Comments on: Saving the Words

By: Kola

Kola — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 19:02:44 +0000

Thank you Chuma for the comments. Yes, I was at the Conference. I’m still a member of the language academy and remain fascinated by the ideas members keep coming out with. Make we dey talk pidgin dey go.

By: Kola

Kola — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 19:00:44 +0000

Thank you Tayo. Sorry it took me long to reply. I’m glad you like it. Thanks for sharing it on Facebook as well. As for “yinmu”, ah I’d leave that to you to figure out . Hope you’re good.

By: Chuma Nwokolo

Chuma Nwokolo — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 12:33:11 +0000

Yes, our Pidgin English should have a Christening Ceremony, get her own name and throw her freedom party. It should find more freedom and confidence to grow and ‘formbulate’ new words.

Didn’t realise you were in on that conference back in the day. Folks fear that giving Pingin a bench to sit on will tarnish the learning of English. Maybe. But the benefits, I think, outweigh the disadvantages

By: Temitayo

Temitayo — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 16:21:47 +0000

What’s the English word for ‘yinmu’?

Yeah, as much as I feel language is a living body that keeps changing, guess it’s also important that there should be someplace to keep/preserve words. Quick question, like fashion, do old words come back in vogue?

I like this post…like the ‘Name Post’

By: Kola

Kola — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 15:13:36 +0000

Do they exist in Yoruba? No they don’t, same as “information, survival, exception, style” among many others. (I used to have a long list on my computer. I lost them when I lost my hard drive last year) Do you have equivalents for these in Russian, Spanish and Ukrainian?

By: Clarissa

Clarissa — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 15:07:59 +0000

Great post!

So how about a list of words in English that are not translatable to other languages? There are so many! “Privacy, intimacy, and commitment” are the ones that don’t have an authentic translation into any of the languages I know. Nowadays, there is sometimes a tortured anglicized version but by themselves these words don’t exist in Russian, Ukrainain, and Spanish in the sense they do in English. Do they exist in Yoruba?

By: Kola

Kola — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 13:31:37 +0000

Hey Heather. Thanks for stopping by. You have a fascinating blog and I’ve added it to my reading list.

By: Heather

Heather — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 13:02:27 +0000

So glad you enjoyed our latest “words” articles on Matador Abroad! Sounds like you have a fascinating job – I have so much respect for translators; it must be so difficult to be constrained to word-to-word translation.

Hadn’t yet heard of “sexular,” but I presume it will make its way to Massachusetts soon. : )