Re: Educating Language Gifted Students Questions

izzy wrote:
>> How do you handle [language] students who are 'bored?'
>
> You may try assigning special projects that are not mission-impossible
> but can be intellectually stimulating.
>
> 1 - There is a pervasive tendency for the *same* semantically
> unrelated concepts to be collected into homonyms across languages.
> For example, Hebrew tsadi-lamed-lamed TZ'LiL means both a tone you
> can hear and (to dive) deep. In English, the word "sound" has the
> same meanings. Hebrew MiSHPaT means a grammatical sentence and the
> verdict of a court. The English word "sentence" has the same
> meanings. Have the student find similar examples that occur in his
> native language and the language(s) he is studying.
>
> 2 - Have the student find foreign phrases that became idioms in
> English or in his native language. In English, there are two major
> classes of idioms:
>
> Type 1 - the transliteration of a foreign word/phrase into common
> words like cats, dogs, sacks, bags.

I'm not convinced you are employing "transliteration" correctly.

> Type 1a - the source phrase is "plain text", not figurative. Example:
> German Acht(ung) Grund => an axe to grind. Pay attention/beware +
> basis/reason/grounds. Beweggrund means motive. Said if someone has an
> ulterior motive.

I don't believe that.

> Type 1b - the source phrase is a metaphor. I think "kick the bucket"
> is the transliteration of Semitic 3aGaV B'3a:DeN (make love in
> Paradise), where 3 represents the letter aiyin with its ancient
> G/K-sound, as in 3aZa = Gaza.

That can't possibly be the origin of the expression.

> Type 2 - the translation of a foreign idiom where transliteration
> occurred into that foreign language.
>
> Type 2a - the foreign idiom is a transliteration of (pun on) a phrase
> in the *same* foreign language. Example: In biblical Job 19:20, B'3oR
> SHiNai (by the skin of my teeth) is a pun on the Hebrew B'QoSHi
> (barely, hardly, with difficulty).

Maybe, but the original context seems awfully literal - Jerome goes for "et
derelicta sunt tantummodo labia circa dentes meos."

> Type 2b - the foreign idiom is the transliteration of a phrase from
> another foreign language. Example: Count sheep (to go to sleep). Using
> @ for aleph, Hebrew S'PoR TSo@N (count sheep) is a pun on the Latin
> phrase sopor sond (sleep soundly / deeply). Note English soporific.

If you are saying what I think you are saying, that can't possibly be the
origin of the phrase.
--
John Briggs


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