Languages
I could not learn many words in Turkish, since it's so much different from the languages I am used to hear. Here you are a sample: su- water; evet- yes; ioc- no, tamam- OK, inshallah- with God's will, efendi- sir. "Thank you" is so long and complicated that you either are rude and skip it or say it in English. But you probably know all that.
For the same reasons, they find it hard learning English for example, and are pretty shy at speaking it, although they see language learning as a major educational goal. (The English lessons I saw were OK by me, and they had a Comenius assistant in a school) Still, the best English speakers I met were young men picking tourists in the streets and trying to entice them to the carpets shops. Some of their mistakes are really funny, such as the Stripping Section, or "a project in the field of cows" and some other funny use of words, but they have a great sense of humour and laugh heartily if you explain them. Anyway, I wish we had professional translators in the museums.
As you asked, here are some (bad) photos of the computer.
And here are letters on clay from the Hittite period- if I got it well, their envelopes (they were business letters, therefore secret) and the seals. As far as I understood, scientists could read the etters, so they are not so secret any longer.
But the most interesting thing was noticing the words we have got from Turkish- far more than I imagined, although they have a different writing and some have another meaning or an ironical connotation. Funny how languages influence each other and reflect the history. It's a topic that always intrigued me- maybe some day I'll have time to find out more.
6 comments:
It's not so strange languages influence history and, even, everyday life. After all, it's a very flexible tool to communicate. The best one, I think. The varriety of languages and dialects, the semantic differences, the double meanings also make a net that hide characters, feelings, emotions. On top, they addapt so easily to new circunstances that it is impossible to find any other human product like them.
Yes- a mirror.One way mirror or double mirror? Are words rather meant to reveal, to communicate, or to hide- as you say- characters, feelings, emotions? Do we use them for the purpose they were meant?
I think studying the evolution of a language must be very interesting.
You know- talking about Turkish influences- there was a cultural movement about two centuries ago here, that wanted to eliminate all the words that did not have a Latin origin, denying other influences. It was quite funny, the substitutes they proposed, such as "to-the-wall-rubbing" for "match" (it was lit by rubbing it to a wall, by then).
One cannot deny history. And more influences means more richness.
I suppose I'm talking nonsense- what do I know of languages?
I have to say that this movement was not at all as absurd as it seems, it had to do with the awakening of the national spirit on a time when Hungarian, Turkish and Russians had the power over a large part of the country.
Language (as many other human activities, included learning), is worth in itself. Never mind about the end, just keep it as a personal donation to yourself. Getting the perfume you like, the shoes you were longing for, the book you'll enjoy is pampering yourselg.Why not knowledge?Very good if others want to take part of this, bad for them if they don't want to share the joy!
Do it for yourself!. We deserve it!
I think the same way- learning and traveling are the only two ways I'm pampering myself. If only I can go on!
My aunt says: the 3 things nobody can take away from you is what you have seen, what you have eaten and what you have loved.
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