Random Culture Thread

[vijayjohn]

"brother" or "friend" (abi, kardeş)

Doesn't kardeş mean 'sibling'?

[Levike]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaJ2Mw2iavc

Another little topic:

In this video she mentions that in Hungary if you have a runny nose then you just blow it out.
And she says that back home this would be impolite.

Really? Is it impolite to blow your nose in front of people?

I didn't catch a cold in Greece or Poland, but if I did then I would be blowing it non-stop,
regardless of how many people are around me.

[IpseDixit]

Over here it's perfectly normal as long as you don't do that in an overly loud and/or obsessive way and don't inspect the tissue to see what came out of your nose.

[vijayjohn]

Really? Is it impolite to blow your nose in front of people?

I've certainly heard it is in some countries. For instance, I've heard this about both Turkey and Japan before.

[Levike]

I've certainly heard it is in some countries. For instance, I've heard this about both Turkey and Japan before.

But the woman in the video, I think she's American or from some Anglophone country.

That's why I was surprised.

[vijayjohn]

I've certainly heard it is in some countries. For instance, I've heard this about both Turkey and Japan before.

But the woman in the video, I think she's American or from some Anglophone country.

That's why I was surprised.

Oh OK, I finally watched the video. Sorry. But yeah, I think what she was saying is that it's not polite to blow your nose really loudly in public, especially if you're not sick or have horrible allergies or anything. I mean, at least the way I understand it is that it's okay to blow your nose gently or wipe your nose in public; otherwise, it's distracting. To be fair, though, I've been confused by nose-blowing etiquette here, too, which sucks because I have awful year-round allergies.

[loqu]

But my Arab or Spanish friends often address me with "my friend", even if they know my name.
And they do this with other people also even though they might not even know them well.

That is virtually unheard of here.

And I say virtually because there's always the odd person doing that. But I can't think of any acquaintance of mine who does that in a regular basis. Except in some fixed expressions or trying to be sarcastic.

Do they? I remember having a talk with loqu where we basically agreed that the stereotype of Spaniards (but also Italians apparently) calling everyone amico/amigo is utterly false and a bit annoying because then you always have some foreigners calling you amico/amigo and personally the only thing I can think of is "OMG how creepy".

Really? Is it impolite to blow your nose in front of people?

Around here it is not impolite per se, but it might be annoying. That's why a lot of people say 'sorry' after blowing their nose.

[Sol Invictus]

Really? Is it impolite to blow your nose in front of people?

I think it's rather that other people shouldn't be made to pay attention to your runny nose, therefore it is not okay to sniffle too much or too blow out your nose loudly, but it is completely okay to do those things quietly without drawing much attention

[voron]

"brother" or "friend" (abi, kardeş)

Doesn't kardeş mean 'sibling'?

Yeah sorry I don't know what I was thinking.

[md0]

Arkadaş?
But I don't remember hearing that. Kardeşim on the other hand...

[md0]

how funny it is when Greeks call you file mou.

Now, I don't know about mainland Greek, but Greek Cypriots tend to use family terms to address friends, and even strangers.

The most characteristic is kumbáre! (vocative of kumbáros, best-man). I'd say it has some air of negativity. If you have to address a stranger with that, it's usually because they parked in front of your garage exit or something.

Women are usually addressed kóri (mu), '(my) daughter', and men as ye (mu), '(my) son'. Age difference and/or perceived hierarchy pays a role. Not surprisingly, younger men feel comfortable using kóri with females that are actually senior to them in age or authority... but they are still women and they are men so it appears grammatical and all.

[Ludwig Whitby]

The most characteristic is kumbáre! (vocative of kumbáros, best-man). I'd say it has some air of negativity. If you have to address a stranger with that, it's usually because they parked in front of your garage exit or something.

Here it's the Romas who address strangers with kume! (vocative of kum, best-man).

Wow, apparently that word originates from Latin compater (cum - with and pater - father).

[vijayjohn]

Arkadaş?
But I don't remember hearing that. Kardeşim on the other hand...

http://alkislarlayasiyorum.com/icerik/1 ... ok-arkadas (Warning though: loud! At least for me ).

[loqu]

The most characteristic is kumbáre! (vocative of kumbáros, best-man). I'd say it has some air of negativity. If you have to address a stranger with that, it's usually because they parked in front of your garage exit or something.

Women are usually addressed kóri (mu), '(my) daughter', and men as ye (mu), '(my) son'. Age difference and/or perceived hierarchy pays a role. Not surprisingly, younger men feel comfortable using kóri with females that are actually senior to them in age or authority... but they are still women and they are men so it appears grammatical and all.

I love these kind of similarities to Andalusia.

For the first paragraph, our equivalent is (o)mpare (literary compadre, which means the godfather of your son), which sounds strikingly similar to your Greek word and has the same Latin origin Ludwig mentioned. It is only used with an air of familiarity.

For the second paragraph, we also call each other 'daughter' and 'son' all the time, and also age plays a role. I wouldn't call a senior 'son', except if I were familiar with him, for example, a work colleague.

[Lada]

In Russian one can call another "brother(брат, братан, братyxa)", but this happens if the person is a close friend.

Heard this only in movies about mafia, never in real life. But I live in Moscow that is not Russia as we know

[Lietmotiv]

Heard this only in movies about mafia, never in real life. But I live in Moscow that is not Russia as we know

Maybe, people in the province still remember movies like "Brigada", and that's why they use it.

[md0]

I love these kind of similarities to Andalusia.

That keeps happening huh

Ah, and yeah, a kumbáros is not only the best-man at your wedding, but also the godfather of your child.
I think the one at the wedding is called "first kumbáros" but I do not pay that much attention to our traditions.
The feminine form is kuméra (cum mater?). I guess we got those words either from Old Provençal, or Venetian, during the time Cyprus was ruled by the Crusaders.

[loqu]

Then it all makes sense. Our feminine word is comadre, but it is only used for the godmother of your kid, not among girlfriends.

[IpseDixit]

The most characteristic is kumbáre! (vocative of kumbáros, best-man). I'd say it has some air of negativity. If you have to address a stranger with that, it's usually because they parked in front of your garage exit or something.

I love these kind of similarities to Andalusia.

For the first paragraph, our equivalent is (o)mpare (literary compadre, which means the godfather of your son), which sounds strikingly similar to your Greek word and has the same Latin origin Ludwig mentioned. It is only used with an air of familiarity.

In the area of Naples they use the vocative compare / cumpare / cumpà (which has the same etymology of the Spanish one). I really have no idea how frequent it is nor precisely in what circumstances it is used, but it's kind of part of the collective imagination that Neapolitans always say cumpà or uagliò.

[vijayjohn]

it's kind of part of the collective imagination that Neapolitans always say cumpà or uagliò.

What does uagliò mean?