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in one of those silly triva email that get sent round, (you know the kind that claim GOLF got name for "gentlemen only, ladies forbidden", one fact that caught my eye was:
Kamakazi (orignal from japanese) has come into most languages since the war, and in every language, it means the same thing.
Ok, now i am not sure all english speakers would agree on 1 meaning, but...
It is an interesting idea.
1--It there only one meaning for kamakazi in english?
2--Does kamakazi mean the same thing in other languages (since i am language deficient, i am asking others who post here)
3--is this the only word that exist across a wide range of languages that has only one meaning?
(do brand names count?--or how about hamburger (ie Mcdodo's))
How about SOS- (is this a word? does it mean the same thing in many languages? is this another example?)
your thoughts?
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Is a scream a word?
Is laughter a word?
Is sobbing a word?
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Kamikaze doesn't mean that in Japanese. Edit to correct spelling Also, Dr Bill sent me this interesting site on the origin of the word and what word the Japanese use to mean what we do by kamikazehttp://www.japan-101.com/history/kamikaze.htm
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>Ok, now i am not sure all english speakers would agree on 1 meaning
OT:
The first word in the quote above is probably the most widely used word in the world, and I'd guess that it means the same thing everywhere.
TEd
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How about SOS- (is this a word? does it mean the same thing in many languages? is this another example?)Well, "SOS" isn't a word, it's an acronym, Of Troy, as you know. And it's a curious acronym at that because everyone knows what it means, but no-one is sure what it stands for. Some say "Save Our Souls" or "Save Our Ship", but others say it's Morse Code: three dots, three dashes, three dots. [Simple, elegant and unmistakeable.] It occurs to me that the only truly universal word is not a word, but an ideogram. Ideograms are the universal language at all multi-lingual global events like the Olympics. Digitong ideograms are independent of language. They are constructed in accordance with a method that symmetrically divides the types of actions that structure human semantic space. These ideograms were inspired by anthropological symmetry, which makes it a satisfactory device for structuring universal memory. I call this symmetry virtual perspective because it deals accurately and symmetrically with the directions involved in meaning.
Digitong ideograms do not represent rigid concepts that behave like "categories" or sets that are hierarchically nested, and that separate the "inside" from the "outside". The range of ideograms provides a palette of the qualities of actions that are in a state of reciprocal and fractal wraping in the ideas."The Language of Ideas"http://snipurl.com/cqy0
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old hand
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> Well, "SOS" isn't a word, it's an acronym, Of Troy, as you know.
Well, not to split hairs, but it's no acronym, it's an abbreviation, as it has no pronunciation.
Surely words like 'google' must be pretty international by now. Pronunciations differ greatly of course
(e.g. 'Goo-ge-ley' is one I've heard).
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Well, not to split hairs, but it's no acronym, it's an abbreviation, as it has no pronunciation.
No problem, B-Y. If we can split urls around here, we can split curls. :)
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ah, chipped beef on toast...
formerly known as etaoin...
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a word pronounced ESS-oh-ESS.
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re:Well, "SOS" isn't a word, it's an acronym, Of Troy, as you know
who the hell are you to decide what it is i know (or don't know?)
i don't know you, (except in the most superficial way) and you don't know me,(except, again in a most superficial way)
I didn't ask you to be my spokeperson, and i don't like having strangers 'announce' what it is i do or don't know.
You are entitled to your own opinions, but please do not post statements about 'what i think or know.'
I am quite capable of expressing my thoughts my self.
You are not privy to my thought. Please refain from implying or stating otherwise.
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please do not post statements about 'what i think or know.'
Fair enough, Of Troy. It was presumptuous of me. I erred, as both B-Y and Faldage have pointed out. I should have known that you would know better.
It won't happen again, Of Troy. I won't put words in your mouth which aren't even acronyms, let alone abbreviations. :)
re "How about SOS - is this a word?". I should have said "Of Troy, doesn't know." That would have been a lot safer than saying what I said.
Hey, Of Troy. I'm just funnin' with ya. Life is too short. [So is "SOS" to be much of a word if you can't pronounce it. :) ]
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re: 1-I should have known that you would know better.
2--I should have said "Of Troy, doesn't know
again, you presume to know what i know or don't know.
I don't think it funny to have continually make presumptions about me, what i know, what i think or what i feel.
I find it rude and insulting.
You claim it won't happen again, even while, once again make statements about me (what i think, what i know.)
it seems obvious to me, you intend to be rude and insulting. Or should i presume you are you stupid and careless?
I have not commented on TEd's suggestion of OK or on SOS until i do, you don't know what i think, or what i know.
STOP attempting to tell me, (and others) what i think.
as always, you are free to post your thoughts. if you have any.
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enthusiast
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Taxi is pretty much universal, isn't it?
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in my first post, i asked, rhetoricaly what about SOS?
this info perhaps is the same as can be found following Falgages links (i haven't yet!)
and comes from Dr Bill:
SOS originated in days when ship
communication was by Morse Code only. SOS was chosen
as emergency call because it could be sent by anybody,
not just rained operator. And could be recognized even
when static was making reception difficult.
When voice transmission became available 'MayDay MayDay
= French ' m'aidez ' = 'help me' was also used as
emergency call.
dr bill doesn't think SOS is a word.
(and perhaps the jury will remain deadlocked for a while on the term. we could let the discussion center on what is a word or isn't or we could explore:
1-OK
2-Taxi
3-google
or other words-with near universal meanings.
with near universal meanings.
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Good sources, Fong, even if divergent on a couple of nits. So was it the radio conference of 1906 or 1908 - and what's the truth of what signals Titanic actually sent? I think we need to know!
of troy, I reckon OK wins it by miles, although how far it's gained a degree of formal recognition within other language systems might be more debatable. However, this is just my WAG, as I've got no comparative knowledge.
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>I reckon OK wins it by miles okay. which do y'all prefer in writing, OK or okay? most of the dispute over the origin of the word has apparently been resolved.. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okayhttp://www.bartleby.com/61/12/O0051200.htmlfwiw, ænigma gives Okamoto for OK. but what about OKlahoma?!
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Re: Kamikaze
Ah but they just didn't look far and wide enough to see if somebody had a different meaning for the word...
I'm think I may have mentioned it here before, but, here in Montréal, Canada, "Kamikaze" is a name given to those machines that clear the snow off the sidewalks.
They got that name because of the insane way the drivers drive.
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ænigma gives Okamoto for OK. but what about OKlahoma?!
You do know how Ænigma warks, don't you?
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old hand
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> Taxi is pretty much universal, isn't it?
Taxi seems like a pretty good candidate, doesn't it?
I remember when I was in Turkey a few years ago that I was quite struck by the way it is presented on the taxis there - 'TAKSI' - it was, I think, the first country I've visited that didn't have TAXI written. In Asia, at least, TAXI is often written *as well as the country's own typographical version, is it not?
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In Welsh, it's tranliterated to Tacsi, but they put the English as well to avoid confusion ;)
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>You do know how Ænigma warks, don't you?
I know that it simply picks the next word on its abecedarian list; but what's this about warking?!
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> wark
It's the Scottish blood - his middle name's Spenser ;)
But when he starts using wirkian...
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