help me on that???Mightright 06:42, 24 August 2006 (UTC) could u help me with this one too

  • BUNK UP. --Shantavira 07:46, 24 August 2006 (UTC)

knocking of dimpled balls through minature windmills , for instance (i know that it is some kind of minature golf , its pattern is *****GOLF)Mightright 06:51, 24 August 2006 (UTC)

  • CRAZY GOLF. --Shantavira 07:46, 24 August 2006 (UTC)


Capital city within Czechoslovakia (4) =) doktorb wordsdeeds 11:01, 24 August 2006 (UTC)

Oslo --Richardrj 11:09, 24 August 2006 (UTC)
But the letters "oslo" are contained within "Czechoslovakia". Adam Bishop 00:13, 25 August 2006 (UTC)
Yep, so that's the answer. --Richardrj 01:31, 25 August 2006 (UTC)
Should have been suspicious by the referral to a non-existing country... 惑乱 分からん 01:48, 25 August 2006 (UTC)

Hmm, I recognize these clues. You wouldn't by any chance be solving a gigantic "wall crossword", would you? I spent about 18 months (on and off, of course) trying to solve my wall crosswird - the grid was about 6 ft tall and 6 ft wide). --Dangherous 10:14, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] International Phonetic Alphabet

Hello. I would be grateful if someone knowledgeable in IPA confirm for me whether [Kocci] is the correct IPA transcription of Kochi (help·info). Thanks in advance! -- thunderboltza.k.a.Deepu Joseph |TALK07:31, 24 August 2006 (UTC)

Is this Japanese 高知? It does not sound like it. By [c], do you mean a true palatal plosive, or the postalveolar affricate [t͡ʃ]? What I hear is more like [koˈt͡si]. However, that may be due to unfamiliarity with the sound system of the source language. If you are a native speaker, you can easily check whether you use a palatal articulation, in which case [c] is the right symbol to use. I wouldn't double the [c], though, but use [koˈci], or if there is a distinctive lengthening of that consonant, [koˈcːi]. Although there is no risk of confusion, you should avoid using a capital letter 'K', which is not an IPA symbol, and for the same reason also not italics. --LambiamTalk 09:02, 24 August 2006 (UTC)
I'm sorry, but all this talk about palatal plosives is Greek and Latin to me. I have very little knowledge of phonetics, and hence I'm handicapped at providing more information. Maybe the following would be helpful for you to help me:
  • Ko as in Coriander ( Note: it's a short Co)
  • Chi as in Children
Also, this isnt Japaneese, but Malayalam. Kochi is a city in India - see Kochi (India). Thanks!-- thunderboltza.k.a.Deepu Joseph |TALK11:41, 25 August 2006 (UTC)
I am in a very bad position to answer this question, I cannot hear the tape and I didn't know Malayalam existed until five minutes ago but from reading the discussion and the relevant Wikipedia pages that it seems that it might be [koˈʧ:i]. Stefán Ingi 15:24, 25 August 2006 (UTC)
Using the spelling given in the Malayalam script at Kochi (India), and the phonetics in the table provided at Malayalam_language#Consonants, I would come to the same conclusion: [koˈʧːi]. Note the use of a specialized glyph for the lengthening symbol, instead of a regular colon symbol. However, the same table is confusing, since it lists "/ʧ/ ച", but does so under the heading "Palatal", which would imply "/c/". Here is how to distinguish the two. The ച is a palatal stop if you articulate it with your tongue pressed against the hard middle part of the roof of your mouth (the palate). If instead you press your tongue against the back of the ridge behind your teeth (the alveolar ridge), it is considered a postalveolar consonant. IPA even has a symbol for a halfway compromise: "ɕ". For "practical use", the distinction is not that important. --LambiamTalk 18:00, 25 August 2006 (UTC)
Yes, I don't know what I was thinking when I put the colon in. Stefán Ingi 18:33, 25 August 2006 (UTC)
Great that you both arrived at the same conclusion. But before commiting the change in the article, can I confirm that you guys saw the correct rendering of the Malayalam script? WP:COMPLEX might be able to guide you. -- thunderboltza.k.a.Deepu Joseph |TALK09:50, 27 August 2006 (UTC)
I certainly did not see anything resembling Indic script. On the other hand I saw very nice Unicode codes for the characters my computer didn't display. However, these codes were probably easier for me to work with than the actual script itself :) Stefán Ingi 23:00, 27 August 2006 (UTC)
I saw a rendering. While I can't be sure it was the correct rendering, the use of the script was consistent across the various articles. That. I believe, is the only thing that is relevant. (It's like the old conundrum: How can I be sure you don't experience the world just like I do except that for you left and right are systematically reversed.) --LambiamTalk 07:17, 28 August 2006 (UTC)
Thanks again! The article was just featured. I really appreciate the help. :) -- thunderboltza.k.a.Deepu Joseph |TALK19:38, 30 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Contraction or not – "I am" or "I'm"?

What is recommended behaviour at Wikipedia – to contract word combinations like "I am", "you would" et cetera or not? Which is the preferred style in other situations? —Bromskloss 20:46, 24 August 2006 (UTC)

The recommended behaviour is that you write in "encyclopedic style", whatever that is. I would say that generally in encyclopedic style you shouldn't contract them, but there's bound to be exceptions where it's more natural and easy to read to contract. Just read it back to yourself and follow your instinct in each case. --Ptcamn 21:10, 24 August 2006 (UTC)
I prefer to use a bit of both, to make things sounds less repetitive: "As of August, 2006, they're not sure if they are going to approve the new standard." StuRat 21:28, 24 August 2006 (UTC)
I would say that it depends on how interesting you intend an article to be. The great thing about language is that varying styles can sometimes bring it to life. For instance: (e.g.) here, I have used the words 'I would', which carries more weight than 'I'd', which may mean 'I might like to', rather than 'I definately would', similarly with words like 'et cetera', I prefer to shorten it to '&c.', which is definately more archaic: it is less well understood and less standardised but adds variety to the style of writing. --russ 22:41, 24 August 2006 (UTC)
The Wikipedia Manual of Style discourages the use of contractions: "In general, formal writing is preferred. Therefore, avoid the use of contractions — such as don't, can't, won't, would've, they'd, and so on — unless they occur in a quotation." MoS: Contractions —Wayward Talk 23:18, 24 August 2006 (UTC)

Thank you all for your fine answers! I didn't know about the manual of style. —Bromskloss 12:05, 25 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Old Biblical Writings

I was wondering if you could help me solve this meanings of symbols. It came in a dream and i have the paper where i need to send it to anybody that has experinces dealing with old biblical writings. I just want to know if you could help me to see what its telling me. Thank you and i hope to hear from you guys soon..


                                       AT: Mr. Obando
What makes you think your dream symbols are old Biblical writings ? StuRat 23:28, 24 August 2006 (UTC)
This was maybe understood in the same dream. Now, Obando is a spanish word found e.g. in the Philippines and amongst cardinals (Not St Louis'). Can you tell more about the dream's context (and this includes what you met in the last days) ? -- DLL .. T 18:40, 25 August 2006 (UTC)