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petra_r
Community Member

Word of the day :)

As English is my third language I am still stumbling across words that fascinate me.

Today our Janean used one in a post and I LOVED it (once I looked it up, lol, admittedly)

 

vicissitude
vɪˈsɪsɪtjuːd,vʌɪˈsɪsɪtjuːd/
noun
plural noun: vicissitudes
  1. 1.
    a change of circumstances or fortune, typically one that is unwelcome or unpleasant.
    "her husband's sharp vicissitudes of fortune"
    synonyms:change, alteration, alternation, transformation, metamorphosis, transmutation, mutation, modification, transition, development, shift, switch, turn; More
    reversal, reverse, downturn;
    inconstancy, instability, uncertainty, unpredictability, chanciness, fickleness, variability, changeability, fluctuation, vacillation;
    ups and downs
    "he maintains his sunny disposition despite life's vicissitudes"
  2. 2.
    literary
    alternation between opposite or contrasting things.
    "the vicissitude of the seasons"

 

I adore language(s) and words, so shall we have a thread about wonderful words? Could be fun?

 

133 REPLIES 133


@Richard W wrote:

 


@Luce N wrote:

@Renata S wrote:

And yeah, you say "spelt", and across the pond, I say "spelled".

To me, spelt is a kind of wheat.


 What would the poor English teachers teach French pupils if they did not have the terrible irregular verbs to threaten them with? They are perfect as tests and punishment. How dare North Americans try to spoil the fun.


That reminds me of a year at school when our Latin teacher made us learn a list of irregular verbs every week. Of course I forgot them as soon as the test was over. I only remember "tango, tangere, tegi, tactum", and I wouldn't be surprised if that's not even correct.
 

At the end of that year, almost everyone in the class wanted to give up Latin. I was one. But the headmaster browbeat most of us into changing our minds, so I endured another two years of it.


 Thanks Richard, now I know how to transtale the French "épeautre", which is a grain very much in fashion with French organic freaks. 

 

Latin can be so painful... I gave up after 5 years. My latin teacher was sort of lazy: he would make us translate Caesar's "Gallic Wars" in class, then as homework we needed to learn (in latin, of course) the part we had translated. Some martyrs were called to the board and got marked for reciting (or not) the text. Then, as a test, you had to revise all the parts you had learnt/learned as homework. It was an absolute nightmare. Hope Janean is not that sort of teacher! Anyway, that was the last straw....


@Luce N wrote:

@Richard W wrote:

 


@Luce N wrote:

@Renata S wrote:

And yeah, you say "spelt", and across the pond, I say "spelled".

To me, spelt is a kind of wheat.


 


 Thanks Richard, now I know how to transtale the French "épeautre", which is a grain very much in fashion with French organic freaks. 

 


Interesting... according to Google Translate the English translation of "épeautre" is "spelled". So I can say: "J'ai épeautré le mot correctement". Smiley Wink


@Richard W wrote:

Interesting... according to Google Translate the English translation of "épeautre" is "spelled". So I can say: "J'ai épeautré le mot correctement". Smiley Wink

Lol 😀

 

That being said, I doubt you'll find many in France who would know what the word épeautre means or who have ever heard about it. It looks like a verb.

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"Where darkness shines like dazzling light"   —William Ashbless


@Richard W wrote:

 


That reminds me of a year at school when our Latin teacher made us learn a list of irregular verbs every week. Of course I forgot them as soon as the test was over. I only remember "tango, tangere, tegi, tactum", and I wouldn't be surprised if that's not even correct.
 

At the end of that year, almost everyone in the class wanted to give up Latin. I was one. But the headmaster browbeat most of us into changing our minds, so I endured another two years of it.


You were browbeaten into an education? This makes me suspect that the Latin teacher was hired on a three year contract and that it would have appeared untoward if his class was constantly empty.  

I was/am the sort of teacher who requires Latin translations in bluebooks (with which I help students, during class)... Who offers "star card" bonuses that are designed so that each student is able to earn bonus points if he or she has done the work, and understands the material at his or her own ability level... who tries to make as much as possible into games ("Group DUO at the Board!" "Latin Jeopardy" vocabulary "Around the World" invisible and stretchable maps of Rome made of "Mylar XK 347-Z," a secret substance, one map "issued" to each student, who "stores" the map in a secret location known only to him or her, and then removes the map during class, for study)... who creates silly songs for learning verbs... who will do almost anything silly in order to make kids remember (jump up onto a desk and sing to the tune of the old "Gilligan's Island" theme song)... who offers re-dos on homework assignments and translations that I have corrected, so that the weaker students can learn from their mistakes...

 

I did, however, also insist that vocabulary (which kids learned using my special boxed-flashcard system) be memorized permanently. There was no such thing as "this week's vocabulary" or "Chapter 13 vocabulary."  All vocabulary tests were cumulative. Yeah... I was evil that way! Students weren't under the impression that they could just memorize the words for a quiz and then forget them. (heh, heh, heh !)

 

Also, I brought in baked goods.

Janean, I would have loved to learn Latin under such conditions. Compared to what I had to go through, that is close to paradise.

 

My niece was in Connecticut for 3 years and took middle school latin with a teacher that chewed chewing-gum and said "OK?" all the time. Like: "Puer, OK?". Who knows, she might be a friend of yours? Another thing that seems amazing to us poor Frenchies was that her tests were multiple choice questions. That makes it really simple.

Oh, no, no, no, no, no -- no multiple-choice questions!  And vocabulary was English-to-Latin (or English-to-French) only, on tests and quizzes, not t'other-way 'round. (But I tested in a special way, using the boxes o' flashcards. I tested vocabulary qua vocabulary primarily verbally, in person, not on paper.) If you know it the more difficult (active) way, then you also know it the easier, passive way (i.e., Latin-to-English or French-to-English). (Oh, the complaints and whining I fielded, re the format of my testing!)


@Richard W wrote:

 


@Luce N wrote:

@Renata S wrote:

And yeah, you say "spelt", and across the pond, I say "spelled".

To me, spelt is a kind of wheat.

It is also in Norwegian.

 


 What would the poor English teachers teach French pupils if they did not have the terrible irregular verbs to threaten them with? They are perfect as tests and punishment. How dare North Americans try to spoil the fun.


That reminds me of a year at school when our Latin teacher made us learn a list of irregular verbs every week. Of course I forgot them as soon as the test was over. I only remember "tango, tangere, tegi, tactum", and I wouldn't be surprised if that's not even correct.
 

At the end of that year, almost everyone in the class wanted to give up Latin. I was one. But the headmaster browbeat most of us into changing our minds, so I endured another two years of it.


I had 6 years of Latin due to moving, exchange, and changing school once more. I remember that tangere is to touch. I also remember ferre, ferro, tuli, latum where you can also add trans to get transferre, transferro, transtuli, translatum and infront but I do not recall the translation. I remember I failed my first Spanish grammar exam because I translated everything into perfect Latin.


@Jennifer R wrote:

I remember I failed my first Spanish grammar exam because I translated everything into perfect Latin.

 How old were you then? Smiley Happy

 

"Certa bonum certamen"

21.


@Jennifer R wrote:

21.


That explains everything.

 

It's booze.

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"Where darkness shines like dazzling light"   —William Ashbless

Naa, booze  was when I was 16-17 and living with my aunt. Thanks to my German ID they never checked the date and I was served whatever I wanted until we had to make a run for the last train home. When I was at university I hardly had enough money to pay my rent. I wish I had known you lot back then.

Add "genuine" to the list, took me 30 sec to learn its meaning but a lot more to say it right (I was young and internet wasn't available)

 

I love it because it is so different from the French equivalent.

bruce_dodds
Community Member

What a wonderful thread. I thank you all.

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