|
|
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 320
enthusiast
|
OP
enthusiast
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 320 |
I'm not sure this qualifies as a word, but I can recall hearing people express mild disapproval by saying "tisk-tisk," (rhyming with "disk." ) I've always thought of it as being the clicking sound made by placing the tip of the tongue behind the upper front teeth. I wonder if this sound, with its implied meaning, is unique to English.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 1,289
veteran
|
|
veteran
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 1,289 |
An excellent question, my Carrolian friend. A most hearty welcome for anyone with a handle of such distinguished lineage.
I'm sure I have heard Italians making the sound you refer to, but have no idea how they write it. Emanuela, you there?
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 144
member
|
|
member
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 144 |
I've always associated that sound with wagging fingers, although I've never heard it pronounced as clearly as 'tisk'. For me it's more of a 'clicking the tongue while dragging air through your teeth' kind of noise.
Also, these days (for me anyway) it has a slightly mocking, sarcastic tone to it. As in - someone's doing something mildly out of order, you both know it and you're pretending to give them a ticking off, but neither of you really care. It's not something I would ever do seriously.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 393
enthusiast
|
|
enthusiast
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 393 |
I've said 'tisk' on occasions, in a kind of mock-fastidious way.
Some spellings acquire a life of their own. Unspellable noises get rendered by some hopelessly imperfect jumble of letters - tsk or tisk, miaow or meow, phew or whew, ugh, blech -; and later we're so used to the spelling convention that it becomes a word in its own right, and we pronounce it by its letters, not by the sound it originally represented.
Personally I've always thought ntk would be a better rendering.
In Zulu and Xhosa it's the sound of the letter c.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,156
old hand
|
|
old hand
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,156 |
When I lived in Sardinia, that sound was commonly taken to mean "no". I don't know if that's a widespread Italian usage, or just confined to the island. I've finally gotten my husband to understand what I mean when I use it. Otherwise I tend to say "tsk - no" just to be clear.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 2,605
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 2,605 |
I've said 'tisk' on occasions, in a kind of mock-fastidious way.You are walking into a prior dispute as to whether the pronunciation is "tisk" or "ts-k", nick.  [mock baleful glare at jackie -e] 
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 2,605
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 2,605 |
To slithy toves --
Hail to thee, blithe Spirit! Welcome aboard, tovarich! Mazel tov!
[using up 20% of his Russian knowledge -e]
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,439
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,439 |
Slithy Toves has joined us!
Now all is truly brillig.
Welcome ST
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 320
enthusiast
|
|
OP
enthusiast
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 320 |
Thanks for the warm welcome. I'll be looking in often.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613 |
Welcome, and a question, slithy--I see you're in Florida. That, plus your name, makes me ask: are you an alligator? 
|
|
|
|
Forums16
Topics13,913
Posts229,423
Members9,182
| |
Most Online3,341
Dec 9th, 2011
|
|
|
0 members (),
793
guests, and
3
robots. |
|
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
|
|
