Dawn

Dawn

Wednesday, November 10, 2004

If you’ve read any Shakespeare, you might recall that ‘an uncle’ used to be ‘a nuncle’. But did you know that ‘an orange’ used to be ‘a norange’? This process is called metathesis, it says here. The original Arabic word also gave us ‘naranja’ in Spanish. Not just a pretty face, this blog.

The Royal Academy of the Spanish Language has been criticised for being andocentric and macho. This seems fair on the basis of examples such as this one: ‘Orphan’ – Someone who has lost both or one of their parents, especially the father.

I don’t usually cite strange film title translations any more but this one caught my fancy tonight:- County Dance ………. Not All Love is Beautiful
Beats me.

There was a report in yesterday’s papers about a couple arrested for leaving two kids in their car when they went off to a bar. This sort of things happens in other countries as well, of course. But I did like the very Spanish aspect of this particular incidence; the parents left the car parked on a zebra crossing. Talk about cocking a snook. Or snoot, as it’s apparently become in the USA. No wonder Word’s spellcheck doesn’t recognise it.

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