We all make mistakes

What are the most frequent mistakes English learners make in their business communication? This article is useful for all those who learn English and use it to communicate with their business partners, check it out: http://www.englishtown.com/community/Channels/Article.aspx?articlename=117-5mis&etag=E15637

We had a mama

Let us start at the beginning, shall we, that sounds like a logical thing to do. At the beginning there was a cry, then a coo, a gurgle and an occasional scream. And then a word came around. A mama, to be precise. Ordinary, I know, utterly unoriginal, but sweet. Was it Slovak or English? Couldn't tell you. But it sure sounded familiar. 

Wilko's first word came just before he was one year old and left me slightly confused as they say bilingual kids start to speak later, some of them not uttering a word before their third birthday. However, after several successful repeats of mama I felt proud and highly optimistic. I could not wait to let his father know (We had a mama!!! the message said, At least I think so...). Although Wilko still had a long way to go with his articulation, I was already beginning to think he was a genius. He must have taken after me after all! A word! and a mama! My friend's daughter kept calling her mum daddy even after she gained relative fluency and she only had one language. Boy, was I glad that my son was so eloquent! 

Right after that he took in a couple more words. I think his second one was nie (no in Slovak) and then the English word apple. He went on at an average rate of three words a month. Although it was slow he had "spongy" periods when he learned a couple of words a week, and then quiet periods that could last for two months when he seemed to cease learning new words and even stopped using some of the ones that he already knew. I know that on the inside, his brain kept working full speed, I guess he was just switching from output to input and back again. 

In general he picked up the easiest from both languages and by the time William turned two his vocab consisted of about 35 words, some of them Slovak, some English, some a mixture of the two and some, well, of unexplainable origin. He began to put together his first two word sentences and I was really proud of my baby. We finally had our own weird language and were managing to communicate, at a certain level at least. 

One day, when Will had just turned two, I got a call from a friend who needed a babysitter. She brought over her 14 months old baby girl. And yes, you can see it coming, can't you, the tiny girl, who had barely started to grow hair on her bald scull had a vocabulary comparable to my son and showed more understanding and focus when it came to communication. So while my darling son was shouting out slogans for himself, like "Look at that!" and "Oh my dog!" the baby girl could, in a very simplified manner, actually react to what I was saying, and even answer my questions - something William wouldn't do even during his highly focused moments. That was when I realised that yes, he is slower, in a way. He started out early enough but progressed at his own pace. We often visit our family in Slovakia and in Scotland and I observed that switching the situation from bilingual to pure Slovak or pure English and back to bilingual seems to move him forward faster. I suppose it makes him realise the difference between the language systems and that they are not both interconnected within one language, but separate. But who knows what is really going on in those clever minds of our little ones. 

Today William is 2 years and 3 months old and he is actively using around 50 words. It is now becoming difficult to count them. He gains more focus in conversation and has a good understanding of both languages. He is going through one of his spongy periods at the moment when he surprises me with new words every day. And of course, I am still proud, I don't know a mum that isn't. 

William's most recent words are: bunda (a jacket), mokre (wet) and finally the long awaited YES. Hurrah! 

Word of the week

discombobulate - Americanism, meaning confuse, disconcert. This word first appears sometime between 1825 - 1919 and was supposedly created as a word play on the word "discompose" or "discomfort". Other forms of the word are "discombobricate", "discombobberate" or even "discomboobulate"

Word of the week

mesmerise - attract strongly, hypnotize, put into a trance. The word came to exist via back formation from the word "mesmerism" in the 19th century, which originated in French "mesmerisme". According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, Franz Anton Mesmer was an "Austrian physician, who developed a theory of animal magnetism and a mysterious body fluid which allows one person to hypnotize another." Curious.

Google Translate - a joke or a competition?

Everyone who ever tried to use Google Translate knows it has its flaws and a professional will seldom use it as a translation tool. Can it ever become a competition for interpreters? Explore the topic at: http://www.macnewsworld.com/story/Google-Translates-No-Babel-Fish-but-Its-Cheaper-Than-a-Personal-Interpreter-74134.html

Word of the week

nincompoop - silly person, fool, simpleton. The word was thought to origin in a Latin phrase "non compos mentis" which means "mentally incompetent", but linguists discarded the theory due to the lack of the second n in the earliest form of the word: nicompoop. Perplexed, etymologists searched other explanations. The late John Ciardi suggests that the word comes from Dutch phrase "nicht om poep" meaning "the female relative of a fool", others attribute the origin of the word to a proper name "Nicodemus" who appears in the Gospel as a naive simple person. In French, his name - Nicodeme -  is still being used to denote a fool.

Hearing with your skin

Scientists prove that the tactile information we perceive plays a significant role in hearing and understanding of language. How? Read the article at http://www.brightsurf.com/news/headlines/50684/Tactile_input_affects_what_we_hear_UBC_study.html

A movie of interest - The Linguists

A documentary about a search for the last traces of dying languages. Check out the trailer here:
http://www.thelinguists.com/

Word of the week

inglenook - a recess or a seat beside a large fireplace, a chimney corner. The word is of Scottish origin, it was first used in 18th century and it is a blend of the words "ingle" - derived from Gealic aingeal meaning light, fire,  and "nook" - a word of unknown origin used to denominate a corner.

He was sitting in the inglenook, reading.

Word of the week

obnubilate - to darken, cover with clouds, obscure, haze over, befog. The word has its origins in Latin "obnubilare", which, surprisingly, means to cover with clouds or fog. It is often used metaphorically.

Their words obnubilate their intentions.
I saw an obnubilated figure.

Word of the week

kerfuffle - carfuffle or kurfuffle is one of the many British words for commotion, disorder, chaos, disturbance and can also be used as a verb. The word most probably comes from Scottish carfuffle: car - cearr = wrong, awkward, fuffle = to become dishelved.

Have you seen the kerfuffle on Wall Street?
What is this kerfuffle all about?
Look at this mess on my head - the wind kerfuffled my hairdo!