(no subject)

[kittydesade]

Programme signpost. The continuity announcer is looking ahead to the main programmes of the afternoon and evening. It is not necessary to understand everything, just mark the missing programme times on the screen opposite.

Dia dhíbh. Fáilte romhaibh isteach tráthnóna. Seo príomhchláracha an lae. Beidh clár againn do pháistí ar a ceathrú tar éis a trí - Séimí agus Páidí. Beidh Nuacht againn díbh ar a ceathrú chun a sé, agus an Aimsir ar a ceathrútar éis a sé. Beidh clár polaitíochta 'Cúrsaí' ar siúl ar a cúig tar éis a seacht. Craolfar Dráma na Seachtaine ar a fiche tar éis a hocht.

Vocab: Fáilte romhaibh tráthnóna. (You are) welcome this afternoon.
príomhchláracha an lae. The main programmes of the day
Beidh clár againn. We'll have a programme.
paíste - child
Beidh Nuacht againn dibh. We'll have the News for you.
ar slúl - on
Craolfar - will be broadcast

Can you work out which programme is:
for children? The one marked 'do pháistí'
about current affairs? Nuacht, one would assume.
a play? The one marked Dráma.

If it's slow at work maybe I can translate this.

... OH. Beidh againn, Will be at us, literally. COMPREHENSION.


And the first two sentences of that instructions paragraph are exactly why you get two countries separated by a common language. If I didn't have a visual of the television I'd be at least a little confused what the hell was going on.

And, okay, if I wasn't used to multiple languages.

And that said, I'm kind of ridiculously pleased with myself for working out literal translations as well as semantic ones.

It's funny. Learning Irish, I keep kind of wanting to justify it because when I rattle off my languages it . But the more I learn of it and the closer I get to actually being able to have a conversation in Irish, the more I go "... no, you know what? Fuck that. It's a language. It's a human language, it's a thing that people do, and languages are my fun." No, I think it's the choice of language, sometimes, too. Because there's a whole attitude at least in the States if not elsewhere, of "Celtic Stuff Is Cool" that, at best, just seems rather silly and at worst is appropriation. My motives for picking Irish as a thing to learn aren't that pure.

And on the other hand, if I had time, I would be learning so many damn languages you guys, I can't even begin to tell you. Hebrew, Sanskrit, Portuguese, Swahili, Afrikaans, Romanian, Bulgarian, Latin again, Ancient Greek. Modern Greek. Cherokee, Sioux, um. Tagalog? Yoruba. Mandarin, Cantonese. Just off the top of my head. Right now I'll settle for being able to live-translate Spanish, French, Russian, and German.

And then I was completely distracted by a Carmina Burana flash mob (classical flash mobs are the best flash mobs) and the fact that we are still getting data from the goddamn Voyager 1. Also known as Veejur for you Star Trek geeks. And apparently it is about to escape the goddamn solar system. I love science.

Comments

[viridian]

I don't think it's necessary to justify wanting to learn a language purely because you like the sound of it or want to figure out how its grammar works - languages are functional things and aesthetic things, you can like them for whatever reason you want. I can't imagine a context in which learning counts as appropriation. Especially when you've learned so many languages already that it's obvious that you just like them.

If I had an easier time with languages (I'm... okay at them, but it takes a lot of work and I don't retain them well without use) I'd learn more - was thinking about Italian this semester but my schedule is shaping up to be really, really full even with just work and lessons and theatre.

[kittydesade]

That is actually really good to hear. It always makes me feel squirmy when I say I'm learning something because it's cool, which is funny because I did get raised in one of those 'you will learn ALL THE THINGS' families where education was highly valued. But. It's good to hear. It's good to know my language-geekery comes through loud and clear. :D

Ye-ah, you've got a pretty full plate there. Maybe in another year or so? I might even join you by then if no one sits on my head.

[viridian]

I also need to take my own advice - my current thing is not wanting to study specific things because [specific person that I find awesome] is into them. I so do not ever want to be a copy of someone else -- but usually the people I find most awesome are pretty similar to me, just, you know, Doing It Right or whatever. So. Inherent difficulty. Mostly I just keep my studies low-key and occasionally ask said person for advice about topic of choice. But yes, "because it's cool" is a valid reason for most things in life that don't hurt anyone!

Yeah, looking at my schedule it's not even that bad, course-wise! I'm just going to have three jobs. Maybe only two if I get enough students to tutor that I can drop the library job? But still. No time for homework-intensive stuff right now. You should totally join me. I am a filthy enabler.