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Language

Italian​

I started to learn Italian, and it has been a bumpy road. Here are some of my experiences with learning and understanding.

The motivations for choosing Italian are that it is easy to pronounce, close to both written and spoken and that I was in Italy for a semester abroad.

I started halfway through my semester and learned very few words. I tried to read Italian by buying a Harry Potter book in Italian and watching the Breaking Bad series with Italian subtitles. It was slow going, and I did not make great progress.

Then, I tried to do the Duolingo work. I cannot say it was that successful. It was just a chore rather than something I liked to do, and I received positive reinforcement from it.

My third attempt is more of a refocused effort at learning through reading and being more focused on learning quickly rather than getting stuck. I started reading easy-to-digest Italian short stories and blending in some Harry Potter.

English​

The English language is very rich and encompassing. It mixes three different languages: Saxon, Old Norse, and French. After the battle of Hastings in 1066, French culture dominated the court and nobility.

As an example of the multitude of different languages affecting the English language, we have three different words meaning the same thing.

  • Regal - From Latin
  • Royal - From French
  • Kingly - Saxon All of these words mean the same thing, but some has more

Norwegian​

Latin Expressions​

I thoroughly support having some Latin knowledge and being able to incorporate some cool expressions that make me sound more enlightened and intellectual than I really am.

Expressions in Latin to sound smart​

  • Primus inter pares - First among equals.
  • Sic transit gloria mundi - Thus ends the glory of the world.
  • Sic semper fidelis - Thus always loyal. Motto of US Marine Corps
  • *Semper Gumby - Always flexible
  • Sic semper erat et sic semper erit - this is what is was, and will always be
  • Sic semper tyrannis - Thus always to tyrants Attributed to Brutus after the assassination of Gaius Julius Cesar. Also uttered by John Wilkes Booth after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.
  • Status quo ante bellum - Same as before the war Usually after an argument. Note that ante bellum also is referring to the period before the american civil war.
  • Fides ex auditu. Faith comes by listening From Paul the Apostle
  • The sicut dixit dominus - thus says the lord
  • Fiat justitia—ruat caelum. “Do justice, and let the skies fall

Obfuscation​

Sometimes, language is used to mask and confuse, to gatekeep, and to make people not in the tribe unsure. A lot of con artists speak in obfuscating language to trick people. An observant man should always aim to speak clearly and simply, as it is a sign of intelligence and respect.

Doctors, economists, lawyers and many others, not to single out any particular professions, erect moats of obfuscation around their professions to maintain their status and pay grade. In the spirit of this article, George Bernard Shaw called this the Conspiracies against the laity, noting that laity is a term for the layman or average man.

Links

Thoughts

  • Out of the thousand or so languages, there are only a dozen or so that are not connected to other large families of languages.