Beliefs, Fears and Superstitions

Superstitions are irrational beliefs and a lot of them have Latin origins.  Tuesday, among the Romans , was considered a very unlucky day.  It was a Roman tradition to distinguish between "dies fasti" ( lucky days ) and "dies nefasti"(unlucky days).  The number 13 is considered an unlucky number in some countries as it reminds them of the Last Supper with 13 people around the table. Some claim that Judas Iscariot sat at the 13th place . In the Anglo-Saxon world Friday the 13th is the unluckiest day of the month. As a result many buildings don't have a 13th floor .  Apollo 13 was the only unsuccessful mission to the moon and the explosion occurred on April 13, 1970.  The tragedy of the Costa Concordia happened the night between the 13th and 14th of January 2012.  Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden on a Friday, Noah's flood  started on a Friday.  For Spain and Latin American countries Tuesday the 13th  is a day of mala suerte (bad luck). I should mention that Friday the 13th , has long been considered lucky in Judaism .  In the Italian culture the number 17, and not 13, is considered unlucky.  The number 17 is viewed as the  Roman numeral  XVII and then changed anagrammatically to VIXI , perfect tense of the Latin verb "vivere" (to live), which translates to "I have lived" implying "my life is over".  Furthermore, if Friday 17 comes in November, that is the unluckiest day of all, because November 2 is all souls day. When that happens, November is called  "the month of the deceased".  The Italians go to a great extent to avoid the number 17, in fact the Italian airline, Alitalia, does not have a seat 17. Renaud, the auto French Co., sold its "R17" model in Italy as "R177".  Gabriele D'Annunzio, famous Italian writer, would never date a letter day 13, he would instead use "12+1". In Italy and most European countries there is widespread conviction that seeing a black cat crossing a street brings bad luck.  In UK  black cats are a sign of good luck.  In North America, it's considered bad luck if a black cat crosses your path and good luck if the  cat is white. If you live in Germany you probably believe that if a black cat crosses your path from left to right is bad omen, but from right to left will bring favourable times. It's bad to walk under a ladder, but we knock on wood, cross our fingers and bless a person for sneezing, to ward off bad luck.  Italians touch iron, and not wood,  for protection, or they show the horned hand (corna) which consists in using the thumb to hold  down the middle and ring fingers, then extend the index finger and the pinkie. 

Great men and their Fears 

Caesar feared insects and spiders.  Caesar Augustus had an obsessive fear of darkness, in fact he always wanted a servant next to him every night, so he could light a candle in case he would wake up.  He also suffered from anxiety attack during storms.

 Alexander the Great was afraid of being alone in the house.  Napoleon feared cats.

Stalin feared of being killed in a "coup d'état".  Hitler was  claustrophobic. 

Churchill was afraid of dirt that's why he would spend lot time in the bathtub. 

Lincoln feared beautiful women.  Mussolini was afraid of bacteria and microbes, and  to avoid a handshake, which he considered  anti-hygienic, they say he instituted the Roman Salute (Saluto Romano), gesture in which the right arm is held out forward straight with palm down.  In 1942 President Roosevelt  instituted the hand over the heart  as the salute.  As for fear , in his first inaugural speech he said : "All we have to fear is fear itself."

 Pablo Picasso, whose paintings were a masterpiece, was terrified by the fear of becoming poor.  Alfred Hitchcock would get into a cold sweat at the very sight of an egg.  Michael Jackson was terrorized by the fear of germs.  Natalie Wood, who feared water, died by drowning.  Marilyn Monroe had a fear of public or open places.  Madonna is scared of something that she can neither see nor feel and that is thunder.

PS.  Since  I’ll be taking a summer hiatus, I like to wish you all a safe and happy summer.

Latin and the Romance languages

Latin and the Romance Languages

Those of you who have either read my Multilingual Anthology of  proverbs, sayings, clichés and idiomatic expressions, or read my articles on this blog, know that my research is geared toward the three most widely spoken Romance languages: Spanish, French and Italian respectively.

Spanish with 330 million native speakers and 417 million second language speakers, French with 70 million native speakers and 110 million second language speakers, Italian with 62 million native speakers and 60 million as a second language speakers. All the Romance languages developed from Latin in the 6^th to 9^th century. Latin was born in the 5^th century B.C. and was the tongue of farmers who lived at the mouth of the Tiber.

I should mention that the Romance languages, in order of speakers, is made up of Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, Romanian, Catalan and many others, and there are 800 million native speakers worldwide.

After the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the 5^th century Vulgar Latin evolved into individual Romance tongues. No wonder all these Romance languages have many similar features, both in grammar and vocabulary. The difference between them is mainly phonetical.

The first text in French appeared in the 9^th century, in Spanish and Italian in the 10^th century. In Italy many prominent writers and poets used vernacular of their own accord. One of the most famous is Dante Alighieri (1265-1321).

Latin and its Influence on the English Language.

We might not study Latin but we continue  to spice our English language,  like salt and pepper, with Latin words or phrases.  When Caesar landed in Britain there was no English.  Modern English has imported words from over 350 languages around the world.  No wonder David Crystal, famous linguist, defines English a vacuum-cleaner of a language.  A significant part of the English vocabulary, about 65%, comes from Latin.  Sometimes the Latin word is identical to English, at other times it has been adapted.

Here is a brief list of Latin  words that are now part of our everyday English vocabulary:

addenda, ad infinitum,  affidavit, agenda, alma mater, alter ego, auditorium, aurora borealis (australis), bonus, campus, fetus, habeas corpus, in absentia, in vitro, memorandum, millennium, nucleus, pandemonium, penis, per capita, persona non grata, podium, post partum, premium, quorum, referendum, senior, solarium, stadium, status quo, terminus, vertebra, viceversa, villa, virus, etc. etc.

Think of the abbreviations for Latin phrases that we often use: A.D. (anno domini), A.M. (ante meridiem), P.M. (post meridiem, C.V.(curriculum vitae), P.S. (post scriptum), i.e. (id est), e.g.(exempli gratia). What about B.A., M.A. Cum Laude, Magna cum laude and Summa cum laude ?

As you can see Latin has had a great influence on our medical, academic, legal and scientific terminology.

Let’s not forget that Latin quotes and phrases as “Amor caecus est”(Love is blind) that we use regularly today were coined by Roman writers such as

Virgil : “Amor vincit omnia”(Love conquers all),

            “Audentis fortuna iuvat”(Fortune favours the brave),

Cicero : “Dum vita est, spes est”(While there is life there is hope),

                “Non ut edam vivo sed ut vivam edo”(Eat to live not live to eat).

Juvenal : “Mens sana in corpore sano” (A sound mind in a sound body).

Horace :  “Carpe diem”(Seize the day).

Julius Caesar : “Veni, vidi, vici”(I came, I saw , I conquered).

                          “Alia iacta est”(The die is cast).

Ovid :  “Credula res amor est” (In love you believe anything).

Ovid , author of many books, wrote “Ars amandi”(The Art of Love)

            where he cites how to pick up women at the gladiators shows.

There is no doubt that contributions of the classical Latin to the world have been many. Here is a list of  Latin mottos of various states and universities  in USA and Canada.

USA : A pluribus unum.

Arizona: Ditat Deu

Colorado: Nil sine Lumine

District of Columbia: Iustitia omnibus.

Kansas: Ad astra per aspera.

Missouri: Salus popoli suprema lex esto.

New York: Excelsior.

Oklahoma: Labor omnia vincit.

South Carolina: Dum spiro, spero

Columbia University: In lumine tuo videbimus lumen.

Harvard University: Veritas.

Notre Dame University: Crux spes unica.

Princeton University: Dei sub numine viget.

Yale University: Lux et veritas.

Latin Mottos for Canada, some Provinces and Universities:

Canada: A mari usque ad mare.

Alberta: Fortis et liber.

Manitoba:Gloriosus et liber.

Ontario: Ut incepit fidelis sic permanet.

Concordia University : Concordia salus.

McGill University : Grandescunt aucta labore.

Université de Montréal : Fide splendet et scientia.

University of Toronto : Velut arbor aevo.

Amusing Idiomatic Phrases

There is no doubt that some entries are quite humorous, others represent everyday phrases. In North America we all say that the weather can be hot as hell some days and cold as hell another. A feeble-minded person often sticks his neck out or maybe shoots his mouth off. I should mention that English muffins were not invented in England nor French fries in France. It seems that  North Americans called these fried potato strips French fries because they were popularized by French immigrants. French toast was not invented in France because it was around before France became a country, in fact it dates back to 4^th century Imperial Rome where it was called pan dulcis. Before being called French toast the French called it pain à la Romaine. In France is presently know as pain perdu, in Quebec as pain doré. The name French toast first appeared in print in 1871. Let’s have some fun with these Spanish idiomatic phrases: Estar vivo y coleando (To be alive and wagging your tail) which corresponds to “To be alive and kicking”. Hay muchos modos de matar pulgas(There are many ways to kill fleas) which is equivalent to“There is more than one way to skin a cat”. What a splendid Spanish way to be daydreaming, i.e. Estar bailando en Belén (to be dancing in Bethlehem).Obviously one can also dream by being in the clouds or on the moon. This next one gives me a confortable feeling “ to be loaded with cash” but the Spanish one gives me a much warmer feeling “Tener más lana que un borrego”(to have more wool than a lamb). “To throw money down the drain” becomes “Tirar el dinero por la ventana”(  Throw money out of  the window).

All the idiomatic expressions mentioned so far are from the Spanish used in Spain, I like to introduce you to some Latin-American linguistic peculiarities. “To kick the bucket” in Nicaragua one peels the garlic,in El Salvador he ties up his bundle. In Venezuela you’re not “A fish out of the water”but a cockroach at a chicken dance.  The next set of idioms really intrigues me  as each country gives a different version. Our  North American expression “To play hooky or to cut the class”in Mexico becomes“Pintar venado (to paint venison), In Venezuela“Hacer la vaca “ (to make the cow), in Perú “Hacer vaquilla” (to make the calf),in Argentina & Uruguay “Hacerse la rata”, in Ecuador “Echarse la pera”in Chile “Hacer la chancha (choca)”in Colombia “Capar clase”, in Spain “Hacer novillos”. The following expressions, reported by Suzanne Brock, leave me perplexed and dumbfound : “To play dumb”in Spain “Hacerse el sueco”(to play the Swede), in Bolivia one plays the Italian, a Colombian plays the English man while a Mexican  plays the duck.  Indeed, an idiom is a linguistic expression in which the total is not equal to the sum of its parts.

Idiomatic Idiosyncrasies

I’m fascinated by the eccentricities of idiomatic expressions of the various languages that I write about. As peculiar as these expressions may seem many of our English idioms are equally strange. Who would ever think that dust can be bitten, words can be minced and that kicking the bucket is lethal. Secrets are analogous to cats in bags. Guns can be jumped. I must admit that at times I struggle with them, but once I master them they give me a great joy and satisfaction. Although their origins are not always clear many reflect their home nations by offering us a unique taste of their respective cultures. Moreover they are fun to use as they elicit a giggle or two, thus lightening the mood of a conversation. While foreign expressions can be startling let’s not forget how weird our idioms are.  

 In Spain  the phrase “Tener un cocodrilo en el bolsillo” i.e.to have a crocodile in the pocket refers to a stingy person. I suppose having a crocodile in the pocket wouldn’t allow you to put your hand there and look for your wallet. A dirty old man becomes “Un viejo verde”a green old man in Spanish. For English speakers “The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence”, while for the Spaniards “La gallina del vicino pone mas huevos que la mia”, i.e. the neighbour’s hen lays more eggs than mine.

 “To make a kill" corresponds to the Spanish “Hacer su agosto”literally  to make your August, because after the harvest farmers would sell their crops and rake in lot of money.

“Cuando las ranas críen pelos” i.e. when  the frogs  grow hair which is equivalent to “When hell freezes over.

English speakers wouldn't want to be in someone else's shoes while the Spaniards stick to skin by saying  "No quisiera estar en su pellejo", i.e.I wouldn't want to be in your skin.

We might sometimes scream when we "Hit the ceiling", while the Spaniards scream at the sky by saying "Poner el grito en el ciel". While we say : "It's neither fish nor fowl"the Spanish idiom talks about liquor made from fermented maize when they say : "No es ni chicha ni limonada"i.e.It's neither corn liquor nor lemonade). Take the English expression "There is room for one more"the  Spanish idiom is more precise and expressive "Donde comen seis, comen siete" (where six can eat, seven can eat).

:“To pull one’s leg” corresponds to “Tomar el pelo”(To take someone by the hair)

While foreign expressions can be startling let’s not forget how weird our idioms are.  

How did these phrases find their way into these languages? Why do we use such strange or poetic images to convey simple concepts ?

More Eccentric Italian Idioms

Idiomatic phrases celebrate the colourful imagery of a language thus becoming a language within a language. Foreign expressions can be quite revealing as they give us some insights into the life, customs and beliefs of the people using this language.

Here are some Italians expressions that describe a Turk sitting crossed-legged on the floor, with a drink in one hand, a cigarette in the other, and with swear or curse words coming from his mouth: “Sedere alla Turca”(to sit like a Turk) i.e. “To sit cross-legged”; “Bere come un Turco” (to drink like a Turk) “ i.e.”To drink like a fish”; “Fumare come un Turco”( to smoke like a Turk) i.e. “To smoke like a chimney”, “Bestemmiare come un  Turco” (to swear like a Turk) i.e, “To swear like a trooper.”

As mentioned  in a previous article the letter H, pronounced acca, is one of the 21 letters of the Italian alphabet. What I find strange about this letter is that the beginning h is never pronounced and that the number of Italian words starting with  h can be counted on one hand. H is mainly used together with c as in “che (what) pronounced as k, chiesa (church). No wonder the Italians say “Non vale un’acca”( it’s not worth an h)  meaning “It’s worthless (useless)!”

Here are a few popular Italian expressions involving the number 4: “Non dire quattro se non l’hai nel sacco”(don’t say four unless you have it in the bag) which is equivalent to our “Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched,” and while we say “I gave him a piece of my mind,” the Italians would say “Gliene ho dette quattro,”(I told him four); our English phrase “To raise hell or a stink”corresponds to  “Fare il diavolo a quattro”, and while we like “To have a chat” the Italians love to “Fare quattro chiacchiere” (to have four words).

“Campa cavallo che l’erba cresce!” (live horse, as the grass will grow), this expression has a touch of irony as things won’t always go well as expressed by the corresponding English phrase “That’ll be the day!”. When somebody fails to achieve something the Italians say “Fare un buco nell’acqua” (to make a whole in the water) that is “To draw a blank.” The expression “Buona notte ai suonatori” (good night to the players)or “La festa è finita” (the party is over) are  similar to “That’s that.”

l’oca (goose) is not considered too intelligent, hence “Non fare l’oca” means “Don’t be silly”and “Oca giuliva” i.e. “Silly goose”, nowadays is actually used to mean “Dumb blonde.” “ Non fare il coniglio” (don’t behave like a rabbit, that is don’t be timid or scared) is equivalent to our “Don’t chicken out.”  /”L’ultimo ad arrivare fu Gambacorta”(the last to arrive was Shortleg) gives a better explanation of the delay than the English “Johnny come lately.”

Auguri! (Best wishes)

Nobody loves pasta like the Italians and this is also reflected in some expressions such as: "Avere le mani in pasta", (literally to have hands in the dough,) which is equivalent to "Something is in the wind." Another popular expression is: "Sono tutti della stessa pasta", (they're all of the same dough) meaning "They are all the same." I should add that the  Italians  have hundreds of names for pasta, such as: spaghetti, spaghettini, farfalle (butterflies ) but they look more like bow-ties, linguine,(little tongues), orecchiette (little ears) etc. I should add that some of the names don't sound too appetizing to foreigners, such as :capelli d"angelo (angel hair),capellini (little hairs), vermicelli (little worms), strozzapreti (priest-stranglers). Italians are also proud of their bread and use it as a standard of excellence when they say : "Buono come il pane", that is "To have a heart of gold."  If you say to an Italian that you have   20/20 vision he would stare at you as they use 10/10 vision (dieci decimi di vista.)

There is no lack of eccentricities in the Italian language, take the expression "Buona notte al secchio,"(Good night to the bucket) which corresponds to our North American phrase "We're screwed." For "gigolo" they use "cicisbeo", I love the sound of this last word (cheecheesbeo.)      If an Italian tells you "Sei una frana" (you are a landslide)he is actually saying that "You are hopeless." Here are a few short expressions that might have heard  or read: "Cocco di mamma,"(mummy's egg) for "Mummy's darling."For our "Goodness gracious!"they will say either "Mamma mia!" or "Madonna!"For the English word "Nipples"the Italians use a cozier word "Capezzolo." The Italian exclamation"Cavolo!"(cabbage) in my humble opinion is a better word than "Wow! and if you put che in front of it you get "Che cavolo?thus becoming more forceful and not as vulgar as the English "What the fuck?"

"How many of you know that "Bimbo"in Italian refers to a little boy "Bambino," while in English refers to an attractive and beautiful girl with a low IQ?      

  Smile until next time.

Humour of Italian Idioms

There is no doubt that the proper use of idioms will render a conversation more colourful and interesting. As the saying goes : “A picture is worth a thousand words”. The picture above represents the sign of the horns (corna), a gesture quite popular among Italians. If you would like to try it you need to extend  the index and the little finger (also called pinky in American English) while keeping the middle and ring fingers, together with your thumb, down into your palm.  Here are the different meanings of “fare le corna” (to make horns):

1.      Superstition, when facing an unfortunate event a nd you like to avoid this fate you would make the sign of the horns, hoping to ward off bad luck.

2.      Infidelity, when the horns are pointed at a person who is being cheated by his wife., thus making him a”Cornuto” (Cuckold in English).

Let’s continue with these metaphorical phrases which add a seasoning of humour to a discourse:”Fortunato come un cane in chiesa”(lucky as a dog in church) which means exactly the opposite (unlucky) because dogs are not allowed in church. The corresponding English expression would be “As poor as a church-mouse”, as there is hardly any food in church.

Italians, with their gestures, jokes and with an alphabet of 21 letters “have created a language that caresses and whines and bellows like no other”, as described by Suzanne Brock. If Italians leave you with the impression that they talk too fast I believe it’s due to the overabundance of vowels which are usually stressed. In fact the Italian language is called “lingua vocalic”(language of vowels). Although some words have more than one meaning it’s really astonishing to find out that the word nipote has six  different meanings:

grandson,   granddaughter, brother’s son,  sister’s son,  brother’s daughter, sister’s daughter. Is that  an easy way to sort them all out?
There is no lack of eccentricities in the Italian language.

To say “It’s out of this world!”the Italians would say “È la fine del mondo!”(It’s the end of the world). An Italian “Big Shot”is called “Un pezzo grosso”(a big piece). For us it’s good enough to say”Put yourself in someone else’s shoes,” while the Italians go a little deeper by saying “Mettersi nei panni degli altri”(to put yourself in someone’s clothes). Italians call each other “Testa di rapa,” (turnip head) when they use a polite phrase. To make a compliment to a short person they would say “La botte piccola fa buon vino,”(the small barrel makes good wine). If in a conversation you were to say something very obvious you will be told that “Hai scoperto l’America”, (you've discovered America) which is not too courteous. Italians call each other “Testa di rapa” (turnip head) for (blockhead). We say “Deep down”, an Italian would say “Sotto sotto”, (under under). “Essere come pane e formaggio” (to be like bread and cheese) is not an invitation to lunch as this is used for “To be  hand in glove.”

World of Italian Idioms

 Let me enter the world of Italian idioms often accompanied by a complex choreography of gestures such as hand and mouth movements, shrugging of  shoulders, pushes and shoves on your arm while they are talking to you, supposedly  designed to get your attention. The Italian eloquence and exuberance overwhelms me. Italian is a rich and colourful language, but the fact remains that Italians do as much speaking with their hands as they do with their mouths and they often tend to look to the funny side of things.

I don't know why to wish "Good luck" before an event or an exam they say "In bocca al lupo" (into the wolf's mouth), on the other hand we do say "Break a leg". I should mention that  "Crepi il lupo", (May the wolf die) is the usual response given. A ruder version used nowadays is "In culo alla balena"(in the whale's ass) to which they answer "Speriamo che non cachi"(let's hope that it doesn't defecate).

 "Dio li fa, poi li accoppia" (God makes them, then he mates them) said of any couple destined to be together by reason of sheer eccentricities."Sposa bagnata, sposa fortunata" (wet bride, lucky bride), but how would you console a bride when it rains on her wedding day ! No wonder in English we say "Happy the bride the sun shines on.  "Ogni morte di papa" (every death of a pope) is used to indicate rare events, much like the English "Once in a blue moon". The Italians have also another saying related to the deaths of popes "Morto un papa, se ne fa un altro" (one pope dies, they make another, "Life goes on".  Our "Venetian blinds" are called "Persiane" (Persian blinds). Our "Angel cake" in Italy is called "Pan di Spagna" (Spanish bread). While in Nord America we say that "There is honour among thieves", in Italy "Cane non mangia cane" (a dog doesn't eat a dog).                                                                                                                                                                                

Talk of Angels

Sorry for posting so late as I just got back from a European vacation. Here are more curious French phrases which might not sound as playful as one might imagine as in "Houp-là !"or "Oh là là !" which are supposed to compare to our "Whoops-a-daisy." However the French are more skilful in pulling petals off a daisy, as their version of "He loves me, he loves me not"is really filled with high drama "Il maime, un peu, beaucoup, passionnément, à la folie, pas du tout." The French people like angels but some of their phrases don't seem to give a pious impression as "Parler aux anges!"means to "Talk to your-self." "Etre aux anges!"(to be with the angels) is "To be in the seventh heaven" or "To be walking on air!"as you are so ecstatic that you feel as if you could float. There is also a heavenly way to refer to the sexual climax,"Voir les anges!"(to see angels). The French inform us that goats cannot be left in a cabbage patch when they say "Ménager la chèvre et le chou." (to save the goat and the cabbage) that corresponds to the English "To run with the hare and hunt with the hounds". While our English idiom "To pull the rug from under someone"is full of surprise the French expression "Couper l'herbe sous les pieds" (to cut the grass under your feet) lacks wit.

Linguistic Eccentricities

It's well known that the French are proud of their language

and seem to resent when foreigners speak it with an atrocious accent. Think of the French expression "To speak French like a Spanish cow", I suspect that the idea is to insult the Spaniard. I love the sounds of French words even

when their meaning isn't. They call the garbage poubelle

and the skunk mouffette. Some of their sayings are very colourful. The French idiom for "Let's get back to the point (subject) is "Revenons à nos moutons" (let's get back to our sheep), or a more colourful phrase "Accordesz vos violons" for " Get your act toghether."

The French seem to rhyme their sayings more than we do.

Think of À bon chat, bon rat (tit for tat), or Mieux vaut sagesse que richesse (wisdom is worth more than wealth) or Vouloir c'est pouvoir (to wish is to be able) "where there is a will there is a way."

I still can't get over this beautiful phrase Entre chien et loup (between dog and wolf) for the English "Twilight" or "at dusk". This indicates the time of the day when one can't distinguish  between a dog and a wolf.

When a French man feels he's been made "the goat" or "the laughing stock" he says"Etre le dindon de la farce"

( to be the turkey of the farce).  If a French person tells you that you have "un cœur d'artichaut"

 ( an artichoke heart) it means that you fall in love with every pretty face that passes  by, you lover boy!

 Perhaps this explains Mona Lise's  bemused smile. As if  she knew what was coming.