(no subject)

Russian! Talking about nationalities, today. I need a flag icon.

To say someone is ethnically Russian, use the following adjective forms:

Он русский, она русская, они русские

To indicate other nationalities, use nouns. (As a side note, that’s the first time I’ve seen that form of … ethnocentricity? Distinction in a language between ‘us’ and ‘them’ as word form.)

American: Он американец, она американка, они американцы
Spanish: Он испанец, он испанка, они испанцы
Italian: Он итальянец, она итальянка, они итальянцы
Canadian: Он канадец, она канадка, они канадцы
Mexican: Он мексиканец, она мексиканка, они мексиканцы
German: Он немец, она немка, они немцы
Japanese: Он японец, она японка, они японцы

There are some exceptions for these forms, either for the masculine and plural forms:

English: Он англичанин, она англичанка, они англичане
Russian (citizen): Он россиянин, она россиянка, они россияне

Or for the feminine form:

Chinese: Он китаец, она китаянка, они китайцы

Some nationalities do not take the –ец suffix. Note the exceptional form француженка.

Он араб, она арабка, они арабы
Он француз, она француженка, они французы

Use an adjective only if the nationality term modifies another noun.

Американский студент
Русский язык
Немецкая литература

Do not capitalize nouns and adjectives referring to nationalities unless they start a new sentence. Only geographical names, like the names of countries and cities, are capitalized.

Грета немка. Она живёт в Германии.

(no subject)

viridian has a good idea and a good point. There's been a lot of negativity over the last few days/week, partly due to circumstances beyond anyone's control and things just sucking, partly due to people reacting negatively to circumstances beyond their control or even within their control. A general vortex of neg. We do not like the neg.

So. It's a meme! It's a meditation! It's a memetic meditation! It's a memedi... okay, no. It's not. It's a Jag in need of a Hannibal King "I ate a lot of sugar today" icon is what it is. For the next eight days, a meditation on something happy, something that makes me happy, something I enjoy. For instance, I like horses. But do horses make you happy? I don't know, why wouldn't horses make you happy? See? Too much sugar.

Ahem. Today's meditation, since I already got off on this tangent: Words. Language.

Language makes me happy. Language in general is something that's fascinated me for a long time, at least ever since I started taking a third language. Or... well, see, there you go. I can't really say taking a second language because I never took Spanish as a class, as an adjunct to my basic language skills. I grew up speaking it almost as much as I spoke English, and studying Spanish grammar in elementary school the way most kids in the US and England study English grammar, this is the way we talk like grown-ups. Half my classes were in Spanish, not just the language ones but science and maths and things. Possibly I need to resort to Russian in this because they have more than one phrasology/word/type for 'study.'

Anyway. Ever since I took Latin in Middle school (secondary school?) I've been fascinated with the way languages work. The way some things are similar but others not at all, where words come from. The fact that some cultures have some words for some concepts that other cultures don't have. I was doing my Russian today (as you no doubt have noticed) and the structure of the descriptor term 'Russian' is different in Russian than every other cultural/country descriptor. Which fascinates me. It makes sense, anthropologically, distinguishing between 'us' and 'them.' In Japanese there are character forms (as far as I've studied anyway) for Japan, China, and possibly a couple other Asian countries, but beyond a certain point country names are simply spelled with letters and not groupings of characters.

And this fascinates me. I seriously could spend all day rambling on this, I love it to bits. I love the way ideas come together to make words and when we don't have a word for a particular idea, we make one. In any language. I love teasing out the little problems when one person associates one word or set of words for one idea and another person associates that word or set of words with another idea. It's endless fun as long as you don't get frustrated or upset. I love comparing and describing ideas of different words, exploding a concept behind a word into a whole paragraph or essay of words and condensing it back down into another word or small set of words. It's great fun. I love it to bits. It makes me very happy. And it's why I will probably be studying one kind of language or another, probably two at a time, very possibly for the rest of my life.

Whee words! Now say it in French, Jag!

(no subject)

... Someone tell me I can not go to Faerie Con as GIR!Faerie. Please.

WO IST DAS VERB.

Position of the finite verb in statements. Also known as WO IST DAS VERB? (active_apathy, that is amusing me way too much.)

The finite verb is always second. When an element other than the subject is in first position, the subject follows the verb.

You and Sonja Sheppard are discussing the weather, hoping it will be nice for an outdoor activity. Agree with her him by restating her his comment, beginning with the word in parentheses.
1. Es bleibt hoffentlich warm. (hoffentlich). Ja. Hoffentlich bleibt es warm.
2. Das Wetter war gestern schelcht, nicht? (gestern) Ja. Gestern war das Wetter schlecht.
3. Das Wetter war aber am Mittwoch gut, nicht? (am Mittwoch) Ja. Am Mittwoch war das Wetter gut.
4. Das Wetter bleibt jetzt bestimmt gut, nicht? (jetzt) Ja. Jetzt bleibt das Wetter bestimmt gut.
5. Die Sonne scheint hoffentlich. (hoffentlich) Ja. Hoffentlich scheint die Sonne.

You and Sabrina Sheppard have been talking to your friends to find out when they are free for a get-together. By consulting your list, arrange the schedule.

Morgen Abend spielt Ronon Basketball.
Am Montag spielen Michael und Heightmeyer Tennis.
Heute geht Anna ins Kino.
Am Sonntag hat Carter Geburstag.
Heute Abend spielen Daniel und Jack Volleyball.
Morgen arbeite ich nicht. (? That looks really... weird.)