UniLang

dEhiN wrote:

vijayjohn wrote:Thanks!

நீ வணக்கம் இருக்கிறாய்! (Haha, that was my attempt to literally say "you are welcome" in Tamil! )

Lol!

vijayjohn wrote:

dEhiN wrote:நீ வணக்கம் இருக்கிறாய்! (Haha, that was my attempt to literally say "you are welcome" in Tamil! )

Lol!

The funny thing is for a second I wasn't sure if I should've added the accusative suffix -ஐ and say வணக்கமை. I've never heard that, only வணக்கம், but then again I've only heard it in the context of a greeting so basically as an interjection.

If it was in accusative case, then it would be வணக்கத்தை, not *வணக்கமை. But that's not how you say 'welcome' in Tamil anyway, just a greeting. 'Welcome' in Tamil is வர வேண்டும் (so something like 'you should come'). (You can use other similar phrases for this, too; for example, where the English Wikipedia says "Welcome to Wikipedia," the Tamil Wikipedia just says what would more literally translate to "come to Wikipedia!").

In reality, I think people might just wobble their heads and say சரி.

vijayjohn wrote:If it was in accusative case, then it would be வணக்கத்தை, not *வணக்கமை. But that's not how you say 'welcome' in Tamil anyway, just a greeting. 'Welcome' in Tamil is வர வேண்டும் (so something like 'you should come'). (You can use other similar phrases for this, too; for example, where the English Wikipedia says "Welcome to Wikipedia," the Tamil Wikipedia just says what would more literally translate to "come to Wikipedia!").

I actually always thought வணக்கம் meant "welcome" as a greeting! As for the accusative case, I don't know the Tamil rules for suffix addition, though I know there are rules. I have a hard enough time figuring out when to use -ய்- or -வ்- with -உம் for conjunctive "and". I try to go with what "sounds" right, except that doesn't work since I haven't heard enough Tamil to have an internal sense of what "sounds" right!

vijayjohn wrote:In reality, I think people might just wobble their heads and say சரி.

சரி! Actually, speaking of சரி [sæɾi]*, I used to wonder how Tamils didn't get confused when using சரி (which means "ok" or "right/correct"), since it could also be pronounced [saɾi] and sari, the dress! Then a friend I have from Chennai told me that sari for the dress is taken from Hindi, and the Tamil word is something else.

*Ok I know /æ/ doesn't officially exist in Tamil, but my parents and aunts/uncles say certain words with an unmistakable /æ/, and [sæɾi] is one of them. Not sure if it's an English-influenced dialectal thing though I often wondered that.

dEhiN wrote:சரி! Actually, speaking of சரி [sæɾi]*, I used to wonder how Tamils didn't get confused when using சரி (which means "ok" or "right/correct"), since it could also be pronounced [saɾi] and sari, the dress! Then a friend I have from Chennai told me that sari for the dress is taken from Hindi, and the Tamil word is something else.

Also the first vowel in sari is supposed to be long and there are specific words for different kinds of saris in Tamil, as demonstrated by this line from a very popular movie song from the 70s that my own parents once randomly introduced me to (and my parents didn't even watch Indian movies at that time!):

சின்னாலப்பட்டியிலே கண்டாங்கி எடுத்து என் கையாலே கட்டி விடவா?

Meaning something like "are you going to pick up your kandangi from Chinnalapatti and abandon me?" (where kandangi is apparently a type of sari).

*Ok I know /æ/ doesn't officially exist in Tamil, but my parents and aunts/uncles say certain words with an unmistakable /æ/, and [sæɾi] is one of them. Not sure if it's an English-influenced dialectal thing though I often wondered that.

It's often (perhaps even usually) pronounced with an [ɛ] in Malayalam, so maybe not.

You're making me wanderlust [for] that scripts/alphabet. Not the languages, just the script.

Then I'm going to make you wanderlust for it more by telling you that it's not that hard to learn, either.

Osias wrote:that scripts/alphabet. Not the languages, just the script.

Not sure if "that" can be used with plural, at least in varieties like GA and RP. I believe it's usually "those" + plural, or "this/that" + singular.

It's one script, and it's solely used for the language Tamil. It's an abugida, so yeah like Vijay said, it's pretty easy to learn. Here, you can use this page to learn the script (and sounds that go with it if you want).

I think "scripts" was a typo.

Oh sorry!

Also "languages".

[flag=]en-us[/flag]
misfeasance - wrongful use of authority
nonfeasance - intentional failure to fulfill a duty

I already knew malfeasance, but I just heard someone use all three words in an interview.

[flag=]pt-br[/flag] Piroclasto - tephra.

[flag=]it[/flag] glossopoiesi - conlanging

[flag=]en[/flag] paruretic pee-shy

[flag=]en[/flag] to make a rod for your own back - to do something that will cause you problems later

linguoboy wrote:[flag=]en[/flag] paruretic pee-shy

Damn bladder shyness! I can't even pee at a urinal without doing math equations in my head to distract me from the feeling that some dudebro is gonna burst in on me.

mōdgethanc wrote:

linguoboy wrote:[flag=]en[/flag] paruretic pee-shy

Damn bladder shyness! I can't even pee at a urinal without doing math equations in my head to distract me from the feeling that some dudebro is gonna burst in on me.

Now that I work at an actual office, I've gotten slightly better about this than I used to be, but even then, I usually just rely on the fact that people evacuate the bathroom pretty quickly. Taking a good five minutes or so to pee and wash and thoroughly dry my hands may be odd compared to anyone else I work with (or at least any other guys), but it's still better than just holding it in all damn day (which is what I had to do all the way to college at least).

vijayjohn wrote:

mōdgethanc wrote:

linguoboy wrote:[flag=]en[/flag] paruretic pee-shy

Damn bladder shyness! I can't even pee at a urinal without doing math equations in my head to distract me from the feeling that some dudebro is gonna burst in on me.

Now that I work at an actual office, I've gotten slightly better about this than I used to be, but even then, I usually just rely on the fact that people evacuate the bathroom pretty quickly. Taking a good five minutes or so to pee and wash and thoroughly dry my hands may be odd compared to anyone else I work with (or at least any other guys), but it's still better than just holding it in all damn day (which is what I had to do all the way to college at least).

I've never had a problem with doing it at a urinal or in front of a toilet with the stall door open. But that's because I assume anyone around isn't trying to stare at my junk, but minding their own business like me. If I ever had to pee with someone there watching me (can't think of an actual situation where that'd be necessary, but just saying), that would make me paruretic. I could get over it, but I'd have to mentally block the other person out.

Thinking about it some more, I find it weird I'd feel shy because I have no problem dropping my pants and underwear at the doctor's office even if the doctor/nurse is a woman.

For me, it isn't even about whether anyone is trying to stare; it's about whether I'm failing to cover up adequately while peeing (because I'm never sure whether there's some important finer point of urinal etiquette that I'm missing since I'm not used to using one) and even just the simple fact that I'm doing something that in my own home would very much be a private act in a very public place. It's also somewhat unnerving to me that I know that while people may not watch you pee, some people at least do listen.