Nothing Greek and Latin here

English language comprises many words of French origin, such as art, competition, force, machine, money, police, publicity, role, routine, table, and many other anglicized French words. These are pronounced according to English rules of phonology, rather than French. Around 45% of English vocabulary is of French origin, most coming from the Anglo-Norman spoken by the upper classes in England for several hundred years after the Norman Conquest, before the language settled into what became Modern English.

Sometimes a common foreign phrase works so much better than an English equivalent would that it just becomes part of our language in its original form. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character in Terminator 2: Judgment Day spoke the words, “Hasta la Vista, baby,” The character popularized a Spanish expression that already made its way into everyday vernacular. Sometimes, that’s all it takes to make a foreign word or phrase part of everyday English. T

he expression “Hasta la Vista” in Spanish is an informal way of saying “see you later,” but in terms of a literal translation, the closest we can get is, “until we see each other (again)”. “Mazel Tov” is a Yiddish (German) phrase which literally means “good luck”, but it is used to congratulate someone rather than to wish them on a good outcome that hasn’t yet happened.

The French expression “joie de vivre” means “not only the enjoyment of life but an enthusiastic, exuberant joy of living”. It’s the kind of thing all of us would like to have every day of our lives, but seemingly few of us manage to pull it off, which is why those who seem to do it well are given such a fancy descriptor. “Mi casa, su casa” is Spanish. This is an expression of hospitality: literally, it means, “My home is your home.”

The Latin expression “Persona non grata” is the title you want to make sure you never earn: it means an unwelcome, unacceptable or undesirable person. “Que sera, sera” is a Spanish/Italian/French expression. Literally, It means, “what will be will be,” a suggestion that we must deal with what fate throws our way and we can’t know what the future holds.

The Latin “quid pro quo” means a favour or request that’s granted with the understanding that something in return is expected. This way, the more extensively we read, the better we learn about foreign phrases.

Small Talk:Giving Your Opinion

Jyothi : Where should we take a vacation this year? Let’s decide soon.

Manasa : Well, I’d like to go somewhere warm. How about the beach? Or we could rent a cabin on the lake.

Jyothi : You want to go to the beach, again? I want to swim this summer. How about a compromise? What about travelling to Ooty next April? We can find a resort on a lake.

Manasa : Oh, we’ve never been to Ooty before! But I don’t know if it will be sunny and warm then. I need to do some research first. That will help me make up my mind.

Notes:

• Decide is a useful verb to express choice. The idiom “to make up my mind” also means “to decide”: “There are so many choices in this menu. It’s going to take awhile to make up my mind/decide.” You can finish this sentence with either the idiom or the verb “decide.”
• How about? This phrase presents an alternative. This phrase can be followed by a subject plus a conjugated verb or by a noun: How about we go swimming? / How about a movie tonight?
• Many verbs express opinions: to think / to believe / to suppose / to assume, etc. They are not all synonymous. For example, “to suppose” and “to assume” express that the speaker has a preconceived idea: He came back late from work, so I assumed that traffic was bad. / I suppose that may not have been the case, and that he might just have had a lot of work.

Know Your Vocabulary:

Choose the closest meaning and tick it.

1. obvious

a. filled up b. easily seen c. unusually difficult

2. salvage

a. save from loss b. paint like new c. investigate thoroughly

3. voluntarily

a. at the present time b. willingly c. helpfully

4. reserve

a. earn b. devote c. keep back

5. forfeit

a. nag at constantly b. lose as a penalty c. bring to a sudden halt

6. autopsy

a. perfumed pad b. difficult problem c. postmortem

7. technician

a. small detail b. skilled person c. assistant

8. suspense

a. uncertainty b. difficulty c. support

9. transformation

a. long time b.source of power c.complete change

10. percentage

a.part of a whole b.delicious food c.brilliant sunlight

Key:

1-b; 2-a; 3-b; 4-c; 5-b; 6-c; 7-b; 8-a; 9-c; 10-a

Whys & Wherefores:

Sir, please explain the idiom “Giving someone the cold shoulder” -P.Diwakar Rao, Madhapur, Hyderabad

Dear Mr.Diwakar, to “give someone the cold shoulder” means “to ignore or reject someone”. "Cold shoulder" is a phrase used to express dismissal or the act of disregarding someone. Its origin is attributed to both 19th-century literary works and as a result of folk etymology. The idiom means a display of coldness or indifference, intended to wound.

The root of this expression comes from this. Visitors to a house who were welcome were given hot meals but those who weren't were offered only a 'cold shoulder of mutton'. This is repeated in several etymological texts, including Hendrickson's usually reliable 'Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins'.

There is no evidence to support this view though and it appears to be an example of folk etymology. The first reference to the phrase in print is in Sir Walter Scott's 'The Antiquary', (1816). The sentence “The office staff gave the man the cold shoulder when he did not go to the farewell party” refers to the fact that the office staff ignored him because he absented himself from attending the farewell party. If someone is ignoring an innocent and good woman, we can say “Don't give her a cold shoulder. She is very good.”

By:Dr Vangeepuram Sreenathachary