FOREIGN FAVOURITES #LinguisticMusings

8 Comments#LinguisticMusings, Language

Foreign favourites

A few years ago, my online friend, Tamara Gerber-Stutz, of Part-time Working Hockey Mom, hosted a blogfest called “TOP TEN THURSDAY,” where she chose different subjects every week. Here is my response to :

Top Ten Words or Phrases You Know in Foreign Languages
(and how/why you know them)

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(Actually, some of my top ten aren’t suitable for general audiences. This is the PG version. ;))

I was born in Germany to a German mother and a Canadian father of German descent, which gave me the benefit of dual citizenship and bilingual proficiency in both English and German.

German Canadian heart

French was taught in school, and I absorbed some Italian from my husband, who hails from the Bari region of Italy. Along the way, I met a few Spanish-speaking people and learned some words and phrases from them.

Bari, Italy map

Greek is a language I tried to study in preparation for our 2013 trip there, but it was too difficult for this old brain.

I'm lost

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 1. Good day, friends in 5 foreign languages.

For the 2015 April A to Z Challenge, my entire theme was built around language.
I made this little recording:


French/Français:
Bonjour mes amis    German/Deutsch: Guten Tag Freunde    
Italian/Italiano: Buon giorno amici   Spanish/Español: Buenos Dias amigos
Greek/Elliniká [ελληνικά]: Kali̱méra fíloi [Καλημέρα φίλοι]

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2. Schatz
The German word for treasure and the nickname I gave my husband years ago.
(He does answer to it!)
Variations: Schatzi, Schätzchen (diminutive)

Schatz (nickname meaning treasure)

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3. Mannagia la miseria!
Damn it/Good grief/For crying out loud, etc. in Italian. One guess where I heard that!

Bitmoji Image
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4. Sciamaninn
Translation: Let’s go. Any guesses what language this might be?
It’s my husband’s crazy Barese (Pugliese) dialect. In Italian, you would say Andiamo.

Check out this tongue twister: 😀
Ce n’ge na ma sci, sciamaninn. Ce non ge na ma sci, non ge ne sim scenn.
(If we are going to go, let’s go. If we are not going to go, then let’s not go.)

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 5. Scheiße! 
German for shit, one of my favourite and most frequently used words in any language.
The ß symbol signifies a double S. Variation: Verdammte Scheiße nochmal! (Damn shit again!)

sCHEIßE!

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6. Tabarnak!
An all-purpose expletive in Québécois. (French-Canadian dialect.)
Literal translation is tabernacle, but that’s not how it’s used.
See # 3 and # 5, above.

tABARNAK!

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7. Te Quiero
I love you in Spanish. It’s more casual than Te Amo.
First heard in 1968, on this Spanish record owned by one of my boarding school housemates.
It’s a cover of an English song.

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8. καλημέρα (Kalimera)
Good morning/day in Greek. This, and a few other words stuck with me.
The Greek alphabet is a whole other challenge!

greek alphabet

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9: Sláinte!
Cheers! in Irish/Scottish Gaelic. Literally, it means health and is used as a drinking toast.
I learned this from internet friends who live in Northern Ireland.

Slainte! Ireland Scotland

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10. Grüezi!
Hello! (or Greetings!) in Swiss-German,
which is not the same as standard German (my version of the language).

I picked up a few words while attending boarding school there, but found it difficult.
Variation: Grüezi mittenand (when addressing a group)

Map of Switzerland
Map Data ©2020 Google

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What foreign words and phrases do you know?

Looking forward to your comments!

Debbie signature style 5

Summer Re-Run Series
First published on June 1, 2017.
Updated July 27, 2020

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8 thoughts on “FOREIGN FAVOURITES #LinguisticMusings

  1. Any foreign words I’ve learned either come from working with Mexicans (about 50% good stuff), bits and pieces from comics, history, and science, and the odd phrase from Canadians like yourself and Australians.

  2. Hi Debbie – fun to hear and see … your voice is very clear and concise … also a good mix. You’ve certainly access to many languages and dialects … take care – and not being a linguist please count me out! All the best – Hilary

  3. Someone should make a poem, using all these unique words. I could not do it. The only language shifting I can command is Google Translate.

  4. I can read, speak and understand some Spanish. When I lived in Mexico as a teenager I was near fluent, but 52 years later with little practice, it’s hit or miss. Good post.

  5. I rarely use any other language aside from English, but my wife seems to think I speak and understand Spanish fairly well. I let her do the speaking in Spanish and I listen–sometimes I can understand, but sometimes not.

    Arlee Bird
    Tossing It Out

  6. I know a few words here and there, but I’ve got an old brain too and we don’t travel anymore. Makes you even rustier. Oh well.

    Have a fabulous day and week, Debbie. Big hug. ♥

  7. Good for you for being multilingual, Debbie. Back in the day, I knew some Spanish but I’ve forgotten most of it, however, it does come back when I read it. I recognize 2 of your words – Te Quiero and Sláinte!. There is an Irish pub in Blue Ridge, Ga, owned by a retired Irish Priest and I’ve heard many Irish words from him. Otherwise, I can’t add any foreign words or phrases to your collection. Have a great week ahead!