Language

Thoughts and Sayings (November 2011)

I’ve been doing some tweeting on Twitter to figure out how to use the site. Until recently Twitter was a big mystery to me, but I’m slowly figuring out the tweeting “game.” As far as I can tell, Twitter is essentially a race to win as many followers as possible so that when you have something important to say, you can broadcast it and get the word out to hundreds or thousands of people. Unless you have something really profound to say, like eyewitness reports of major events, it can be hard work getting noticed amid all the tweets. After the umpteenth offer for a free credit report or miracle cure, tweeting starts to lose its luster.

To get the balling rolling on Twitter, I started posting random thoughts and sayings. To my knowledge, I came up with them. Many are puns or wordplays with some kernel of wisdom or wit. I’ll post new ones from time to time. For now, enjoy the first batch.

1. Why does the dentist, after poking and prodding your mouth with a sharp tool, scold you when they draw blood?

2. The most common type of ship is friendship, but an increasingly rare kind is a dictatorship.

3. I am somewhere between 1 and 99 percent, but I’m still figuring out how to Occupy my time.

4. If the chemistry and biology are good, sociology is sure to follow.

5. Your body is a temple, not a stadium.

6. Worrying will not add an hour to your life, but exercise can.

7. If some are followers and some are following, who is leading?

8. Editors should help writers find their voice rather than inserting theirs.

9. If a cat has nine lives, how many lives does a big cat have?

10. Don’t get even. Get even better.

11. It’s hard to fit in when everyone is so different.

12. “Fried!” I said to the chicken.

13. Reach for the sky, because if you shoot for the moon you might see stars.

Google in Guarani

Dear Reader, I’m still alive.  It’s not much, but I have to post at least something this month before it’s over.  As always, I will try to post more often.  OK, so here it is:
 
Google just launched its Guarani language web page.  It’s pretty cool and an easy way to pick up some Guarani, one of Paraguay’s two official languages.
I’ve learned some Guarani, but not enough to carry on a full conversation.  The most I can say is:
M’ba eixapa nde asaje
Xe xe Miguel
Iporante hande?
Aewa heke
Aewa pyge
Jajue chapevay
I just had a dialog with myself, saying hello, introducing myself and inviting myself in and to have a seat.  Absolutely practical stuff, eh?  ha ha  Actually, it brings laughs and giggles from the Paraguayans, who are always ecstatic when the foreigners attempt to speak any Guarani at all.
 
Note to Tortmaster:  How have you been?  Yes, it’s been that busy.  I like to joke that I work in the most stressed out place in Paraguay (except perhaps President Duarte’s residence).  Lately I haven’t had time for much of anything.  I spent 12 hours in the office on Sunday finishing up a report.  We literally downsized from a six-person to a three-person shop, and our workload has been going up.  The other day we were told that we do an amazing amount of work despite our small size.  That is true.  I can’t vouch for the quality, but we certainly crank it out in quantity.

It really works

I’m happy to report that I improved my French language score by almost one point to 1+ / 2.  I tested in French three years ago and earned a 1 / 1 for speaking and reading (on a scale of zero to five, five being native fluency).  Two weeks of brush-up did the trick.  That, coupled with my previous French study (over 15 years ago!) and my recent Spanish study, helped me improve my score significantly.  Knowing the testing methodology helped more than any other single testing factor.  I made many grammatical errors, but I was able to keep the conversation going well enough.  My reading also improved.  I learned many of the key words I needed in order to read intermediate-level texts.  Plus, my knowledge of Spanish helped me guess the meaning of some French vocabulary words.
 
Why did I do all this work studying French after I spent three months cramming Spanish into my brain?  Simply put, it opens up job opportunities in Francophone nations.  I now turn to German.  If I can improve my German score, I would qualify for assignments in Germany, Switzerland, or Austria.  Not a bad plethora of countries.  I will spend the next two weeks polishing my German using the same methodology and will test again at the end of June.  Wünsch mir Glück!